Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2006 October 6

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what word?[edit]

what word could you use for a person who takes advantage of his friends.

Exploiter? It looks vaguely French, too. Hyenaste ^(tell) 03:55, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Swindler, cheater? Vague, I know. bibliomaniac15 03:56, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Manipulator, moocher, user?Rich 05:53, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I personally use "user". freshofftheufo ΓΛĿЌ 12:20, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Psychopathic manipulator, if the person always takes extreme advantage with no thought for the welfare or feelings of the friends. Such a person would likely find it necessary to make new friends regularly to replace those who are wise to him. Edison 15:15, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Scammer? Aaadddaaammm 08:45, 9 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Moluccas, Malay, etc vs Meluhha[edit]

Hi, I've been wondering for eons if Meluhha, the ancient trading partner of Sumer, which some think might have been the Indus Valley Civilization in Pakistan, might be the source the ethnic name Melanesian, the Moluccas, (which traded(s?) spices much as Meluhha did long ago), etc. Does anyone know what the relevant scholars say about the possibility, since it surely occurred to them aeons ago?Rich 05:41, 6 October 2006 (UTC) Forgot to say I've heard Meluhha means port. The Moluccas would surely have always had some type of port as would most of the Malay Archipelago.Rich 05:48, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think there was any meaningful trade between Mesopotamia and the eastern Indian Ocean region until Hellenistic times (what William H. McNeill called the "Closure of the Ecumene"), and even then it would have been somewhat indirect. Also, the word "Melanesia" was formed in the 19th century from ancient Greek roots... AnonMoos 16:25, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The word "Melanesia" is Greek, and means "Black islands". User:Zoe|(talk) 02:51, 7 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Little question[edit]

Just wondering what's the difference between "holograph" and "manuscript", if any?--K.C. Tang 06:49, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Have you read the articles Holograph and Manuscript? The first paragraph of Holograph explains the difference. --Canley 07:03, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Real Estate Terminology "FES"[edit]

Can anyone explain what "FES" means in the context of "Large 3 bed room residence, features FES to main b/r, large lounge, sep. dining, kitchen family rooms."

(In Australia, if it's relevant) 58.6.65.254 08:16, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

'Full en-suite' (bathroom)? Just a guess Maid Marion 09:10, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In the main bedroom, lounge, dinning room, AND family rooms? --58.6.65.254 09:21, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Maid Marion is right - your example needs a semicolon to highlight it ("FES to main b/r; large lounge, sep dining, kitchen" etc). You want the main b/r with the FES and WIR. Natgoo 09:32, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is WIR? (That example was copyed exactly, maybe it was an ambiguous statment that confused me) Thanks--58.6.65.254 09:42, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think WIR = Walk-In Robes: Wardrobes large enough to walk into. --Canley 10:04, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What language is this?[edit]

Hello Chums, can anyone identify what language this is?

http://www.somkiet.com/LifeStory/EducationUSA.htm

Regards

--Charlesknight 10:10, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It looks a bit like Tamil script. Dismas|^(talk) 10:16, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My guess is it's a language from Thailand.Rich 10:35, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd say Thai, yeah, or possibly Lao. Both Thai and Tamil are Brahmi-derived scripts, though, so they have clear similarities. 惑乱分からん 10:43, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here is a page that places it in Thailand: <http://www.somkiet.com/LifeStory/Story4E.htm>. :windw:

The language guesser says Thai. —D a niel (‽) 18:35, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

All of the evidence says Thai. I think we could safely concur it by now. 惑乱分からん 20:15, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like I got here just in time—it's Thai. Also, the difference between Lao and Northeastern Thai is largely political. — X [Mac Davis] (SUPERDESK|Help me improve)09:20, 7 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Just in time for what? I think the question is answered, already... (The Lao alphabet seems to be slightly different than the Thai one, though, mainly it's more rounded.) 惑乱分からん 10:38, 7 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

see omniglot.com martianlostinspace 17:01, 8 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Translate くどい[edit]

One dictionary gives me "adjective - insistent" another gives "諄い【くどい】 (adj) (uk) verbose; importunate; heavy (taste);". Which is right? Or are they both right. Thanks, 83.70.106.136 18:53, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

They're both sorta right, although the latter is more accurate. This monolingual Japanese dictionary gives:

Repeatedly saying the same thing over and over, making (someone) feel annoyed. Insistent in talking.
Strong (of flavor).
Unpleasant (of color or design). --Ptcamn 19:05, 6 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In case you need to translate it, my Japanese–English pocket dictionary gives the following translations: 1 tedious; wordy; lengthy; long winded ((explanation)). 2 importunate; inquisitive; garrulous. 3 thick; heavy; greasy. --Lambiam ^Talk 00:07, 7 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The word is usually used in spoken casual Japanese to mean something more like "persistant" in an annoying way, not so different from しつこい. freshofftheufo ΓΛĿЌ 16:35, 7 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You guys know no less than I. Just a few additional tips: 1) くどい is almost always written in hiragana, as くどい. I confess I couldn't read 諄い. 2) しつこい is a very similar word as Freshgavin says (yoku shitte masu ne!). However, when you talk about dirt such as a stain on your shirt and if you cannot get rid of it easily, you are to say "しつこい汚れ" or "頑固な/ガンコな汚れ", but not likely "くどい汚れ". This is one occasion しつこい and くどい have different meanings. --marsian 10:49, 8 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, くどい is one of those words usually reserved for people in casual speech. It's pretty rare too, so the meaning is quite strong. freshofftheufo ΓΛĿЌ 17:07, 8 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]