Author Archives: robinturtle

Focus on culture: Turkish coffee/Türk Kahvesi

Author: Silverije via Wikipedia Commons

Author: Silverije via Wikipedia Commons

Today’s blog post is taking us to Turkey (Türkiye) and to the tradition of Türk kahvesi or Turkish coffee, which is recognized as an Intangible Heritage of Turkey by UNESCO.

Türk kahvesi is a special method of coffee preparation (i.e. not a special kind of coffee bean) in which coffee is generally prepared unfiltered from roasted and finely ground coffee beans (kahve çekirdekleri; sing.kahve çekirdeği) which are simmered (but not boiled) in a cezve, a special Turkish coffee pot. The term cezve derives from the Arabic term جذوة‎‎ ’ember’. The coffee is served in a cup, fincan, where the coffee grounds (kahve telvesi) are allowed to settle. If prepared well, the coffee has a thick layer of foam at the top (köpük). The word for ‘coffee’ kahve comes from the Arabic word قهوة qahwah. The importance of coffee in Turkish culture is also reflected in the word kahvaltı, breakfast, which literally means ‘before coffee’ (kahve + altı ‘under/before’.

Cezve, a special Turkish coffee pot

Cezve, a special Turkish coffee pot

To prepare Turkish coffee, finely ground coffee powder is immersed in hot, but not boiling, water. For each cup, 1 – 2 heaped teaspoons of coffee are used, which along with some sugar, are usually added to the water rather than first being placed into the coffeepot. The mixture is then heated until it starts to boil – at this point it is taken off the heat source. When prepared properly, a layer of foam called köpük forms on the surface of the coffee.

Author: Oliver Merkel, via Wikipedia Commons Preparation of mocha coffee (Turkish Coffee). 1: Ground coffee, water, sugar, and heat source. 2, 3: heat the water till it starts bubbling. 4: add coffee. 5: continue heating and mixing. 6: heat until the mixture starts to rise, then take off the heat source to settle it down while mixing the upper part (repeated many times). This creates a foamy top. 7: pour and serve hot

Author: Oliver Merkel, via Wikipedia Commons
Preparation of mocha coffee (Turkish Coffee). 1: Ground coffee, water, sugar, and heat source. 2, 3: heat the water till it starts bubbling. 4: add coffee. 5: continue heating and mixing. 6: heat until the mixture starts to rise, then take off the heat source to settle it down while mixing the upper part (repeated many times). This creates a foamy top. 7: pour and serve hot

Turkish culture distinguishes between four degrees of sweetness of the coffee, depending on the amount of sugar, şeker, that is added:

  • sade (plain; i.e. no sugar added)
  • az şekerli (little sugar; about half a level teaspoon of sugar)
  • orta şekerli (medium sugar; about one level teaspoon)
  • çok şekerli (a lot of sugar; 1.5 – 2 level teaspoons).

The coffee grounds left in the cup after finishing your fincan (cup) of Turkish coffee can be used for fortune-telling, called kahve falı or tasseomancy: the cup is turned over on the saucer to cool down and the patterns left by the coffee grounds, kahve telvesi, can then be interpreted to tell one’s fortune.

Author: Eaeeae via Wikipedia commons, A Turkish cezve coffeepot

Author: Eaeeae via Wikipedia commons,
A Turkish cezve coffeepot

For more information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_coffee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cezve

Is there also a special beverage in your country or are there any special customs or superstitions associated with a beverage in your country? Tell us about it in the comments! 🙂

Vocabulary: ‘The weather’ in Celtic languages

Today’s blog post is continuing our series on the comparison of vocabulary of closely related languages and is taking us to the British Isles again, as well as to Brittany (Bretagne) in France, and to the various Celtic languages spoken there, namely Welsh, Irish and Scottish Gaelic, as well as Cornish and Breton. Our topic today is the weather and the most important words related to it. Both Welsh (Cymraeg) and Cornish (Kernewek) belong to the Brittonic group of the Celtic languages (to which also Breton Brezhoneg belongs), and Irish (Gaeilge) and Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) belong to the Goidelic group (to which also Manx Gaelg  belongs).

weather celtic

The terms for these weather-related words in Cornish/Kernewek:

weather – kewer, sunshine – Howl, wind – gwyns, rainbow – kammneves, rain – glaw, clouds – kommol, thunder – taran, thunderstorm – hagarawel derednow, lightning – lughes, snow – ergh, hail – keser

and in Breton/Brezhoneg:

the weather – an amzer, sunshine – Heol, wind – avel, rainbow – kanevedenn, rain – glav, cloud – koumoul, thunder – taran, thunderstorm – arnev, lightning – luc’hed, snow – erc’h, hail – grizilh 

 

Focus on culture: A calçada portuguesa (Portuguese pavement)

Author: Krzysztof Żwirski, via Wikipedia Commons, Padrão dos Descobrimentos, Lisboa (Belém).

Author: Krzysztof Żwirski, via Wikipedia Commons, Padrão dos Descobrimentos, Lisboa (Belém).

Today’s blog post is taking us to western Europe and to South America, namely to Portugal and to Brazil and to a characteristic feature of public spaces in Portuguese-speaking towns and cities, a calçada portuguesa or mosaico português , or Portuguese mosaic pavement. This type of mosaic pavement can also be found in other Portuguese-speaking countries (=former Portuguese colonies).

Author: Miguelgouveia71, via Wikipedia Commons

Author: Miguelgouveia71, via Wikipedia Commons

The most characteristic feature of this type of pavement is that the paving stones are arranged in geometric or figurative patterns. These patterns are often, though not always, in black and white,  and are made up of small stones, the so-called tessera, which are often irregular, and usually consist of black and white limestone (calcário negro/preto and calcário branco) or basalt (basalto). The stones are arranged on the ground according to either a linear sequence (friso, or frieze) or two-dimensional patterns (padrões). They are then hammered into place and are finally finished by a cement mix that is poured on them.

Calceteiros_lisboa

450px-Calceteiro2

 

The workers who lay the pavement mosaics are called calceteiros. Once a profession performed by thousands, the number of craftsmen is dwindling nowadays, since low wages and the hard work fail to attract new apprentices. Traditional Portuguese mosaic pavements are therefore increasingly becoming restricted to conservation areas and other high-profile architectural  projects due to the high cost involved in laying the stones, and the reduced longevity of the paving in comparison with other materials such as concrete (o betão) or bitumen (o betume). Another disadvantage of traditional paving is that the stones are prone to become very slippery when wet and that they may become loose and so constitute a hazard to pedestrians. However, in Brazilian cities like Rio de Janeiro traditional paving remains popular and can be found in nearly all wealthier areas.

Author: Carlos Marques da Silva, via Wikipedia Commons

Author: Carlos Marques da Silva, via Wikipedia Commons

Author: Miguelgouveia71, via Wikipedia Commons

Author: Miguelgouveia71, via Wikipedia Commons

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Author: rdrs, via Wikipedia Commons

Author: rdrs, via Wikipedia Commons

Is there also a distinctive feature to be found in the public space of towns or cities in your country or place of residence? Tell us about it in the comments!

How to avoid mixing up closely related languages

 

DSCN2681

Today’s blog post continuous our series on efficient learning and revision strategies in language learning and will show you some simple methods with which you can avoid mixing up closely related languages.

A simple but very efficient method of learning or revising closely related languages is to use textbooks and learning materials written in one of the languages to learn or revise the other one. To give an example, if you tend to mix up, let’s say, Spanish and Portuguese, or Spanish and Italian, then use some materials that are written in your ‘stronger’ language of the two to revise or learn the other. The great advantage of this method is that you see the two languages directly side by side in comparison. If you compare the vocabulary when revising, you will see exactly where the two languages converge and use a very similar or even identical word or expression, and where they depart and use a quite different word or phrase. A nice side effect of this technique is also that you can practice and revise two languages at the same time. And in the case that you really do not understand a word or phrase in either of the languages, you can always look up that word or phrase in a dictionary in your native tongue. A further advantage of using materials written for speakers of one of the two languages for learning the other is that these books and resources will usually point out the pitfalls precisely for speakers of one of the languages in learning the other and often contain tips on which aspects in particular to pay attention to avoid any such mistakes and ‘false friends’.

If you prefer online-resources to books, then you can use the same technique on duolingo, both for revision and to learn a new language. One of the nice things about this platform is that many languages are available in a wide range of language combinations, especially the more popular languages, so that you can choose one that suits you best, e.g. learning Italian via Spanish, or a Spanish-Portuguese combination, etc. The system will then show you exactly where the sentences in both languages converge and depart in their vocabulary and grammatical structures. Those readers who know the platform will know how strict the system is about a very precise translation of the words and sentences. If you practice regularly in this way, you will be far less likely to mix up the similar languages over time.