Happy Things Thread

[finlay]

In my experience, other languages have a short form of that country name, including Czech itself, and it's some kind of accident that we don't. I certainly support saying "Czechia" or "Czech" or "Czecho" (Japanese uses the last one), instead of "the Czech republic", which is taxing on the tongue.

[Salmoneus]

Yeah I know, I'm just saying it's not incorrect to call it Czechia. Like it's not incorrect to call Wales Cymru in English but who does that because normal people use Wales instead.


Just like how normal people say 'left groin'. >:|

You mean the sense of 'not incorrect' that means 'incorrect'?

Also not seeing the parallels with 'Cymru' - Cymru's not English, but at least it's Welsh. It's both the welsh word and the official name in welsh. 'Czechia' isn't the Czech word, isn't the official name in Czech, isn't the translation of the official name, and isn't even really the translation of the unofficial and controversial word.

I'm not sure why this is a difficult subject. When a word for a group of people:
a) isn't what that group is traditionally called in your language
b) isn't what that group wants to be called in your language
c) is a controversial term liable to offend some members of the group...
- why insist that people use your made-up name to describe that group? That's just being gratuitously rude.

[Astraios]

My made-up name? What are you actually on.

Since we're talking about Spanish, RAE: "No hay razones para censurar, en textos de carácter no oficial, el uso de la forma Chequia", and anyway Czechia is used in English despite its rarity, and in other languages it's even the regular normal form. I obviously wasn't saying Czechia is the usual word in English, and I don't know how you came to the conclusion that I was insisting people use Czechia (you have always been excellent at misreading though, so); I do know how to speak English - I was saying it's not incorrect, because it is used and it is actually (czech your facts, see: the UN, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, plenty of others) the official English short form of the name and the equivalent of Česko, which is also in use in Czech, despite being controversial.

Czechia isn't incorrect, it's controversial in formal contexts and it's in use colloquially (and more commonly in Spanish than in English).

As for Cymru, if you can't grasp what my reasoning might have been then that's your problem, but maybe it wasn't the best analogy anyway.

[hwhatting]

I've never seen Czechia anywhere in English or any similar equivalents in either French or German, either. In the latter two, it's still always the equivalent of "Czech Republic".

Well, actually you can say Tschechien in German, outside of official contexts, and in my experience, although it's still rarer than the short names for other countries, its use becomes more frequent. Then there's also die Tschechei, but that's mostly used by older people stuck mentally somewhere before 1945.

[Astraios]

La Tchéquie is not uncommon either.

[Thry]

Where I live nobody says Chequia, FWIW, I don't think I've heard it more than two times in my life.

[din]

For what it's worth, in Dutch, we (almost?) exclusively say Tsjechië. I saw Tsjechische Republiek in writing for the first time the other day, in a book translated from English.

[Dewrad]

Yeah I know, I'm just saying it's not incorrect to call it Czechia.

That might have been your intention, but it certainly read like you were saying that it was the correct or preferred form, and that "Czech Republic" was more analogous to "the Kingdom of Spain" in usage. Which is incorrect for English usage.

(Fun fact, however: "Czechia" was first suggested by the Czech government themselves after the "Velvet Divorce". Given that they never bothered using it themselves in their English-language materials, it never caught on. Personally, I think it's a pity they didn't go through with an alternate suggestion and resurrect "Bohemia".)

Like it's not incorrect to call Wales Cymru in English but who does that because normal people use Wales instead.

Again, nooo, not seeing your analogy here. "Cymru" is the native name in a foreign language, it's not the English term at all. Personally, I would consider using "Cymru" in English as incorrect as referring to China as "Zhōngguó" in English (gets your pretention points, but ultimately wrong).

Perhaps a better analogy would be "Tsernagora" vs "Montenegro": the former is closer to the native name, and was even widespread in English usage during the late 19th and early 20th centuries; the latter is just far more common, leaving the former perceived as "incorrect" by most speakers.

[Astraios]

Bohemia, Bohemia's a fallacy in your head.

[Gulliver]

I went for a six mile run and it was lovely but I think my legs might fall off.

[Torco]

I'm satisfied that it's not *incorrect*, uncommon as it be.

[Kereb]

( ... Personally, I think it's a pity they didn't go through with an alternate suggestion and resurrect "Bohemia".)

that would have been amazing. And if they'd been open to suggestions for the anthem ...

[----]

Whenever I have a bit of free time when I did not expect to, I go over to the library here at the uni and prowl around the native languages section. Most of the time it is empty to a depressing degree but today I was lucky enough to find a grammar of Diyari!

[linguoboy]

the native languages section

The what? Is there also a "foreign languages section" and, if so, what's in it?

[din]

the native languages section

The what? Is there also a "foreign languages section" and, if so, what's in it?

Since Diyari was a language spoken in Australia, I'm assuming 'native' languages are all languages spoken in Australia (probably with the exception of English), which would mean that all other languages are in the "foreign language section"

[Izambri]

rumaneses, believe it or not

Clearly from Catalan romanesos.

[----]

the native languages section

The what? Is there also a "foreign languages section" and, if so, what's in it?

Well, the library uses the LCC system to organize its books, and this was section PM. It says "Indians" on the Library of Congress website for what languages are contained in this section but nobody calls indigenous Australians "Indians", do they?

[linguoboy]

the native languages section

The what? Is there also a "foreign languages section" and, if so, what's in it?

Well, the library uses the LCC system to organize its books, and this was section PM. It says "Indians" on the Library of Congress website for what languages are contained in this section but nobody calls indigenous Australians "Indians", do they?

It was misclassed then. Australian Aboriginal languages should go in PL7000. (PL is "Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania.")

[----]

Checked the sticker: it does say PL on it. I'm silly. :l

[Morrígan]

Checked the sticker: it does say PL on it. I'm silly. :l

Makes sense. It's been forever since I've been to the university library....

I filed my taxes and should get just over $500 back, which I could really use. And I'm going to see my endocrinologist again tomorrow and get my hormone dose adjusted. I'm really curious what they are going to do, since I'm not on anti-androgens right now, and I'd very much like to start removing my facial hair.

[Torco]

rumaneses, believe it or not

Clearly from Catalan romanesos.

Ooo, mistery solved!

[Morrígan]

Woo, I'm starting spironolactone and getting my estradiol bumped to 2mg a day. Hopefully this does interesting things to my body.

[Nesescosac]

Woo, I'm starting spironolactone and getting my estradiol bumped to 2mg a day. Hopefully this does interesting things to my body.

Woo! Although your dosages confuse me - I started right off the bat with estradiol and spiro.

[Morrígan]

Woo, I'm starting spironolactone and getting my estradiol bumped to 2mg a day. Hopefully this does interesting things to my body.

Woo! Although your dosages confuse me - I started right off the bat with estradiol and spiro.

Yeah... I think they were hoping the lower estradiol dose (I started at 1mg daily a couple of months ago) would suppress my testosterone enough to not need an additional anti-androgen.

I wasn't aware that anyone did this, and I'm a little miffed that I spent 2 months taking doses that might not have been helpful.

[Risla]

Resuming my Japanese-learning efforts has given me something to actually do, which means I'm less depressed than I have been for the last few months. Also, I can already read about 200 kanji! (because I am a ridiculously all-or-nothing person, so learning Japanese entails flashcard drills for approximately seven hours a day). Also, I got a brush pen on Amazon, and it is making my kanji flashcards look pretty snazzy.