I'm building a basic phrase list that I will learn for countries that I visit. What are your most useful travel phrases? I'm also looking for anything that would be useful specifically for Egyptian Arabic. [more inside]
posted by Alison on Nov 30, 2009 - 8 answers

I'd like to learn a Scandinavian language. Help me decide which one! [more inside]
posted by mippy on Nov 29, 2009 - 15 answers

What is the name of the phenomenon where words lose their original meaning once they take on an off-color meaning? For instance isn't it queer that nobody describes themselves as "gay" anymore unless they are homosexual or are deliberately being provocative? [more inside]
posted by cross_impact on Nov 28, 2009 - 14 answers

Can I teach myself to read French in five months? [more inside]
posted by SamuelBowman on Nov 28, 2009 - 16 answers

Can you please help me translate this phrase: cominciâ a butâ da bande, ce che ho ai dentri e nol è gno Thank you very much!
posted by LittleMissItneg on Nov 23, 2009 - 5 answers

Can anyone point me to a resource where I can learn construction industry-related lingo? [more inside]
posted by eliina on Nov 22, 2009 - 1 answer

What tools can I use to help my family (adults and children) learn to speak Spanish? I am interested in CDs, software, music, TV shows,kid-friendly immersion programs, and anything else. [more inside]
posted by Nickel on Nov 21, 2009 - 5 answers

my kids (ages 3 and 6) are beginning to learn chinese. i am looking for useful materials and strategies to get them fluent. i don't speak chinese. one thing that helped a lot in learning spanish (their second language) was spanish language education software that targets native spanish speakers ages 3 to 5. does anyone have any recommendations both for the chinese educational software of this type and how to buy it when you don't speak chinese. there is absolutely nothing more daunting than a chinese language web site.
posted by alcahofa on Nov 21, 2009 - 20 answers

Is there a word for a person who has been subpoenaed? If two people are subpoenaed, they are called co-...? They're not co-defendants. Is there an equivalent?
posted by streetdreams on Nov 19, 2009 - 14 answers

I'm very seriously considering the foreign service, but I've never been any good at languages. Will I likely be able to learn a language, with the intense training the Foreign Service provides, without a natural apptitude for languages? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 18, 2009 - 7 answers

Is there a word that describes a situation where you *technically* have free will, but don't REALLY have the option to choose otherwise? [more inside]
posted by jenfullmoon on Nov 18, 2009 - 27 answers

What's the gender-neutral equivalent to "Sir" and "Ma'am"? [more inside]
posted by Zarkonnen on Nov 16, 2009 - 26 answers

Where the expression "barefoot, pregnant, and slaving over a hot stove" came from? What is the history of it in English speaking countries?
posted by ivanka on Nov 16, 2009 - 8 answers

I bookmarked a site years ago that was all about people listing their favorite words - sort of like "delicious" but for word nerds. Does anyone have a clue what this is? thanks
posted by debu on Nov 15, 2009 - 7 answers

Are adverbs mere adjective spinoffs? [more inside]
posted by aswego on Nov 13, 2009 - 17 answers

I feel weird about dropping my foreign pen-pal-but not weird enough to want to change anything. Am I too cruel? [more inside]
posted by naplesyellow on Nov 11, 2009 - 11 answers

How can I dump every character in a font to a text file? [more inside]
posted by Beautiful Downtown Burbank on Nov 11, 2009 - 4 answers

I'm looking for "black best friend" supporting characters in movies who also come with a black love interest. I'm interested in their language patterns and dialect usage. [more inside]
posted by ms.codex on Nov 9, 2009 - 35 answers

I've been watching a lot of Lie to Me, and it's making me think that I've got an answer to why I get misinterpreted a lot; is it possible that my microexpressions are "wrong"? [more inside]
posted by bartleby on Nov 5, 2009 - 7 answers

I seem to remember hearing or reading about an ancient society whose word for love was the same as their word for hate. But searching online I can't find anything like that. What culture/language was this? Or did someone just make up this story?
posted by Josh Coe on Nov 3, 2009 - 3 answers

I'm looking for a somewhat poetic word or phrase (in any language) that describes "a good thing that's happening too soon" or "a good thing that happened before I was ready for it" or something like that. [more inside]
posted by ferociouskitty on Nov 3, 2009 - 12 answers

Adjective-Filter! What's a good adjective to describe someone who is not wearing a suit coat? [more inside]
posted by niles on Nov 3, 2009 - 9 answers

A few years back, I was watching The Chappelle Show and Chappelle, during one of his monologues, made a reference to a sexual act, using a word that I was not familiar with. I assumed the word came from hip-hop subculture. He followed up by saying something to the effect of, "I love using nasty words that white people/FCC don't know yet. They have no idea how dirty I'm being when I say _______ ." Does anyone remember what that word was and what it means? Sorry I can't recall the season or the episode or more context.
posted by i'm being pummeled very heavily on Oct 30, 2009 - 4 answers

What are the pros and cons of learning more than one language? How can one adapt to a multi-language world? [more inside]
posted by Knigel on Oct 27, 2009 - 25 answers

What words for food are also words for affection? [more inside]
posted by bardic on Oct 27, 2009 - 64 answers

Where's Cissylvania? [more inside]
posted by madcaptenor on Oct 26, 2009 - 15 answers

How is "I should mind" used to mean "I don't really mind"? This and other grammar/language questions inside. [more inside]
posted by rossination on Oct 23, 2009 - 11 answers

Is there a Medieval Linguist in the house? I need a very short conversation between Cistercian nuns in Saxony translated into Medieval Latin. Any help so I don't sound like a complete idiot warmly welcomed. [more inside]
posted by The Whelk on Oct 23, 2009 - 7 answers

What did the Nazis call the French Resistance? I know they called the individual resisters "terrorists," but what word did they use to describe the resistance as a whole? (Insurgency, resistance, uprising, rebellion, etc.) This is research for a screenplay - I'm not looking for a discussion about modern parallels, or of what the morally correct word is in various situations. Also, if someone could give me the word in German that would be great! Please no guessing.
posted by bagadonuts on Oct 22, 2009 - 9 answers

Tell me everything you know about this sentence construction: "Are you finished your lunch?" [more inside]
posted by peep on Oct 22, 2009 - 91 answers

Having recently learned that Fritz Lang filmed an entirely different, French language, version of The Testament of Doctor Mabuse alongside the 'original' German version, I set out to find it. The only way to get hold of it seems to be via the Criterion DVD, but this is a Region 1 (NTSC) release only. Where else can I get a copy of the alternate Mabuse? Preferably as either a download or as a Region 2 (PAL) release [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Oct 22, 2009 - 6 answers

I'm suddenly having a problem with writing and speaking, specifically with being articulate. This has happened (temporarily) before as well. What do I do to get over this? [more inside]
posted by anniecat on Oct 21, 2009 - 22 answers

[EnglishFilter]: "Butcher knife" or "Butcher's knife?" [more inside]
posted by AAAAAThatsFiveAs on Oct 19, 2009 - 16 answers

What is the initial verbal meme that triggers the Pontypool outbreak in the movie Pontypool?
posted by benzenedream on Oct 18, 2009 - 4 answers

Relationship filter: He's an Austrian in Austria, I'm an American in America, and I have ADHD/Inattentive type. He's not familiar with this concept. What books can I suggest to him? [more inside]
posted by bilabial on Oct 18, 2009 - 7 answers

The folks over at Evil Mad Scientist Labs made a pretty comprehensive wallet-sized cheat sheet to help the uninitiated navigate Southern Indian menu items. I think it's well done, useful, and quite clever. I'd like to have something similar for all the world's cuisines. [more inside]
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj on Oct 15, 2009 - 7 answers

I am looking for translations for the words "twin" and "sister". I have used babelfish and other sites but really want the pronunciation not just foreign writings I can't decipher. Also, translations in other languages not listed such as different Native American tribal translations. Help?!
posted by madmamasmith on Oct 14, 2009 - 24 answers

What is the most important scientific question of our time? [more inside]
posted by Demogorgon on Oct 12, 2009 - 44 answers

Relocating to South America: haven't touched Spanish in 20 years, how do I freshen my lingual skills up? [more inside]
posted by devilish on Oct 12, 2009 - 7 answers

Where can I find some movies or tv shows that are spoken in Spanish with English subtitles? [more inside]
posted by inatizzy on Oct 9, 2009 - 16 answers

I'm half Dutch, but I've never been to The Netherlands. On my first trip there, where should I go, and what should I do, to get a better understanding of contemporary Dutch culture and language? [more inside]
posted by embrangled on Oct 8, 2009 - 11 answers

How do I talk to doctors in a professional manner? [more inside]
posted by bananaskin on Oct 7, 2009 - 11 answers

Dating Across a Language Barrier: Can you share success stories and advice about relationships where you and your partner primarily spoke different languages? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 7, 2009 - 13 answers

Recommend some French-language books (or sites) for a intermediate French-learner, to (hopefully enjoy) reading with the aid of a dictionary and bescherelle. [more inside]
posted by Kurichina on Oct 6, 2009 - 16 answers

What if I just want to walk it off? [more inside]
posted by pdb on Oct 5, 2009 - 12 answers

Grammarians: Is it OK to take liberties with the word "win" when publicizing a contest or draw? [more inside]
posted by wackybrit on Oct 5, 2009 - 15 answers

I'm learning Ancient Greek, and I'm exploring Spaced Repetition Systems as a learning technique. I've added all of my vocabulary to a deck in Anki, but I'm stuck with declensions. What's the best way to practice declensions in an SRS system?
posted by zenja72 on Oct 5, 2009 - 4 answers

Asking for a friend: Does anyone know of any low-cost or paid Spanish immersion programs? [more inside]
posted by AV on Sep 30, 2009 - 10 answers

What do you call this linguistic/social device? You are in a social situation, and want to get out. You say maybe, 'I'm going to be late for a meeting', when both people KNOW there is no meeting. But since you are being SO OBVIOUS, you are, in effect, telling them you are leaving. By being obvious, you are not evading, or lying, you are being creatively blunt. [more inside]
posted by ebesan on Sep 29, 2009 - 27 answers

I recently read about a study on what body language women use as perceived by men. Essentially, it said that there was no observable difference between a woman trying to flirt with a man and the same woman just being polite for the first four or five minutes of their first conversation together. I'm trying to find out if this actually happened, and if so whether it was a reliable, scientifically done study, but I lost the link right after reading it.
posted by sandswipe on Sep 27, 2009 - 8 answers