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"especially Minnesota and Wisconsin "

Well then, take the picture out of the link and see for Uselfs. I'm not from here neither, but I've just been in Wisconsin and they may not be too precious in the language even though they are good people.



"The French verb that ramp comes from means 'to rise, rear up'. There is a verbal meaning of ramp in English of which I was unaware: ramp 'to act threateningly or violently; to assume a threatening stance' (link) "
The Dutch noun ramp , that may be related to this second English meaning means disaster. ( and that's what parking generally is)

* Last but not least : I have this faint idea that nuncle z is more of a jazzbeau than of a nuncle.

BranShea #187117 10/05/09 07:57 PM
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The Dutch noun ramp , that may be related to this second English meaning means disaster.

I looked at the entry for ramp in a Dutch etymological dictionary, and they traced it back to Germanic word. I neglected to mention before that the Old French verb did not come from Latin but is thought to have been a borrowing from a Germanic language. The original was kramp (also in German and Dutch meaning 'convulsion'; cf. English cramp. The k got dropped in Burgundian and yielded ramp in French (link).


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
zmjezhd #187118 10/05/09 09:04 PM
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I'd not heard the term 'Parking Ramp' until yesterday. Parking buildings or parking lots are the norm down here. Mostly owned by a Mr Wilson who must make a ****load of money. Four Bucks an hour per car up to about 20 bucks a day times 200 (their largest catering for up to 6000) cars per building times over 100 odd sites around NZ = ****loads.

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Well, I was just trying to ramp up the humor, but I'm limited by what I have lying around to work with... and being barred from saying lol.... heh

twosleepy #187122 10/06/09 02:44 AM
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Jackie Offline OP
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Ok; thanks, tsu. (FWIW, I did go to your link.) Here, it would be called a parking garage, even aboveground. I was confused, because to me a ramp is a means of conveyance, as in movement, not something you cease moving on for an extended period of time.
We have some parking ramps garages where each level is slanted, and some where the parking areas are level with ramps connecting them.

Thanks to zm. (hey, can I call you zoom?) and Branny for the info. on the Fr. and Dutch words.

Edit: speaking of different uses for the same word--I just proofread and noticed my uses of 'level'.

Jackie #187124 10/06/09 08:26 AM
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Do the many thanks mean you want to close the subject? I was just getting there. It would be easier to call Zmjhezd ( still can't write it right without example) Dzem and take the tsk out tsuwm and call him Dzoom.
What do you thinkz? wink

BTW, ZM, that's a nice page with those snippings. Is there any way to get to its homepage? And do I understand you have an etymology Dutch online dictionary? I have tried to find that often, but no succes.

Last edited by BranShea; 10/06/09 09:28 AM.
BranShea #187126 10/06/09 08:50 AM
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Originally Posted By: BranShea
Do the many thanks mean you want to close the subject? I was just getting there. It would be easier to call Zmjhezd ( still can't write it right without example) Dzem and take the tsk out tsuwm and call him Dzoom.
What do you thinkz? wink


i think there is something a little visually palindromic about those letters in devnagri ज़्मझेज़्द not a true palindrome but sort of hinting at it

latishya #187127 10/06/09 09:23 AM
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Hey, yes! I can see ( not understand ) what you mean.

BranShea #187128 10/06/09 09:25 AM
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Originally Posted By: BranShea
Do the many thanks mean you want to close the subject?


Like we ever let that stop us. We had a parking ramp here where I live that allowed parking on the ramped areas but not on the level areas. My analysis was that the ramped areas were the levels (1, 2, 3, etc) and the level areas were the transitions between the levels. This meant that the whole could be defined as a step function and a step function can have the points of transition defined or undefined and, in our case, they were undefined, so there was no there there on which to park.

Faldage #187129 10/06/09 09:33 AM
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Oh, and around here anyway, a garage (unqualified except by an optional car count {1, 2, 3, etc} or attachment to the house) is where you park the family car if there's enough room left after the lawn equipment, kids' bikes, and all those things you're going to unpack one of these days take up whatever space they demand. A parking garage is an enclosed public space for the parking of some large number of cars related only by their ownership by people who have some business in the vicinity of said enclosed public space. A parking lot is open air and all at ground level.

YMMV

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