phonetics

[Lenka]

Originally Posted by BobK

1st speaker I say I say I say. My wife's gone to the West Indies.
2nd speaker Jamaica?
1st speaker No, she went of her own accord.

b

Bob, what does the red bolded sentence mean?
I think I can understand the meaning in general, but what does the "accord" mean? It doesn't make sense to me .


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By the way, I like this joke:

1st Eskimo: Where did your mother come from?

2nd Eskimo: Alaska

1st Eskimo: Don't bother, I'll ask her myself!

+ here are some other geography jokes mentioned: Geography joke - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[bianca]

Originally Posted by Lenka

I was told an interesting word (sentence):

"Jamaica" is read the same as "Did you make her?" (in the US, if you don't pronounce too well, I guess)

How do you call this phenomenon? Can it be considered a homophone?

Which reminds me: the word kangaroo is onomatopeic. It came into being in a funny way: the English colonists in Australia asked the aboriginers what was the name of that animal, and the answer was smth that the Englishmen made out to be: kangaroo (gangurru: "I don't understand"). Hence,...
Just like this one, there are many other myths applied to Aboriginal-sounding Australian words. Do you have similar examples from other languages, by any chance?

[Lenka]

Originally Posted by bianca

Which reminds me: the word kangaroo is onomatopeic. It came into being in a funny way: the English colonists in Australia asked the aboriginers what was the name of that animal, and the answer was smth that the Englishmen made out to be: kangaroo (gangurru: "I don't understand"). Hence,...
Just like this one, there are many other myths applied to Aboriginal-sounding Australian words. Do you have similar examples from other languages, by any chance?

I's just like to make sure I can understand it well: The aborigines didn't speak English and that's why they replied (to the question of the English about what the animal is called) "gangurru", thus "I don't know" in the aboriginal language and the English thought it was the name of the animal?

[bianca]

That's right!

[Lenka]

Originally Posted by bianca

That's right!

That's really interesting and funny . However, is it just a joke about how the word kangaroo came into being (a myth) or is it really the truth?
I guess noone knows the truth but is it really one of the hypotheses or is it just a "joke"?

[bianca]

The gist of it all is true. The theory goes that it was Captain James Cook who named the animal, and got the wrong word for the right animal (he 'baptized' the animal after the aboriginers' answer "I don't understand".) Other British explorers, landing at different points along the Australian coast, found the kangaroo called by different names altogether...

The word 'tatoo' is onomatopeic, as well.

[Lenka]

Originally Posted by bianca

The word 'tatoo' is onomatopeic, as well.

Is it also derived from such a similar language misunderstanding?

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By the way, could someone tell me what the sentence "She went of her own accord" means? http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/183902-post11.html

[bianca]

'she went of her own accord' means 'she went willingly, voluntarily', without any general agreement or accord.

But here it makes no sense to me. It must be a really good joke, and a funny one, if you understand it.

[Lenka]

Originally Posted by bianca

'she went of her own accord' means 'she went willingly, voluntarily', without any general agreement or accord.

But here it makes no sense to me. It must be a really good joke, and a funny one, if you understand it.

Aha... Thanks, bianca ... What do you mean (when you say it must be a good joke if you understand it)? Why does it make no sense?


Do I understand the joke well?
1st speaker: My wife's gone to the West Indies.
2nd speaker: Jamaica? (Did you make her (... go there??) ?)
1st speaker : No, she went of her own accord. (No, she went voluntarily.)

[Buddhaheart]

Originally Posted by BobK

"Jamaica" is an island in the West Indies (now more widely called 'the Caribbean"). "Jakarta" is an island in the East Indies.

Isn’t Jarkata a City in Indonesia??