Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Urdu would probably be best, it is the most universal of the Indian languages

oh yes

oh yes

can we have a learning languages section on the forum so we can post a few lessons for others to learn in any unusual langs we know??


that would be SO cool (sorry, teenager in me coming out there - JR don't say a word)

I've just started learning Gaelic... hee hee, new language... v complicated and lesson from 50s keep talking about how we learnt "I am, Thou art", at school. When did Thou art die the death?

Okay,

Shukria means thanks or thank you in urdu

cool

how do you pronouce it?

Pretty much as it is written.

If you hear an Asian say Goury, he means westerner

If he changes the tone of how he says it, he is insulting you calling a f***ing white man

Ruthie-Baby wrote:can we have a learning languages section on the forum so we can post a few lessons for others to learn in any unusual langs we know??

that would be SO cool (sorry, teenager in me coming out there - JR don't say a word)

It's great fun to be able to listen to other people when they think you don't understand; found it very useful in business meetings!

A couple of weeks ago at a restaurant I tried to take the Maitre d' down a peg as we left: he opened the door at the end of a line of staff we had had to walk past. As I passed I simply said "Takk for maten" (standard procedure to the host after a meal - thank you for the meal). He hardly missed a beat "Vaere so god" (a standard reply - "please".)
A Frenchman, trained in London and Paris, he didn't realise I knew that he speaks Swedish - he had never seen me before.
The looks on the faces of the waiters was something to see!

Another time, in Tenereife the local patois and accent is that of Gibraltar. I always used that dialect (learned in Gib) in the hotel which they couldn't get over -= a British tourist speaknig anything but Brum.....
At the airport when we left we were about halfway down the 100 yard queue for check-in when the receptionist from the hotel hauls us out of the line, checks us in specially and takes us through where we were looked after by one of her friends; all because of language!

even learned a few words of Thai when I was there

Definitely useful.

It can be almost as much fun when you don't actually know what someone is saying but you do have a couple of words in their lanuage, it really throws them.

I was walking past check point charlie (before the Berlin wall came down obviously) and I heard a Soviet soldier point to our group and say something so I looked at him and said "spasiba tovaritsch" "thanks comrade" and smiled. He thought I knew what he said and got very worried. Next thing he knew, he was being yelled at by a Soviet sergeant. I have no idea what any of them said but my little comment sure started trouble.

That sounds like it could backfire in ways you can't imagine Scone Lover! Got away with it that time though