#how to pronounce How to pronounce Intensifier | English pronunciation

[rigelmejo]

really cannot emphasize enough how... chinese hanzi and grammar just... click in my head easier...

[oreranoneiro]

Matsumura Hokuto 10,000 characters interview (Myojo 2020 May Edition)

When we formed a circle that day, it was the moment we promised, “Let’s go on with the 6 of us, forever.”

If it's these 6 members, we'll be even greater.

Once again, congratulations on your debut.

Thank you very much. But we'll go further from now on. I'm super passionate right now. I want to keep working and do something every day. Many thoughts are running through my head; what more I can do and what is coming from now on, about the group and about the members. From there, I realised that if it's these 6 members, we'll be even greater. That's why it's only the beginning.

You're not satisfied with the current situation?

Satisfied!? Honestly, right now I'm not. Not at all. I’m glad when people go, “Amazing!” at the current SixTONES, but I also want to tell them it's nothing yet. I want to tell them to keep watching the six of us. Because it's from now on. I say that but it's not like we have a fundamental vision of anything (laughs). It was like that from our Jr. era. We would go all out for one concert, but when the next one comes around, we’d have zero ideas. We can't conjure up a vision for the next thing. We might have zero ideas, but the passion of the six of us is driving this whirlwind. We don't know what's coming or what we'll do next, but if I think about our potential, it's isn’t only this.

I think being the main character is cool.

We’d like to backtrack on your path to debut. Do you have a memory from childhood?

Is it okay if this one isn't an experience? I vaguely like french toast. If I look for a deeper reason, it seems like I often ate french toast when I was a baby. After becoming an adult, I’d often eat it on the streets as it became popular, and it really is delicious. But what I like the most is buying plain bread at the supermarket, cutting the edge, and making a simple french toast by adding egg, milk and sugar, then pouring maple syrup on it. It feels like something my mom made.

You also like cooking, right?

I have liked it for a long time. I always watched my mom cook, so maybe it's the effect of that. When I was a kid, I used to dream of having a curry shop or a ramen shop. Apparently, I couldn't pronounce it properly, so at kindergarten I said, "I want to be Karen-san and Ramen-san!" (laughs) After that, I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to help people in trouble.

When you started learning karate in first grade, was it because you wanted to be a hero?

I don't remember the reason, but it wasn’t because of someone else’s suggestion. "I want to learn karate!" was something I said myself.

Wasn't the training strict?

It was strict, but I was completely absorbed in it soon after starting. However, around 3rd grade, I plateaued and couldn't advance. I didn't win matches, and I considered quitting a couple of times. My worried parents told me, "After going on this far, we think you should continue. But the final decision is yours." In the end, I didn't quit. It isn’t a cool story where I went on because I hated to lose. It was because if I quit, I felt like I would have lost something inside me. Also, the fear of betraying my parents' expectations was really strong.

Did you have any interest in the entertainment world?

None at all. In 5th grade, by chance I watched the drama 'Kurosagi'. I don't normally watch drama, but I think the protagonist is really cool. I wanted to imitate him, I wanted to be someone like that. But I didn't even know his name. When I talked about it in class,  someone said "That's Yamapi (Yamashita Tomohisa)." Everyone knew him. I suddenly felt enthusiastic and asked my parents to register me in the fanclub. I also went to NEWS’s concert. He was also really cool during concerts.

Then you send an application to Johnny's.

The first time I sent it was in grade 5. I sent the second one a year later. There was no reply to both applications.

But you didn't give up?

I didn’t. That's why I sent my third application in the first year of middle school. At that time, I consulted my parents. Maybe they saw how impatient I was and thought, if I didn't have a deadline, how long would I suffer for? Just like back then with karate, instead of pushing their opinion on me, they told me to think about the possibility of it not working out. So I came to a decision. If they did not reply by April 1st, the beginning of my second year, then I will give up. It was because in the second year, I would have to focus on high school preparation. That's why even if an answer came after April 1st, I wouldn't go to the audition.

When did the response come?

February. Just barely before the time limit. We have a video of that. I came home after the end of term exam, and somehow my mom is recording with a handycam. Then she gave me a sheet of fax. But instead of Johnny's Audition, written there was The Shounen Club back dancer auditions. It is a program in which only Johnny's could perform, so it was actually a Johnny's audition. For a moment I couldn't wrap my head around it. I felt sorry for my mom because she couldn't get the reaction she expected. (laughs)

Shimekake and I were made into a pair.

How was the audition?

We went from Shizuoka to Tokyo in a car. Dad driving, mom by his side, me in the back seat. As we came closer to Tokyo, the mixed feeling of nervousness, happiness, and uneasiness intensified. It would have been decided on that day whether or not my three-year-long dream from grade 5 will come true. It's not simply three years. For I who was thirteen, it was 3 years out of my 13-year-long life. But I’ve never done anything like dancing, and I don't know how many will pass the audition. The only thing I understood was that if the insignificant me made one mistake and they told me to go home, that will be the end of my dream. Realizing that, I started crying. I tried to hide it, but mom realized it and looked back at me, then I thought she might cry, too. When I saw her face, I shouted, "Don't cry!". I tried to be intimidating, so my tears stopped just like that. Now when we look back at it,  mom told me, "You were really angry at that time, huh." I laughed it off and said, "It was because everyone was so cool in the audition, there was no way I would have passed if my eyes were swollen."

What happened after you arrived?

We put on name labels. At first, we formed lines and someone taught us the choreography, and we danced intently. Then gradually we were told of our positions. "You, go forward. You, in the back.” The most vivid memory was when Shimekake (Ryuya) was by my side. I thought he was cute, but also really good at dancing. Then, Johnny-san called me over. It might be because I wrote my English proficiency level on my application, but suddenly he started speaking English. His pronunciation was really like a native speaker so I didn't understand anything. I thought 'Ah, I'm in danger'. When we were on break, I got called over by Johnny-san and the choreography teacher and they told me, "You, go and keep practicing without rest." I felt down. I wanted to practice but I didn't have any dancing experience, and I couldn't remember the choreo, either. At that time, I relied on Shimekake. "I don't remember the choreo, can you teach me?" When practice started again, Shimekake and I slowly went forward, and in the end we stood on the foremost center, in the position that's like partner.

How was the result?

The day after was the recording of The Shounen Club, so when Johnny-san asked if I could come, I answered "I will!". However, the night after the audition there came a phone call from Johnny-san. "YOU don't have to come tomorrow." When I asked why, he said "YOU are in Shizuoka, that's really far. I'll let you do something even greater." Doesn't that make you wonder what that greater thing would be? I thought it was a lie so that he could turn me down without hurting me, because I believe there's no way that kind of Cinderella Story would happen. If it was that good, everything would have gone smoothly from a long time ago. Even I know that such a convenient story would only happen to people who don't wait. That's why I keep on saying that I will definitely come, and in the end, it was like Johnny-san gave in.

You kept pushing and came to the recording.

Yes. in front of everyone, Johnny-san said in a loud voice, "YOU, why did you come!" and I was really embarrassed. But then he laughed and said, "You're really determined, huh." Suddenly he told me to appear in 'Jr. ni Q' corner. I tagged along to the waiting room, and there he told Goseki (Koichi)-kun. "Goseki, bring this kid with you." Goseki-kun agreed indifferently. When the time came, Goseki-kun pulled my hand to the stage and over there were Koyama (Keiichiro)-kun from my favorite NEWS and Nakamaru (Yuichi)-kun. I always watched 'The Shounen Club', so I can't believe I could stand there myself.

It’s because you are that; It’s because it's like that.

Right after you joined the company, you were added to B.I.Shadow, so the 'great thing' Johnny-san said really did happen.

I think it was the Shokura practice 2 weeks after I joined. Johnny-san told me "There's this kid who’s a great star, you should always be with him. Be in his group." and introduced me to Nakajima Kento. "That's B.I.Shadow, and you're in that. It was 3 members but now it’s 4 members. It's like that," he said. I'm already panicking, so I was like "What do you mean like that? I'm joining this group? There's no way I'm in B.I.Shadow, right?"

So you yourself were doubting it.

Yes. During the next week's rehearsal, when the choreographer called "B.I.!!" I tagged along. Everyone around me went "eh!?" and became a bit noisy. But Kento and (Kikuchi) Fuma really treated me well. There were times when I asked about the choreo and they told me to wait but didn't teach me, and for a while I thought they were unreliable, though (laughs). Looking back now, it was only a year after they joined but they still looked after me. When they were free, most of the time they would be checking my dance.

After that, you were active as a part of Nakayama Yuma w/ B.I.Shadow and NYC Boys. You also accomplished a CD release and a Kouhaku performance. 

All of that was in my first year. What an exciting first year.

Any conversation with Yamada-kun and Chinen-kun from that time that you still remember?

We barely talked with each other, so close to none. Because I was really shy. 

But in a magazine interview back when you just joined, you said never feeling shy is your strong point.

I was probably trying to look tough. I just joined and want to be an innocent, sociable little brother who anyone can fawn over, but I was actually forcing myself. I'm basically pretty cheerful and chatty, but also annoyingly shy toward strangers.

After that, there was a period where your workload lessened.

There was. At first, it was just a faint sense of discomfort, but gradually it became stronger. For example, I thought "Huh? There's no interview for B.I.Shadow this month, but Kento and Fuma went to an interview together."

I see.

I was a junior high schooler, but still realized the intention behind the upper and lower case letters of  ‘NYC boys'. The three of them wore red costumes, while we're in the back wearing different costumes. The workload was indeed decreasing, but I was just holding on desperately. Even on the song where Kento and Fuma are supposed to sing with just the two of them, I memorized the choreo so when the time came, I could say "I can dance it too!" and they would let me perform it with them. Of course, I didn't get the mic, and for a while I thought it couldn't be helped anymore. I struggled to think of a way to escape this world of leftovers. I didn't want to disappoint my parents and hometown friends, but more than anything, it was a world I really yearn after, so there was no way I'm giving up easily.

Getting into a group right after joining, you may look like one of the elites but in fact you were struggling too.

Yeah. I want to get even a bit more work, so I moved to Tokyo. When I talked to someone from the agency, they said "You can work from Shizuoka, too." I said it's not for work, but the school I want to enroll in is in Tokyo. Then after moving, I reported to the agency that I now live in Tokyo.

But then Sexy Zone's debut was decided, and B.I.Shadow's activity came to a full stop.

In a flash, any work was gone. My dancing position was pushed to the back too, and there was a month where I had no job at all. It was a really terrible time. 

But you looked forward without giving up.

It sounds cool, but I became sulky inside. It clashed with my need to prove myself when I got called. In short, I strayed from the path. I didn't cut corners when it came to dancing, but be it as senior group's dancer or something else, I stood on the stage thinking "Hey! Look, look! Look at me!" I remember singing KinKi Kids' 'Family ~Hitotsu ni naru koto' with glittery makeup and jingling accessories on Junior corner of Hey!Say!JUMP's concert. It's a lovely ballad, but I sang it with a piercing glare and skull ring on my finger. I was desperate to show how good I was. Even though I know better than anyone else that I'm not a special human.

You really struggled.

If the current me can meet me back then, I will warn him for sure. Of course, I could hear, "What a bad sense," "Such a bad image," "He got carried away," from all around me. But with that thorny appearance, the producer of 'Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou' saw me and thought, "What a sour-looking guy, how interesting." And that was how my position in the cast was decided.

So that was the story of your selection.

Yes. But just because I got chosen by it, doesn't mean the stupid things I did back then were forgiven. But the me back then did go full force. Everything in life is connected. Right and wrong is a different matter altogether, but if you do something desperately, something will definitely come from it.

Even if this group will succeed, do I have it in me...

The drama 'Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou' that gathered all SixTONES current members was a big hit. Did you feel like you will debut with these 6 members one day?

There was no premonition (laugh). But I did think what a random bunch we are. We left an impression of a group with six mismatched members. There were moments when I thought being with them was somewhat interesting. Like homemade hamburg steak. Even if we're wrong together, it wasn't a steak nor was it a restaurant-level hamburg steak with 100% cow beef. Made with different compositions, it was a homemade hamburg steak for a barbecue we ate together. But it was really delicious.

So slowly something like a group consciousness grew within you?

Yes. We got to sing together in 'Shokura', also appeared together in 'SUMMARY' and concerts. However, I could strongly feel that at first, each of us was focusing on personal success or were clinging desperately to this group as a way to survive.

In 2013, you won no. 1 in 'Jr. You Want To Have As A Lover' category of the Jr. ranking held by Myojo, right.

I was really happy. I totally didn't expect to win it. With what happened after Sexy Zone's debut, along with the push of the Bakaleya franchise, I wondered if there were still people who wanted me to debut. There's a superstition that the Junior who won will be able to debut, right!? As I had won it, it became an encouragement in my heart that even someone like me will be able to debut.

Then, in May 2015, SixTONES became an official group.

19 years old. I thought no matter what kind of future awaits this group, this will be my last group. There's no ‘later on’ if this ends in failure. The last chance.

Right after the formation, did you think you could debut?

At first, not at once. Rather than feeling like we couldn't debut for sure, it was a worry because we were not gaining popularity at all. 

I see.

It might have been because I was already worried about myself. Even if this group succeeds, do I have what it takes? What if one way or another I end up quitting?

As you brooded over it, what happened?

Slowly, a lot of things made me feel 'Huh?!' toward the group or members. I didn't try to be liked, and also didn't think anyone liked me. I thought everyone was struggling because it's our last chance and we don't have enough composure. Even though we're in this together, we hurt each other; we went against each other indiscriminately. When something went against our expectations, we looked for someone to blame.

For example?

This is just an example. Currently, in choreography, even if we match you can see our individual arrangement, and we respect each other for the way we dance. However, back then, with one arrangement, someone will go "Isn't that wrong?" and looked for a mistake. "He's doing it wrong." Each of us felt like we were right and blamed someone else, even though there was nothing wrong with it. I also did it to other members. I can't stand the situation where it was like we had an internal discord.

I see.

It's a world where no one knows what is right. That's why I built a wall so I could decide everything for myself. Be it advice or direction from other members, I isolated myself from everything. I finish everything so I don't have to talk with the others at the dressing room, I kept on reading books while putting earphones on.

Did you consider quitting?

My chatty yet shy nature kind of complicated the situation... But even with that attitude, I actually wanted to talk with them, and I didn't think about quitting, not once. I keep on thinking that even if we don't have what it takes as a group, let's go on with what we’ve got. However, I couldn't hide it and made my parents worried. Maybe I barely concealed my situation. "Just think of it as a circle or club activities. Because you got paid, you can also think of it as a part-time job. It's okay if you want to end it. If it's too hard then it's okay," they told me. "Yeah, yeah," I always answered lightly, but deep inside, I always felt sorry for making them worried. "Sorry, but I will go on. I don't have any intention to quit."

All other members said "Hokuto really changed," but was there a trigger to your change?

It’s because now in the dressing room, I'm the most talkative one (lol). But it wasn't only one happening that changed my whole world. It was more like many points that linked into a line. From my point of view, rather than being the one who changed a lot, it's the others who changed and slowly made me conscious that I can show my honest self to them. Everyone really changed. Saying we became adults sounds nice, but I think it was because we kept going on as these six members and slowly gained self-assurance.

Do you have an example of those points that linked together into a line?

Hmm. For example, I’ve always thought that acting is fun, but I'm really bad at it. It became somewhat of a preoccupation. When asked what I want to do, I will feel pressured to answer only with the things I can do. That's why I couldn't say I want to act. In interviews right after the group formation, when asked, "Hokuto-kun, what do you want to do from now on?" I couldn't answer anything. At that time, Jesse will definitely answer "He wants to act. He also looks attractive when acting, so from now on I think he will grow as an actor too," always. There was an instance when I think I can't let him keep saying it for me, I have to be able to convey what I want to do by myself. "I want to act more, but I know that I'm not good. So, I would like more opportunities to practice it." Then, I have to watch more movies, I have to do that, I have to do this. My activities, behavior, and interests changed. Not just Jesse, I also accepted small gestures from other members as the points became a line. I realized those things given to me were what made me change.

Forming a line with the 6 of us and bawling our eyes out.

In 2018, your activity broadened with the 'Johnny's Jr. Channel', you were on magazine covers here and there, managed to get a rare reprint, and the group rapidly gained exposure. Were there any moments that you think changed the wind's direction?

We did 'Amazing!!!!!!' in 2017. With that song, the direction the group is going for became clear. I think that was the culmination of everything. It was at that point that everyone evolved. In a way, 'Amazing!!!!!!' might have been the starting line for  SixTONES.

But you repeatedly said you were not focused on debuting, right?

Honestly, rather than not focused on it, it was more like we gave up on debuting. I think there are only a few differences between debuting and not debuting. The biggest difference for me is if we couldn't debut, this group will disappear one day. There's also the possibility of the members changing, because debuting means we are recognised as a group. However, debut or not, SixTONES won't disappear. We will go on forever. Somewhere along the line, I began to think like that. No one said it to us nor did we promise anything between us. But that's the biggest reason why I wasn't worried about debuting.

Then on 28th June 2019, you were informed of the debut in Johnny-san's hospital room, and also the fact that you will announce it on 'Johnny's Jr. 8.8 Festival' on August 8th, wherein a total of 300 Johnny's Jr. will perform.

That place on August 8th felt solemn. That day, on top of our joy, we had to properly tell everyone who attended about our debut. The friends who fought alongside us as Jr, fans who supported them. Of course, our fans are there too, also those whom we regarded as rivals. That announcement was supposed to bring joy for some of us, but also cruelty for the others. 

What kind of existence is Snow Man who debuts at the same time as you?

They are our rival, of course, but also completely our comrade. It feels like our only difference is the group.

How did you convey it to the family that had always worried about you?

That day, I called them right away. They casually told me "That's great," I will never forget those words. I can't put it into words, but all my life, thank you for entrusting everything to me. Thank you for letting me live this life with my own choices. I want to tell them thank you for believing in me.

Do you have something you want to say to the members who went through joy and sorrow together with you? First, Kouchi Yugo-kun.

Johnny-san told me "There's a guy who's really compatible with you," and that was Kouchi. Even after the B.I.Shadow's cessation of activities, we keep on being a pair. So from now on, let's be together all along our life.

To Jesse-kun.

From now on too, I'll keep on relying on you. Of course we will work hard too, but you are the face of our group, our center.

To Tanaka Juri-kun.

Juri, our engine starter, you are the strongest. Juri, you are amazing. Have some confidence, okay.

To Morimoto Shintaro-kun.

As the youngest member of this group, you still have things holding you back. But let's go through the years with everyone else and become an adult. Then that gap will feel like nothing.

To Kyomoto Taiga-kun.

… Keep showing me your figure from the back, maybe. More than anyone else, Kyomoto has always been a stimulus for me to have an awareness that we are professionals. Because you're the person who made me think that artists are great. If we are in different businesses, maybe I will be able to tell you honestly that I respect you.

The last question. When did you feel the happiest that SixTONES are these 6 members?

Probably this year's January 7th. During 'TrackONE IMPACT' Yokohama Arena, the last part of double encore, our last stage as Jr., the last moment on that stage. From when our debut was decided, I keep on thinking 'SixTONES is a group that started on May 1st 2015, debuting on January 22nd 2020. But we're not a group that ends one thing and starts something else on our debut.' However, at that double encore, we formed a circle on the stage, met each other's eyes and shouted 'Thank you!' as we cried. We bawled our eyes out to an embarrassing extent. I looked at the members' eyes and thought, "I've been saved by these guys. I'm glad it's the six of us," while my tears keep on flowing. I really love them, that's how I feel from the bottom of my heart. 

Doesn't matter if we debuted or not, I believe we will always be together. I’ve been stuck at certain points. Will we be able to stay together forever? When we formed a circle that time, it's not like we confirmed it with words to each other. But I think that was the moment where we promised "let's go on forever with these six members." At that time, I accidentally thought, "Ah, it ended...", even though I had said that a debut is not the end of one thing and the start of something else. It was really fun, and also manyfolds so very difficult. We hurt and helped each other. But no matter when, we will always go full throttle. That day, at that moment, the Jr days ended, and these 6 members will walk on with a new promise in our heart.

[englishedge]

How Important Is English For Working People?

When you are born, you don't know any language. With time, you get influenced by the mother tongues and start speaking the same language as others. With the beginning of other activities in life, such as schooling and making friends, you start learning other languages. Various languages are there. However, English being the most common language used for communication across the globe is crucial to master if you want to connect with people all over the world. Thus, the importance of English in the life of working people is very high. 

Speaking fluent English is still a hard nut to crack for many people. They feel ashamed of speaking in their broken English. English language lab solves this critical problem faced by a majority of the people in India. English language lab software comes with tons of features that make learning English fun. Some of the advantages of the English language lab are:

- The English language lab software can help students become more self-assured and job-ready. The language lab includes training classes that help students develop their personalities and help them tackle world the challenges of the world. 

- Language lab software improves employees' communication abilities in the workplace. It also promotes worldwide corporate contact among executives.

- Language lab software helps in upscaling students' word pronunciation and developing confidence in speaking English.

Importance Of English For Working Professionals

In this tech-driven era where most of the things are online, the importance of English gets intensified. The majority of content available on the internet is in English. So, if you don't know English, you are missing out on opportunities. 

English is the primary business language, and speaking English has nearly become a must for anyone who wants to work in a global economy. Many foreign organizations want their staff to be fluent in English. So they can communicate with any of their clients located in a different part of the world. 

Also, you will miss out on the chance to go abroad if you don't know English. Companies prefer those who are fluent in English as they have to communicate with the people of other countries. 

The importance of English doubles up if you are running a business. Suppose you want to open a branch of your company abroad or want to tie up with other companies. How will you do that without knowing English? You will face extreme difficulties. Either you know English or their mother tongue. Learning English is far better and easier than learning the mother tongues of different nations. 

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Speaking English is not all about practicing. It is about practicing in the right environment with the right resources. With an English language lab, you can easily improve your English. The best part is that you can learn at your pace anytime from anywhere. An English language lab gives you the right environment to work on your language. It will help you to pronounce the words correctly too. 

English is important for everyone. Especially, the working professionals cannot go far without adopting English. Learning English is not an imposition but an improvisation of your skill. In this fast-paced world, English is everywhere. Right from the internet to the office, English is everywhere. Even government understands, and thus, English is there in the school curriculum. Besides, many schools and institutes are implementing English language lab that helps students learn English the best way. The language lab software from English Edge is one of the best in the market. 

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[tech-good-health]

ASTHMA PRONUNCIATION IN INDIA AND IN URDU WITH MEANING

The way a word or language is uttered is referred to as pronunciation. This might refer to widely agreed-upon sound sequences used in pronouncing a certain word or language in a specific dialect ("proper pronunciation") or simply the way a single individual speaks a word or language.

Contested or extensively mispronounced terms, such as city and town names or the word GIF, are often validated by the sources from which they originate.

A word can be said in a variety of ways by different persons or groups, depending on a variety of circumstances such as the duration of their childhood cultural exposure, the area of their present home, speech or vocal issues, their ethnic group.

Asthma Pronunciation:

Phonetic spelling of Asthma Pronunciation

az-muh

asth-ma

Asthma Meaning:

It is an airway disorder of one's bronchi getting narrowed and swollen and causing excessive release of mucus.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder affecting the airways of the lungs. This syndrome is distinguished by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily provoked bronchospasms. Common symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. This might happen several times per day or multiple times per week. Depending on the person, asthma symptoms may intensify at night or during activities.

Asthma Pronunciation in India

While doing asthma pronunciation, we say az-ma rather than as-th-ma, keeping in mind that this is silent. Even physicians in India do not pronounce it correctly, since it is widely spoken as asthma, and for better comprehension of patients, doctors pronounce it as-th-ma.

Asthma Pronunciation in Urdu

Find the correct Urdu meaning of Asthma pronunciation; it is critical to get the word correct while translating from English to Urdu. Each word in Urdu has several meanings; for example, the literal meaning of Asthma in Urdu is Saans Ka Rukna in Roman. The other meaning is Saans Ka Rukna. Asthma is a noun, according to the components of speech. It is derived from late Middle English asma, which is derived from medieval Latin asthma, which is derived from Greek asthma, which is derived from azein, which means "to breathe hard." Asthma pronunciation is spelled [az-muh, as-]. If you are having difficulty pronouncing Asthma after reading English to Urdu translation, you may listen to the audio version in the online dictionary.

How To Spell Asthma

[az-muh, as-]

Pronunciation of pizza

What is a pizza?

Pizza is a type of flatbread that is generally topped with tomato and cheese before being cooked in an oven. It is frequently topped with a variety of meats, veggies, and condiments. Modern pizza was originated in Naples, Italy, and the meal and its varieties have since gained popularity and widespread acceptance around the world. Pizza is a popular fast-food item in Europe, Australia, and North America, and is available fresh or frozen, whole or in parts.

Why is pizza pronounced Pizza?

tsa/, and when the term was imported into English, it retained the T sound. The /tts/ sound in the Italian script is written "zz," therefore they spell it "pizza," and when the word was borrowed into English, the spelling remained the same as well.

What is the right way to say pizza?

It's unmistakably "peetsa" in both British and American English. There is no other way to pronounce it. If your accent has a faint "d" sound, I wouldn't be too concerned, and others should be understanding.

Also Read: How to cure gastric problems permanently? 7 Home Remedies

Bowl Pronunciation

When you first start speaking English, it's essential to familiarise yourself with the language's frequent sounds, and the easiest method to do so is to study phonetics.

Meaning

a roughly hemispherical concave vessel: a circular, generally larger-than-a-cup container

a) concave or bowl-shaped components, such as the hollow of a spoon or tobacco pipe

b) a toilet's receptacle

c) a bowl-shaped natural structure or geographical location

d) a bowl-shaped building, such as an athletic stadium

Here are four recommendations to help you polish your pronunciation of "bowl":

Divide 'bowl' into sounds: [BOHL] - speak it out loud and exaggerate the sounds until you can make them consistently. Record yourself saying 'bowl' in full phrases, then watch and listen to yourself. You'll be able to simply mark your blunders. Look up instructions on how to pronounce 'bowl' on YouTube. Concentrate on one accent: combining several accents might be difficult, especially for novices, so choose one accent (US or UK) and adhere to it.

Different pronunciations of dengue

A tropical sickness caused by a virus transmitted by mosquitos that produces a high temperature and severe joint pain Early nineteenth century: from West Indian Spanish, from Kiswahili dinga (in full kidingapopo), inspired by Spanish dengue 'fastidiousness' (with reference to the dislike of movement by affected patients).

Someone you know has recently been diagnosed with it. But before you go very far, you realize that your interlocutor is pronouncing the term differently than you are. So, what exactly is it?

Is it dengue fever (deng)?

Is it the dengue (deng-you) virus?

Isn't it dengue (deng-gee)?

We are delighted to have resolved this issue once and for all.

It is correctly pronounced as deng-ee as its origins are Spanish.

Pronunciation of cough

Meaning

Cough is defined as a quick, sharp-sounding ejection of air from the lungs that acts as a defensive mechanism to cleanse the air passages or as a sign of pulmonary disturbance a disease characterized by persistent or frequent coughing, she has a persistent cough.

Origin of the Word

Middle English: imitative; connected to Dutch kuchen 'to cough' and German kuchen ‘to pant.'

Here are four ways to help you improve your pronunciation of 'cough':

Break down 'cough' into sounds: [KOF] - repeat it out loud and emphasize the sounds until you can make them consistently. Record yourself uttering 'cough' in full sentences, then watch and listen to yourself. You'll be able to simply mark your blunders. Look up instructions on how to pronounce 'cough' on YouTube. Concentrate on one accent: combining several accents might be difficult, especially for novices, so choose one accent (US or UK) and adhere to it.

[emergingpakistan]

Inside Huawei

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. is a Chinese multinational telecommunications equipment and consumer electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Shenzhen, China. Ren Zhengfei, a former military engineer in the People's Liberation Army, founded Huawei in 1987. At the time of its establishment, Huawei focused on manufacturing phone switches, but has since expanded to include building telecommunications networks, providing operational and consulting services and equipment to enterprises inside and outside of China, and manufacturing communications devices for the consumer market. Huawei had over 170,000 employees as of September 2017, around 76,000 of them engaged in research and development (R&D). It has 21 R&D institutes in countries including China, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Finland, France, Belgium, Germany, Colombia, Sweden, Ireland, India,[10] Russia, Israel, and Turkey.  As of 2017 the company invested US$13.8 billion in R&D, up from US$5 billion in 2013. 

Huawei has deployed its products and services in more than 170 countries, and as of 2011 it served 45 of the 50 largest telecom operators. Its networks, numbering over 1,500, reaches one third of the world's population. Huawei overtook Ericsson in 2012 as the largest telecommunications-equipment manufacturer in the world,  and overtook Apple in 2018 as the second-largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world, behind Samsung Electronics. It ranks 72nd on the Fortune Global 500 list.[ In December 2018, Huawei reported that its annual revenue had risen to US$108.5 billion in 2018 (a 21% increase over 2017), surpassing $100 billion for the first time in company history.

Although successful internationally, Huawei has faced difficulties in some markets, due to allegations – primarily from the United States government – that its telecom infrastructure equipment may contain backdoors that enable unauthorised surveillance by the Chinese government entities (citing, in particular, its founder having previously worked for the People's Liberation Army). Cybersecurity concerns over Huawei intensified with the development of 5G wireless networks, with calls to prevent the company from providing equipment for them, and to prevent use of products by Huawei, or fellow Chinese telecom ZTE, by government entities. Several major U.S. wireless carriers, as well as retailer Best Buy, began to drop Huawei's products in early-2018, prompting Huawei to pull out of the market entirely due to unmarketability. The company has argued that its products posed "no greater cybersecurity risk" than those of any other vendor, and that there is no evidence of the U.S. espionage claims.

In 2017, Huawei began helping BYD build a standardized, smart factory. In December 2018, Huawei's vice-chairperson and CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on 1 December 2018, at the request of the United States, which accuses her of violating US sanctions against Iran. The U.S. Department of Justice filed formal charges of fraud, obstruction of justice, and theft of trade secrets against Huawei in January 2019.

The name Huawei may be translated as "splendid act" or "China is able". However, pronunciation of Huawei by non-Chinese varies in other countries, for example "Hua Way" or "How Wee" in the United States and "Hoe-ah-wei" in the Netherlands. The company had considered changing the name in English as it was concerned that non-Chinese may find the name hard to pronounce, but decided to keep the name, and launched a name recognition campaign instead to encourage a pronunciation closer to "Wah-Way" using the words "Wow Way".

During the 1980s, Chinese government tried to modernise the country's underdeveloped telecommunications infrastructure. A core component of the telecommunications network was telephone exchange switches, and in the late 1980s several Chinese research groups endeavoured to acquire and develop the technology, usually through joint ventures with foreign companies. Ren Zhengfei, a former deputy director of the People's Liberation Army engineering corp, founded Huawei in 1987 in Shenzhen. Rather than relying on joint ventures to secure technology transfers from foreign companies, which were often reluctant to transfer their most advanced technologies to Chinese firms, Ren sought to reverse engineer foreign technologies with local researchers. At a time when all of China's telecommunications technology was imported from abroad, Ren hoped to build a domestic Chinese telecommunication company that could compete with, and ultimately replace, foreign competitors.

During its first several years the company's business model consisted mainly of reselling private branch exchange (PBX) switches imported from Hong Kong. Meanwhile, it was reverse-engineering imported switches and investing heavily in research and development to manufacture its own technologies. By 1990 the company had approximately 600 R&D staff, and began its own independent commercialisation of PBX switches targeting hotels and small enterprises. The company's first major breakthrough came in 1993, when it launched its C&C08 program controlled telephone switch. It was by far the most powerful switch available in China at the time. By initially deploying in small cities and rural areas and placing emphasis on service and customizability, the company gained market share and made its way into the mainstream market. The company also developed collusive joint venture relationships with local authorities, whereby it would provide "dividends" to the local officials in exchange for their using Huawei products in the network. Ahrens writes that these methods were "unorthodox, bordering on corrupt," but not illegal.

In 1997, Huawei won a contract to provide fixed-line network products to Hong Kong company Hutchison Whampoa. Later that year, Huawei launched its wireless GSM-based products and eventually expanded to offer CDMA and UMTS. In 1999, the company opened a research and development (R&D) center in Bangalore, India to develop a wide range of telecom software. From 1998 to 2003, Huawei contracted with IBM for management consulting, and transformed its management and product development structure. After 2000, Huawei increased its speed of expansion into overseas markets, having achieved foreign sales of more than US$100 million by 2000 and establishing an R&D center in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2001, Huawei established four R&D centers in the United States, divested non-core subsidiary Avansys to Emerson for US$750 million and joined the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).  By 2002, Huawei's foreign market sales had reached US$552 million.

Huawei has focused on expanding its mobile technology and networking solutions[buzzword] through a number of partnerships. In March 2003, Huawei and 3Com Corporation formed a joint venture company, 3Com-Huawei (H3C), which focused on the R&D, production and sales of data networking products. The company later divested a 49% stake in H3C for US$880 million in 2006. In 2005, Huawei began a joint venture with Siemens, called TD Tech, for developing 3G/ TD-SCDMA mobile communication technology products. The US$100 million investment gave the company a 49% stake in the venture, while Siemens held a 51% stake. In 2007, after Nokia and Siemens co-founded Nokia Siemens Networks, Siemens transferred all shares it held in TD Tech to Nokia Siemens Networks. At present, Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei hold 51% and 49% shares of TD Tech respectively. Courtesy : Wikipedia

[duskfloret]

「 ♔ 」 General reference post for speech patterns / quirks.

Ryoko!

Speaks in full sentences (doesn’t use fragments / cut off the subject of a sentence).

If not formal, her manner of speaking is certainly polite.

In English, she defaults to a standard American dialect. In Japanese, she defaults to Kyoto-ben even though she’s not from there. In general, she’s good at switching between various dialects when she feels the need.

She doesn’t use unnecessary qualifiers when she speaks; she only applies them when it adds value to what she’s saying.

She speaks the most casually around Shinji.

She says “yes” instead of “yeah” because she’s a proper lady. Same with “mother” and “father” instead of “mom” and “dad” and etc. etc. etc.

Sehn!

Along with “dude” and “bro,” she also likes the words “son,” “pal,” and “buddy.”

She also tends to add in qualifiers and intensifiers when she talks, “super,” “extra,” “mega,” and “ultra” being her favourites.

Generally rather informal.

Her voice has a neutral pitch, not particularly feminine nor masculine.

When naming anything, she’ll either use a clever reference to its main function (such as her alias “Sehn” being a reference to her ability) or pick a random household item (such as her favourite stuffed animal being named Bucket).

She refers to ordinary, completely normal, every day things as being witchcraft or as an ability. People can make friends? Witchcraft. Most people look both ways before walking across a street? Mega witchcraft.

When describing anything and/or telling a story, she tends to talk like she’s referring to a video game.

Izanami and Izumi!

They still use Japanese honorifics when speaking in English.

They seldom refer to anyone outside their family (whether by saying their name or, “Hey, you”). 

They don’t know many big words in English, so they keep their speech simple.

When both are talking to someone, they’ll alternate speaking every sentence.

Yori!

“Miss” and “sir” sort of formality. Rarely uses people’s names.

He also says things like “oh dear” more than he should. It makes him sound like an old man.

His tone is often playful and/or sing-songy.

Katsuo!

He stutters a lot due to his nerves, but if he’s not nervous, he can usually manage to speak properly.

It’d be easy to assume that he has a speech impediment.

Somewhat formal, somewhat informal.

Kotone!

She speaks politely, adding to the “sheltered rich girl” vibe she gives off without realising. She picked up the habit from her mentor.

However, she becomes considerably less formal when food is mentioned. That’s when she perks up, isn’t as careful with her words, and generally sounds like a child.

Nona!

Her accent is a standard American one mixed with a slight southern drawl.

She tends to abbreviate words--’cause, y’know, y’all, wanna, etc.

She offers up the occasional “bless your heart” if she’s annoyed enough with someone being rude or disrespectful. She also swears in non-swears (i.e. stuff like “son of a dickens,” fiddlesticks, etc.).

Lane!

He has an English accent, but it’s not quite distinct enough to tell exactly where he’s from (on purpose, of course); there’s enough to gather that he’s from somewhere in the south, though.

He refers to people by nicknames rather than their actual names. Him calling someone by name is a sign that he feels particularly close to them.

If he doesn’t have a nickname for someone, “mate” is his go-to replacement.

British English.

When naming anything, he tends to either pick names that “sound dignified” (such as naming his orchid Jeremiah) or name it after historical figures. He’s the kind of person that thinks it’d be funny to name a cat Schrodinger. 

Chinatsu!

She doesn’t pay much attention to how formal or informal her speech is, and she doesn’t really care either.

The more flustered she is, the less formal her speech gets.

Shinji!

He picks up after Ryoko in terms of formality, and he speaks more casually when talking to her.

Calla!

Her monotone voice, lack of contractions, and general formality make her sound more robotic than anything else.

While she knows how to speak normally, she chooses not to.

Saori!

Gets confused when anyone says “y’know” because she thinks they’re saying her (sur)name.

She does her best to be polite and respectful like a proper lady.

Jonah!

“Miss” and “mister” sort of formality. Rarely uses people’s names, and particularly important people will be referred to with a the (i.e. the mister, the miss).

Pretty informal otherwise.

Has a lazy manner of speaking, unless he’s excited or interested in something.

Kaeto!

Generally speaks in the dialect of the area he’s currently in.

If he gets flustered enough, his actual accent starts to show. Too bad it’s difficult to fluster him...

He leans towards being slightly informal in his speech.

He doesn’t capitalise letters when he types (unless it’s on a school assignment), but otherwise uses proper grammar.

Sera!

She has School House Rock songs stuck in her head constantly, and is liable to hum along to them while studying.

Says, “Get out of my house,” no matter where she is.

She makes way too many references to fights, fighting, etc.

Sanae!

She has difficulty pronouncing English words like “aluminum” or “anemone” and mixes up phrases, such as saying “flood ounces” instead of “fluid ounces.” English idioms are also beyond her.

However, she’s well-versed in Japanese idioms.

For the most part, she can speak English in a standard dialect, but if she’s just been speaking to someone in Japanese, her original accent will linger for a few minutes.

Tzan!

Very excited and it shows! Lot of exclamation points!

Her voice is very warm and friendly.

Eli!

He has a penchant for swearing and rarely goes more than a few sentences without including an expletive (even though I hardly ever write it into his dialogue...). He can tone it down when he needs to, such as around children or someone he doesn’t want to offend.

Generally informal, but knows how to be polite when the situation calls for it.

He opts to speak in a standard American dialect with some southeast English pronunciation thrown in. If he’s tired, his Russian accent will slip out without him meaning for it to.

Celyn!

Welsh dialect mixed with London / Cockney dialect.

British swears for days.

Oi.

“Mate” is a neutral term and not something he uses as a term of endearment.

[howtopronounceenglishcorrectly]

Learn how to pronounce Intensifier in English --- INTENSIFIER Pronunciation of Intensifier: /ɪn'tensə,faɪər/ - [in'ten·si·fi·er] (n.) Definition of Intensifier: One who or that which intensifies or strengthens; in photography, an agent used to intensify the lights or shadows of a picture. ★ http://Learn2Pronounce.com ★ How to pronounce Intensifier | English pronunciation: https://youtu.be/0xv5pq8zF60

[catalogado]

The Mooch, Anthony Scaramucci, Trump’s latest anus ex machina, is a real gift to the world of politics-as-entertainment. If you wrote him into a novel, the readers would say, “The fuck d’you think you are, Thomas fucking Pynchon?” If into a play, “David fucking Mamet?” But no, fuck that, this slick-headed wisemouth bounded right out of the commedia dell’arte, obviously: Scaramuccia (called Scaramouche in French), whose  name literally means ‘little skirmisher’, is a grimacing rapscallion given to braggadocio and pusillanimity. And just as the eternal Scaramouche has carried vulgar behaviour through the ages and between countries, the present Mooch has done a service to international studies of vulgarity, because now we get to see how newspapers in other countries translate fucking paranoid schizophrenic, cock-block, and suck my own cock.

Seriously, when the fuck else have you been able to use simple searches of international newspapers – just type Scaramucci Bannon in the box – to learn how to talk like a New York fuckface in other languages?

So, first of all, how would Scaramuccia, the Italian, say all this shit? (We’ll leave aside the fact that, being Neapolitan, he wouldn’t be speaking standard Italian. Look, the Italian newspapers use an Italian that’s grown out of the Florentine version, OK? That’s just the fucking way it is. Go to Hell and argue with Dante if you don’t like it.) Well, I’ll take the translations from HuffingtonPost.it’s article. Fucking paranoid schizophrenic is “un cazzo di paranoico schizofrenico”: literally ‘a cock of paranoid schizophrenic’. Italian likes cocks in its vulgarity, you see. Where in English we might say What the fuck? in Italian you’d say Che cazzo? ‘What cock?’

So what’s cock-block? It’s fermare e rompere il cazzo: ‘stop and break the cock’. Where the English is “Let me leak the fucking thing and see if I can cock-block these people the way I cock-blocked Scaramucci for six months” the Italian from HuffPo is “Fammelo raccontare ai giornali così vediamo se posso fermarli e rompergli il cazzo così come ho fermato e ho rotto il cazzo a Scaramucci per sei mesi.” (Note that they leave off the vulgar intensifier on raccontare ai giornali, literally ‘tell the newspapers’ but here translating “leak the fucking thing.”)

What’s funny is that when it comes to “I’m not trying to suck my own cock” the Italian doesn’t use cazzo. No, you see, as Costanza Rizzacasa d’Orsogna explained to me (she writes for Corriere della Sera, but I couldn’t find a frank translation of all this on their site), you could translate suck my own cock literally as succhiarmi il cazzo, but Italian has a better expression: fare il pompino, literally ‘do the little pump’, figuratively ‘give a blowjob’. And that’s what HuffPo went with: “Non mi interessa farmi i pompini da solo” – ‘I’m not interested in giving myself solo blowjobs’.

Fine, OK, great, that’s how the Italians say it. As always, speaking lively Italian is like driving a Maserati on a mountain road. But how about German? Do they make it a Porsche or a Mercedes? The answer, it seems, is more of a fucking Audi. I looked on a couple of leading news sites and couldn’t find a translation of cock-block. But Die Welt obliges on the other two: a fucking paradoid schizophrenic is “ein verdammter paranoider Schizophrener” (pardon me for being underwhelmed; I don’t really think verdammt ‘damned’ is very strong, but hey, ich bin kein Berliner) and I’m not trying to suck my own cock is “Ich versuche nicht, meinen eigenen Schwanz zu lutschen,” which is a straightforward translation. Schwanz literally means ‘tail’ but is used like English prick and cock, and lutschen means ‘suck’.

The French can do themselves prouder. Slate.fr should give its translator a bonus for capturing the tone so nicely – not just the idiomatic vivid coarseness but the colloquial grammar too. “I’m not Steve Bannon, I’m not trying to suck my own cock” – so beautifully transcribed by The New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza with a fucking comma splice that would normally get cock-blocked at the copy desk but conveys the tone more smartly than a period, let alone a fucking semicolon – shows up as “Je suis pas Steve Bannon, j’essaie pas de sucer ma propre bite.” If you don’t speak French, you won’t know what’s missing from that. Well, whoever did it up for HuffingtonPost.fr knew, and kept it in: “Je ne suis pas Steve Bannon, je n’essaie pas de sucer ma propre bite.” See it? ‘Not’ in standard French is ne…pas, but in colloquial French the ne is normally dropped. Oh, by the way, bite (pronounced like “beat” in France and “bit” in Québec) doesn’t have anything to do with biting. It means ‘cock’ tout court, nothing else – apparently it comes from an Old Norse word for a wood beam.

I couldn’t find a French news source willing to talk about cock-blocking; I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a killing offence in French culture to cock-block someone. But the vulgar intensifier for paranoid schizophrenic once again shows what the go-to is in the language: “putain de schizophrène paranoïaque“, ‘whore of paranoid schizophrenic’. Yes, French is a language that makes much use of prostitution-related taboo words, especially in France. Quebec has a different angle, famously using liturgical terms, but fuck me if I could find a Québécois news source willing to give me the goods. Even Huffington Post completely sanitized it (to the point of prissiness) for the Québec audiences, which surprised me given how lively of tongue they can be in la belle province.

OK, but how about Spanish? If we’re going to cover European imperial powers, we can’t do without Spain and all the countries that speak Spanish because of it. I gotta tell you, Spanish is what started me on this exploration. Lucía Leal, of the newswire Efe, tweeted:

Scaramucci llama a Priebus “un puto paranoico esquizofrénico” y dice: “No soy como Steve Bannon, no estoy tratando de chupármela a mí mismo”

That covers two of our three phrases right there. The fucking paranoid etcetera is ‘a paranoid schizophrenic whore’ – putting Spanish in the same sex-worker-cussing set as French – and suck my own cock is down as, roughly, ‘suck me it to myself’.

But wait! There is, of course, more than one Spanish-language news source. El Mundo gives a different version: “no estoy tratando de comerme mi propia polla” – ‘I’m not trying to eat my own cock’, except polla is formed not from a word meaning ‘rooster’ but from one meaning ‘pullet’. And they actually give exegeses on the cock-blocking:

Oh, Bill Sine viene. Voy a filtrar la puta cosa (fucking thing) y ver si puedo joder (cock-block, literalmente “bloquear la polla”, una sofisticada metáfora traducible como “impedir que alguien lleve a cabo la penetración”) a esa gente del mismo modo que bloqueé la polla (cock-blocked, pasado de verbo regular) a Scaramucci durante seis meses.

So they translate cock-block directly as joder, which would be translated back as fuck or fuck up, and then explain that it’s literally ‘block the cock’, “a sophisticated metaphor translatable as ‘keep someone from carrying out penetration’.” How very helpful! But before they explain all this, they tell the reader, “A partir de este momento, la presente crónica es para mayores de 18 años.” Which means, roughly, “From this point on, the present article is for readers 18 years of age or older.” This Spanish journalist, Pablo Pardo, is by far the most conscientious of the bunch. He even explains the autofellation: “en lo que Lizza considera una referencia no a las habilidades de Bannon como contorsionista, sino al aparente interés que éste tiene en salir en los medios de comunicación”: ‘which Lizza considers a reference not to Bannon’s ability as a contortionist, but to the apparent interest that he has in his appearance in the media’.

Isn’t translation fun? Truly, if you had not realized, translation is one of the funnest things you can try that are actually technically impossible but you get close enough (making me the right kind of Manhattan being another). All the English retranslations herein are by me, and if they suck, apply for a refund at i-did-them-for-free@fuckyou.ca. Or you can give better ones in the comments if you wish.

Let’s keep on with the imperial power languages. How about Portuguese? Brazilian Portuguese is a language for anyone who likes fun things that look easy but will leave you sucking your own – um, tongue. But the trickiest part is the pronunciation, and you’re reading this. From UOL Notícias I get these two: “Reince é um esquizofrênico paranoico de merda” – meaning ‘Reince is a paranoid schizophrenic of shit’, putting Brazilian Portuguese in the coprophilic set – and “Não sou Steve Bannon, não estou tentando chupar meu próprio pau,” which is like the Spanish but uses pau for ‘cock’, which is a word that also literally means ‘stick’. They left out the cock-blocking thing. Sigh.

Well, whatever. Go to European Portuguese and you get what Diário de Notícias gives us, and it’s boring: “Não procuro chupar o meu próprio pénis.” You can see it: they use pénis. ‘I’m not trying to lick my own penis.” Thank god they have wine in Portugal. Especially because they didn’t even try with “Reince é um esquizofrénico paranoico.” Do you see an expletive? Jackshit.

Quick, let’s call in another imperial power of yore to save this. Who? The Dutch, of course. They’re known to be frank. I got a nice hit from de Volkskrant, which opens with three quotations, the first of which gives us “Reince is een fokking paranoïde schizofreen.” If you can’t sort that one out, there’s no fokking hope for you. The next is even sweeter, possibly my favourite out of this whole fucking thing: “Ik ben Steve Bannon niet, ik ben geen zelfpijper.” That means – literally – ‘I’m not Steve Bannon, I’m no self-whistler’ or, of course, using the colloquial sense of pijpen, ‘…I’m no self-cocksucker.’ Isn’t it lovely that Dutch has such a compact way of saying it? Talk about getting to the point. So to speak.

Alas, the third quote wasn’t the cock-blocking one. The article doesn’t give us that. I’m going to have to give a gold star to the Spanish and Italians, who at least attempted the cock-blocking. Translation, I mean. Who else can I turn to?

The Scandinavians, of course. Have a piece of Danish. Denmark’s TV2 sets us up nicely. “Åh, der kommer Bill Shine, lad mig lige fucking lække det og se, om jeg kan sætte en kæp i hjulet på dem, som jeg gjorde mod Scaramucci i seks måneder.” You can see which quote that is. Yes, the cock-blocking! So… how is it rendered? ‘Oh, there comes Bill Shine, let me leak the fucking thing and see if I can put a stick in the wheel on him as I did with Scaramucci for six months.’

Put a stick in the wheel?

OK, my Danish isn’t fluent, but some Dane can tell me if there’s a sexual reference there I’m missing. Dammit. How about the other two? One is down as “Reince er en fucking paranoid skizofren.” Well, that’s straightforward. Fuck do you expect? It’s not that distantly related to English (yes, it’s North Germanic and English is West Germanic, but never forget the massive Danish and Norwegian influence in the Old and Middle English periods due to invasions). How about Bannon? “Jeg er ikke Steve Bannon. Jeg prøver ikke at sutte min egen pik.” Well… it means the same as the English. But now you know. But hey, do you want to know how to write it in Swedish? “Jag är inte Steve Bannon, jag försöker inte suga min egen kuk,” according to Aftonbladet.

There are, obviously, many more languages I could look it up in. Some of them might even have nice translations of it. But I don’t want to wander into ones I have less-than-basic knowledge of. So just let me leave you with one more: Icelandic. I get no cock-blocking from the high cold vikings, but RÚV gives me the other two. It tells Icelanders that the Mooch is not Steve Bannon: “ég er ekki að reyna að totta minn eigin böll,” which translates even more directly than most languages – Icelandic, like English and unlike most other Western European languages, makes common use of a present progressive aspect. Ég er ekki að reyna really means ‘I’m not trying’ and not ‘I don’t try’.

The capper, though, and the one that reminds us of the particular pertinacity of the Icelandic, is this: “Reince er fjandans ofsóknarbrjálaður geðklofasjúklingur.” Icelandic prefers to use Icelandic roots rather than Greek or Latin ones for things when it can, you see, and that sentence there means ‘Reince is a fucking paranoid schizophrenic.’ Except fjandans doesn’t literally refer to anything sexual or scatological at all. It’s used as an expletive like English fucking, but it’s actually a devil reference, cognate with English fiend. And then the rest is… fiendish. It even looks a little bit like sounds you might make while sucking your own cock. With a lot of tongue action.

[mightbedamian]

#TMIishTuesday #44 - Weird Sayings in English, German, and Dutch

Hey there, first off: I tagged some of my posts. You can find an overview of the tags I used on this page. So, if you are interested in certain topics like my life in the Netherlands, my coming out story, or posts about YouTube, you can now just click those tags and see only those posts. The page also includes a description of what #TMIishTuesday is. How handy, right? Oh and I also did some tagging for pics. There are like 10 pics of 3 people that I know and all of them are YouTubers, so… still check it out, if you want to? :D Let's start with the actual thing now, shall we? Hey there mighty people of the internet! And welcome to issue #44 of #TMIishTuesday - my weekly Tumblr post about what goes through my weird mind and what you guys want to know more about. It can be something very personal, it can be something political, it can be completely pointless - but in 99.9 % of the cases, it involves opinions. And mine as well. // Last week I went quite cliché - again and reflected on my personal year 2016. Veeeeeeery long post but totally worth reading, if you want to know more about me! // In other news, I held the first poll of 2017 and the first poll in like… 4 weeks or so (?) for you to decide today's topic on Twitter. And you guys were interested in what I have to say about those "Weird Sayings". And... you guys, I just love languages! Languages are everything: Strange, very straightforward, not logical, ridiculous, inventive, confusing, never the same, I could go on forever. This is probably gonna be a long post again. #ifyoucouldnttellalready I'll take some bits and bobs from my experiences of speaking three languages - within a minute at times - and bring up some examples from that. If you don't know German or Dutch, don't you worry. I got you! I'll translate to English. As best as possible. #notyetaprofessionalinterpreter Let's start with the initial reason why I came up with the idea to write about this topic: The word "fangirling". If you are not a fangirl yourself, you probably don't have a clue what I'm talking about. Let's take a look into the urban dictionary for help (that's a very handy website for checking what slang means btw, it has saved my life numerous times! Else I wouldn't have been able to understand a lot of videos). Urban dictionary defines "fangirl" as: "A rabid breed of human female who is obesessed with either a fictional character or an actor. Similar to the breed of fanboy. Fangirls congregate at anime conventions and livejournal. Have been known to glomp, grope, and tackle when encountering said obsessions." ...and "fangirling" as: "v. 1. the reaction a fangirl has to any mention or sighting of the object of her "affection". These reactions include shortness of breath, fainting, highpitched noises, shaking, fierce head shaking as if in the midst of a seizure, wet panties, endless blog posts, etc. 2. a gathering of two or more fangirls in which they proceed to waste endless amounts of time ogling, discussing/arguing, stalking, etc. the object of their "affection" " I first learned about "fangirls" on YouTube watching some international YouTuber. Might have been Tyler Oakley, who himself has probably more fangirls any YouTuber will ever have. Looking to the word "fangirl", it makes me notice two things: 1. It's an absolutely brilliant neologism! Perfectly descriptive of its meaning. A "girl" who is a big "fan" of someone: "fangirl". "Fangirling" then is just the act of being such "fangirl". 2. Why is the term "fangirl" so common, while I haven't even heard of a "fanboy"? Why do I have to be "fangirling" when I like to go crazy about a celebrity? Shouldn't I be "fanboying" instead? And thinking inclusively: What about non-binary people who I identify as neither "boy" nor "girl" but somewhere along the spectrum instead? It's that slightly discriminative thing that exists in lots of languages when they just use one word that has an attribute of one gender attached to it to mean both genders. As far as I have noticed, it's not that prevalent in the English language as it is in German and Dutch. Well done, you creators of English! When you talk about a hair dresser that is neutral. It can be either gender. In German ("Friseur" for male; "Friseurin" for female) and Dutch ("kapper" and "kapster" respectively) you don’t have a unisex form: "I went to the hair dresser's to get a haircut yesterday. She did an awesome job!" would be "Ich bin gestern beim Friseur gewesen. Sie hat es richtig gut gemacht!" in German and "Ik ben gisteren naar de kapper geweest. Ze heeft het heel goed geknipt!" (That’s probably not translated too well, but you get my point, right? :D) Notice how both languages use the male form instead of the (correct) female form. Just because you refer to the hair dresser's place instead of the hair dresser herself. Obviously the English language discriminates as well. Think about police men or post men. Have you ever heard someone say "police women"? No, you probably haven't. Granted, I've never lived in a country where English was the native language. But I think it's ridiculous that we have that separation in so many terms, especially with professions. If you want to use the politically correct form, it sounds incredibly unsophisticated. When I read German flyers that are published by governmental organisations, I'm close to puking. "Die Schüler_innen" - yes, there are not only male students in that class (and this form of writing also includes non-binary people - as opposed to “SchülerInnen”). But why make such a mess of it. I think we should introduce a neutral form to use in such occasions. We have neutral pronouns, even to describe people (think of they/them or ze/zir). Why don't we use them for these occasions as well? But alright, I can tell you are getting bored of my political correctness talks again. Let's get on with this post. How about false friends? You may have some in real life (though I hope you don't), but I'm talking about words that sound similar in different languages, but have a completely different meaning. First one that sprang to my mind: The German "Handy". I mean… I have to give you that: A mobile phone is indeed handy. But I've seen lots of people using the word in English to refer to a mobile phone, when native speakers would probably have no idea what they are talking about. Or take "actual" which is actually a great example! actual ≠ aktuell. The English word "actual" is translated to German as eigentlich, tatsächlich; the German "aktuell" means current or up-to-date in English. And there are obviously some with Dutch as well. Take the German word "allemal" and the Dutch word "allemaal". "Allemaal" is often added to a plural pronoun: "wij" (we), "jullie" (you), or "zij" (they), to underline that everyone is involved. And without a doubt it is one of the most frequently used words in Dutch. The German "allemal" is slightly old-fashioned and not used much anymore. It means “certainly” or “for sure”. Another example: The German "fahren" (to ride or to drive) is obviously used very often, while "varen" in Dutch isn't. It sounds very similar, but only refers to "travelling by boat" instead of including pretty much any means of travel, like the German “fahren”. Dutch and English are more fitting. In a way... For “actual” it’s the same story as with German (called "actueel" in Dutch). For the rest: "map" exists in both English and Dutch. But the Dutch word means “folder”, while the English word translates to Dutch as "landkaart". And finally: "room". If you ask a receptionist of a hotel for a "free room" (or a "vrije room") in Dutch, you'll probably get very puzzled and confused looks. Why would you look for free whipped cream? I mean... I'm sure you could get some at a hotel, but… The word you were looking for is "kamer". (And while we’re on it: The Dutch “room” is pronounced with a long “o” sound) When I write a post about languages, I certainly have to address the "Schmetterling" issue. The moment you leave Germany and start talking in a different language, everyone will make remarks about how harsh and really NOT smooth German sounds. And on the one hand you're right! German certainly won’t win the "Best sounding language" award. But on the other hand: Which language should win that award? Dutch also sounds very rough at times. Just think about the "harde G" (hard G) in Friesland and how it sounds to strangers. Let me tell you first hand: It sounds freaking scary! I mean… you'll get used to it, but at first it's very frightening! And English… I mean you basically get to choose between the incredibly posh British English and the American version that - sorry to you Americans out there - quite honestly sounds very wishy-washy to me. And at times the pronunciation is a little too drawn-out for me. Talking about drawn-out things: In an attempt to not draw out this post any more, I'll leave you with this. Tell me something cool in your language! What about "I really enjoyed this post"? :P Okay, kidding. But if you did enjoy it, please let me know anyway. You know the means to get to me: place a comment, tweet me, dm me, or do what else you can think of. And while you’re in it, share it around! Before I go, I'd like to introduce something new to these posts: The “TMIish Queer Shoutout” or so? (That's a working title - tell me, if you can think of something better, please :D). Long story short: In these posts I'd like to tell you about a cool queer thing that I discovered over the last week. This week: Jongens. A Dutch coming-of-age film about Sieger, a fifteen year-old who's forms 1/4th of an athletics team. The four will run at the Dutch championships shortly and over the course of the now intensified trainings, Sieger gets close to his best friend Stef. It's a great plot which shows the struggles of a gay relationship when one partner doesn't fully live up to it. Okay, enough of the spoilers! I suggest you find yourself a site that shows English subtitles with it and watch it! :D And if you know Dutch and don’t need subtitles, you can just head over to npo.nl. As far as I know, it's available world-wide. It surely is in Germany. So have fun! As always: Next #TMIishTuesday next Tuesday. If you have any questions in the meantime, just ask away. Whatever you’re curious about - I don’t bite. :) Until then: Stay mighty! Links for the stuff used/refered to in this post: - Urban Dictionary: Fangirling: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fangirling - Urban Dictionary: Fangirl: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fangirl - “Jongens” on npo.nl: http://www.npo.nl/jongens/03-08-2014/VPWON_1229280

Oh, and here’s some self-promo: - Last #TMIishTuesday: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/155355662606/tmiishtuesday-43-16-things-i-learned-in-2016 - More #TMIishTuesdays: mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/tmi - Poll to decide next week's topic and more very cool stuff: www.twitter.com/mightbedamian - Even more very cool stuff: mightbedamian.tumblr.com

[howtopronounceenglishcorrectly]

Learn how to pronounce Intensification in English --- INTENSIFICATION Pronunciation of Intensification: /ɪnˌtensɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ - [in·ten·si·fi·ca·tion] (n.) Definition of Intensification: The act or process of intensifying, or of making more intense. ★ http://Learn2Pronounce.com ★ How to pronounce Intensification | English pronunciation: https://youtu.be/cESv8g0MA-U

[howtopronounceenglishcorrectly]

Learn how to pronounce Microphone in English --- MICROPHONE Pronunciation of Microphone: /'maɪkrə,foʊn/ - [mi·cro·phone] (n.) Definition of Microphone: An instrument for intensifying and making audible very feeble sounds. It produces its effects by the changes of intensity in an electric current, occasioned by the variations in the contact resistance of conducting bodies, especially of imperfect conductors, under the action of acoustic vibrations. ★ http://Learn2Pronounce.com ★ How to pronounce Microphone | English pronunciation: https://youtu.be/WrBcXumZEkM

[howtopronounceenglishcorrectly]

Learn how to pronounce Burn in English --- BURN Pronunciation of Burn: /bɜːrn/ (v. t.) Definition of Burn: To consume with fire; to reduce to ashes by the action of heat or fire; -- frequently intensified by up: as, to burn up wood. ★ http://Learn2Pronounce.com ★ How to pronounce Burn | English pronunciation: https://youtu.be/9w8Wd4VvXEg

[howtopronounceenglishcorrectly]

Learn how to pronounce Intensive in English --- INTENSIVE Pronunciation of Intensive: /ɪn'tensɪv/ - [in'ten·sive] (a.) Definition of Intensive: Stretched; admitting of intension, or increase of degree; that can be intensified. ★ http://Learn2Pronounce.com ★ How to pronounce Intensive | English pronunciation: https://youtu.be/i8xTgUOANbA

[howtopronounceenglishcorrectly]

Learn how to pronounce Intensive in English correctly - pronunciation of Intensive ★ http://Learn2Pronounce.com ★ Click show more for definition of Intensive ___________ INTENSIVE Pronunciation: /ɪn'tensɪv/ - [in'ten·sive] (a.) Definition: Stretched; admitting of intension, or increase of degree; that can be intensified. Intensive pronunciation and definition: https://youtu.be/2QWTnSYsz_Q

[howtopronounceenglishcorrectly]

Learn how to pronounce one in English correctly with pronunciation and definition ★ http://learn2pronounce.com ★ Create your own flashcards by adding this video to favourite list! ___________ one pronunciation: /wən/ - one - Definition: (1) (adjective) (informal) very; used informally as an intensifier; (2) (adjective) having the indivisible character of a unit; (3) (adjective) used of a single unit or thing; not two or more; (4) (noun) the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number; (5) (adjective) eminent beyond or above comparison; (6) (noun) a single person or thing; (7) (adjective) being a single entity made by combining separate components; (8) (adjective) indefinite in time or position; (9) (adjective) of the same kind or quality; One pronunciation and definition: https://youtu.be/9QDMkzypnrE

[howtopronounceenglishcorrectly]

Learn how to pronounce pure in English correctly with pronunciation and definition ★ http://learn2pronounce.com ★ Create your own flashcards by adding this video to favourite list! ___________ pure pronunciation: /pjʊr/ - pu-r-e - Definition: (1) (adjective) without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers; (2) (adjective) in a state of sexual virginity; (3) (adjective) (of color) being chromatically pure; not diluted with white or grey or black; (4) (adjective) concerned with theory and data rather than practice; opposed to applied; (5) (adjective) free from discordant qualities; (6) (adjective) free of extraneous elements of any kind; (7) (adjective) (used of persons or behaviors) having no faults; sinless; Pure pronunciation and definition: https://youtu.be/RlwKtPs0ea4