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Hôtel de ville: a tourist trap?A British tourist spent the night stuck in the Hôtel de Ville in Dannemarie, after mistaking it for an actual hotel. Our very own LL_French Twitter feed sets the record straight: In French, hôtel de ville means city hall, NOT hotel. Poor woman! The hapless female visitor arrived in the Alsace town of Dannemarie on Friday and tried to find a bed for the night. Spotting the impressive-looking “hotel de ville”, the tourist popped in to use the toilet before trying to check in. But as she was in the convenience, officials finished a meeting, left the town hall and locked its door. The solitary traveller, said to be in her 30s, ended up with the inconvenience of spending the night on chairs in the building’s lobby.
Need a Few Phrases for that Trip?Check out our new, free Language for Travelers on fodors.com, in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Arabic, Japanese, and Chinese. -Over 150 essential words and phrases -Six key categories: Meeting People, Getting Around, Shopping, Numbers and Other Essentials, Food and Restaurants, and Top Ten Questions -See the phrase and listen to the audio -Download an essential traveler’s wallet reference to take with you Tags: travel
Language MythsInteresting site about Language Myths, in the form of a poll. It’s not really a yes-no format, since some of the answers are open to debate. But there are some good questions to consider. (Yes, the one about Eskimos and their n lexical entries referring to snow is there, too!) [Chris] Tags: language, language myths
How Do You Say “Purism” in Icelandic?A lot of languages, or more accurately, a lot of speakers or organizations of speakers of languages, decide that they have to remain pure, and fight the (presumably negative) influence of alien tongues. So, when foreign borrowing comes into a language, it is assumed that the foreign word has somehow robbed a native word of its right to exist or flourish. The foreign word is demonized, and all sorts of decrees are set forth that it must never be used. Instead, a native alternative is proposed.... More Tags: foreign borrowing, Icelandic, newsletter, purism
An Easier Way to Learn Chinese VocabularyWhen an English speaker studies languages like French and German, there are many vocabulary words that are immediately familiar, such as le restaurant (restaurant) in French and das Haus (house) in German. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Chinese. There are some similar words, such as kāfēi (coffee) and māma (mom), but apart from that, you mostly have to rely on memorization. However, there is an easier way than just memorizing each individual Chinese word. ... More Tags: Chinese, memorization, newsletter, vocabulary
That’s One Way to Learn GermanA while ago, I was traveling alone in Germany. When I first left my hotel, I memorized the word on a nearby sign: EINBAHNSTRAßE. I reasoned that it would serve as my landmark for getting back to the hotel. Plus, as I started walking, I noticed a lot of other signs pointing my way to it, so I figured it must be a very important street. That was a relief, since I would therefore always be close to a sign directing me back to that all-important road.... More Tags: German, newsletter, travel story
Essential Arabic PhrasesIn the past, we’ve covered essential phrases in many languages, such as French, Dutch, Irish, Polish, etc. It’s time for Arabic. Keep in mind that Arabic has a variety of dialects, and the pronunciation changes from region to region. These phrases, however, will definitely get your point across, wherever you are! Click on the play button below to hear each of the following essential Arabic words/phrases.... More Tags: Arabic, essential phrases
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