B.E.D.A 2018: Day Eight

Hello everyone, and welcome to part 8 of BEDA 2018.

Yesterday, I began my week-long look at the English language by pointing out that this language of ours is multi-cultural and has been shaped by immigration throughout its history.

Our Language: Food

Food has had a huge effect on the language we speak today.

In a world where we are increasingly connected, we have developed a taste for increasingly exotic food. With the introduction of these imported dishes and our ability to travel to faraway places like never before, we have found ourselves with all of this new vocabulary to describe our new-found eating habits.

Let me list just a few of the loanwords for food we have brought in and where they come from.

French – baguette, blanche, cream, courgette, cuisine, raisin, casserole, vinegar

German – wurst, frankfurter, hamburger, pumpernickel

Spanish – paella, burrito, chorizo, tequila

Italian – pizza, pasta, pesto, espresso, mozzarella

Chinese – kumquat, lychee, wok, bok choy

Japanese – sushi, wasabi, sake

Turkish – doner, kebab/kabob, yoghurt

Greek – moussaka, baklava, souvlaki

Of course, this list is by no means exhaustive. English has borrowed tons of other food words from each of these languages, as well as borrowing from a lot of other languages I haven’t mentioned.

Tomorrow I’ll continue my look at our language, so look out for that post when it goes live.

I have believed for a long time that knowledge is a powerful thing to have, and that knowing things is important.

However, this quote also represents a transition in my thinking in recent years.

Originally, I had an elitist view of knowledge. I believed firmly that intelligence and knowledge could only be powerful if they were academic. I thought that everyone should stay in education for as long as possible and gain as much knowledge in academic areas as they could, and that there was no other way. I didn’t see any other knowledge as valuable.

Now I do.

I have matured a lot and realised that knowledge covers an awful lot more than what you can be taught in an academic environment.

If you know how to cook a meal, THAT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

If you know how to keep yourself clean, THAT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

If you can pay bills and taxes, THAT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

If you have a child and know how to do your best for them, THAT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

I suppose for me, this quote means more to me now than it ever has because of the increased awareness I have of how all-encompassing it can be.

Songs of 2008

Back now to my songs of 2008 countdown, where we have now reached 46 and 45.

At 46, it is the Kaiser Chiefs with Never Miss A Beat.

At 45, it is September with Cry For You.

46	Kaiser Chiefs Never Miss A Beat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-rgIPIkCl4
45	September Cry For You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qux6PhqbBBU

Thanks for reading.

I also want to say thank you for supporting me for the last 250 posts. I am so proud to have reached such a huge milestone and it wouldn’t have happened without you.

My next post will be part 9 and will be up tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that. Until then, keep positive, keep smiling, and above all, keep believing!