True . It seems anomalous to me that it should also apply to a plane journey. I wonder if that is because the earliest flights were associated with the sea or even perhaps if the first planes often took off on the water. The word "bark" does seem closely associated with wooden boats ,doesn't it?
The word "bark," meaning a harsh sound, has cognates in many of the Indo-European languages, with related meanings such as "bluster," "quarrel" and "murmur." The word "barque," meaning a type of boat, was taken from French. Most of the Romance languages have a similar word. It was borrowed by the Greeks from the Coptic word for "barge."
No. That is yet a third word with the same spelling and pronunciation. We got this one from the Scandinavians, and I don't know where they got it.
I wonder about that too. I also find it interesting that our word 'cork' and the Latin for 'oak', quercus, are so similar. Of course the cork oak comes to mind... Mercury, Viritrilbia, whatever you want to call the God of Language, is strong sometimes! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
A long shot . "Quirky" couldn't come from "quercus" ,surely not. But the Druids were known to the Romans and the oak was their thing I believe so it might not be impossible
Not really, when you consider our language has considerable roots in Latin and Greek. The word cork quite possibly does come ultimately from quercus, albeit most likely via the Spanish word alcorque meaning a cork sole. It could also come from the Latin for bark, though: cortex. Or possibly some ancient mix of the two.
"Quirky" is not easily traced to origin, but almost certainly nothing to do with oak. Earliest English source suggests it may have been a technical word used in weaving, for some particular flourish, pattern, embellishment etc. But it may also come from the German quer, meaning strange, peculiar. Ultimately those two possibilities may have had a common ancestor, so to speak, but it is highly unlikely to be quercus. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
a pity . It would make for a nice mental association for our quirky colleagues what with all those knobby branches Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! well and druids dancing around with bits of oak twigs sticking out of their heads.
Correct. Just coincidence. Our word "cork" is taken from Latin quercus, "oak." They got it from the Arabs. The kind of "bark" that covers trees comes from the same Proto-Germanic word as "birch."
No more than any other. Spend a couple of weeks studying Chinese and you'll be gasping in amazement. You'll probably also discover that you can speak a few sentences correctly--with a horrible accent, of course. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Literally (from Greek origin of the word) it means "like a firework display" but it can be used to describe something spectacular even when the visual appearance is not immediately apparent. A violinist's performance could be described using the word "pyrotechnics" for example.
a serious post ? Techni is a Greek word that goes back a long way. I don't think they had any word corresponding to "technical". "Craft " probably covers it. Neither can I fathom river's post but that is perhaps understandable.
It is not that hard and this is coming from someone who really only desires to speak one language, but i have a good grasp of "American English". And there are differences. That is what may add to you confusion, you have to think more abstract and not be so concerned with strict adherence to rules. TBH, concentrate on british and american english, because there are differences and that takes time. Fraggle is the expert here though so what i will say is in no way meant to supercede his input. Like in America, we have different dialects...and we would spot you right away as a FOREIGNER.
