Language desk
< November 15	<< Oct \| November \| Dec >>	November 17 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

November 16[edit]

Correct grammar[edit]

Is the phrase "I did all the jobs you asked" correct grammar?

In the form "I did everything you asked" this is quite common. So I can't say it's wrong, and certainly not when spoken. Nevertheless, it's not great either. I prefer: "I did all the jobs you asked me to do." --Lambiam ^Talk 07:39, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

M-W gives sense 2b for ask: "to make a request for", with the example "she asked help from her teacher". I would mark that example with (?), meaning it's grammatically questionable for me (it sounds funny). The verb request can take as a predicate something of the form <subject> <infinitive verb phrase>, as in "I requested she be here on time", and so can ask, as in "I asked she be here on time". I have repeated that sentence to myself a few times over the past few minutes, and sometimes it sounds totally unobjectionable, and sometimes it sounds completely wrong. Weird! Nohat 09:05, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with Lambiam with the comment that "me to do" is implied in the original example. Of course, it could also be "I did all the jobs you asked about." -THB 16:16, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would have said "I did all the jobs you asked for." --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 08:52, 17 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm, one doesn't ask for jobs. Better as "I did all the jobs you asked me to do". JackofOz 23:27, 19 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In What Language Is The Following? Thanks.100110100 10:05, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[edit]

pasukan na paano naman kami

Filipino? --Richardrj ^talk ^email 10:10, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Or Tagalog. -THB 16:21, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Looks a bit like Indonesian, so that could be. But Malagasy is also in that language group. But when I google the phrase there are several results from .ph, which is the tld for the Philippines, but none for .mg, so Tagalog sounds more likely. DirkvdM 07:48, 17 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Those are actually two Filipino sentences. Pasukan na. Paano naman kami. It means "It's school time once again. How about us?" It's not really the literal meaning, but it's very close to the real meaning.

Unable to speak[edit]

Can someone remind me of the verb that's used to indicate someone is unable to speak? - Mgm|^(talk) 10:15, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Don't know about a verb, but the noun and adjective are mute. --Richardrj ^talk ^email 10:29, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It was something starting with an 's' like stuck or something. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:31, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- struck dumb mabye? --WhiteDragon 21:03, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Silence? --WikiSlasher 10:35, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The closest thing to a verb I can think of is "to mute", but you'd have to use it in a passive sense: I was muted, I am mute.--Prosfilaes 10:39, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well I'm speechless.--Shantavira 11:27, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've heard "stultified" used that way.hotclaws**== 14:52, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There is a technical term aphasia. RJFJR 15:06, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Archie Bunker often told Edith Bunker to "stifle yourself". -16:03, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

Maybe you're loking for "stymied".--Pharos 04:10, 22 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Plattdeutsch[edit]

Does any body knows what 'otto' and 'waalkes' mean in Plattdeutsch (low German)? Your help will be greatly appreciated.

it's just a name. See Otto Waalkes. --Janneman 16:41, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Otto originally comes from a Germanic root ot- meaning riches, if that's what you were asking. Waalkes I don't know. Lesgles (talk) 02:30, 17 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The ending "-s" in a Germanic family name is often a patronymic: "son of". So for "Waalkes": "son of Waalke". Indeed, "Waalke" is found as a given name, and I found both combined in the Frisian name Waalke van Borssum Waalkes. The ending "-ke(n)" in Low Germanic is a diminutive: "little Waal". A possible meaning of "Waal" is Walloon, but this seems a bit unlikely for a given name. Another possible source is a shortened form of some saint's name, e.g. Saint Walericus. --Lambiam ^Talk 07:24, 17 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If I understood the Dutch correctly, according to a Dutch database of given names the name "Waalke" is derived from "Wale", which comes from the name of a saint Wala, who has no article in Wikipedia but is mentioned as a son of Bernard, son of Charles Martel. --Lambiam ^Talk 07:48, 17 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

O no! My horse fell again![edit]

Translation please: any language of the sentence: 'my horse fell down the toilet' -please also write which language you translated to thanks 17:34, 16 November 2006 (UTC)17:34, 16 November 2006 (UTC)17:34, 16 November 2006 (UTC)~~san

This question was asked recently at the RD; see Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2006 November 9#My Horse has fallen/fell down the toilet. --Lambiam ^Talk 17:59, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pudsey fundraising[edit]

Hi, I've been searching the whole wide web for free translations for "teddy bear". This is for my little sister, who is doing it to fundraise for children in need. I have already found most common european languages, and I was wondering if you could think of anywhere else to look.

Roxyrulz 18:35, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Using the "in other languages" links at the article Teddy bear:

German: Teddybär
Spanish: Osito de peluche
French: Ours en peluche
Icelandic: Bangsi
Italian: Teddy Bear
Hebrew: דוב צעצוע
Malaysian: Beruang Teddy
Dutch: Teddybeer
Japanese: テディベア (Tedibea)
Norwegian (bokmål): Teddybjørn
Polish: Miś
Portuguese: Urso de pelúcia
Russian: Плюшевый мишка
Finnish: Teddykarhu
Swedish: Nallebjörn
Tamil: டெடி கரடிக்குட்டி
Thai: หมีเท็ดดี้
Chinese: 泰迪熊

--Lambiam ^Talk 20:12, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And the Wiktionary article Teddy bear further lists:

Catalan: Osset de peluix, Osset de feltre
Finnish: Nallekarhu
Hungarian: Maci, Mackó
Interlingua: Teddy Bear, Urseto teddy
Portuguese: Ursinho de pelúcia

Note the difference for Finnish; teddykarhu and nallekarhu appear to be synonyms. Portuguese ursinho is simply the diminutive of urso. --Lambiam ^Talk 20:23, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's the same for Swedish and Finnish, "Nallebjörn" and "Teddybjörn", generally are synonyms... (If anything, "Teddybjörn" would refer to original Steiff bears, or something like that...) Norwegian and Danish also have "bamse". 惑乱分からん 21:29, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Origin of the term Lime[edit]

I was wondering if anyone knows about the origin of the term lime in geology/chemistry. Thanks, --WhiteDragon 21:00, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dictionary.com gives various similar etymologies; one is: Middle English lim, from Old English lm, birdlime. See lei- in Indo-European Roots. -THB 21:09, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. I was thinking of adding it to the Lime article. Can I use dictionary.com's content on wikipedia? --WhiteDragon 20:24, 20 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]