Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2007 January 7

= January 7 =

Lindsay Armaou
How do you say Lindsay Gael Christina Armaou in Greek? Lilyfan87 16:38, 7 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Armaou is Αρμάου. I have no idea about the rest, they're not greek are they? Paul Silverman 11:10, 8 January 2007 (UTC)


 * They should be able to be transcribed nevertheless, "Lindsei Gael Kristina"? Is transcription into Greek based on sound or letter? 惑乱 分からん 13:49, 8 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Transcription into Greek is in principle phonetic, although not all English phonemes van be mappeed one-to-one on Greek phonemes (and Greek spelling has some phonemnic ambiguities as well). My best guess is that the transcription of vthe full name would come out as Λίντσεϋ Γαίηλ Κριστίνα Αρμάου. --Lambiam Talk  15:14, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

"Left-bank."
In Jan Harlan's documentary about Stanley Kubrick, A Life in Pictures, there's an interview with a fellow who says "He was not a bohemian, left-bank figure." What does left-bank mean in this context? I'm assuming by its context that it's in the vein of bohemian, avant-garde, etc but I'm still interested. The disambiguation page at left bank only points to various places. Pesapluvo 17:32, 7 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Unless otherwise stated, this normally refers to the Rive Gauche, which is the first link on the disambiguation page. Its meaning is described there.--Shantavira 17:44, 7 January 2007 (UTC)

Halo
You may have seen Paravonian's joke about Sugar Ray's song Every Morning. I've looked up the lyrics, and I've read its entry on SongMeanings, but I'm having some trouble with it. I can buy that he's being cheated on more easily than that he's cheating, since that way more of the song makes sense, and it seems unlikely that they would have marketed a song that creepy to the teenage-girl market, but I'm having trouble with figuring out what object (real or metaphorical) is "hanging from the corner of her four-post bed". It's been suggested that Halo is either a brand of or slang word for condom, but I can't find anything anywhere backing that up, and it doesn't really make sense when you insert that into the song. It's been suggested that it symbolizes her boundless (and fake) innocence, which fits better the claim that she's always sweet-talking him back when he finds out she's cheated on him. In other words, that every morning she gives him the puppy-dog eyes and he just can't believe she'd do something like that. The interpretation of the line following that then is that he wants to use either a) fake innocence or b) her infidelity as justification for a revenge lay. Any ideas? Black Carrot 17:47, 7 January 2007 (UTC)


 * All told, while Mark McGrath did graduate from USC, it's wise to hesitate when reading and interpreting a pop song using the same techniques used to analyze poetry; as I'm sure you know, they're just not written with the same care and attention to detail, imagery, meter, etc. Having said that, and having gone to both your links, I think your interpretation (i.e. that he's being cheated, and where you refer to puppy-dog eyes) is as good or better than any other reading.  The feedback at songmeanings.net consistently overlooked how, in the second verse, heartache replaces the halo, yet I think this moment in the lyrics supports your reading.  As for halos standing in for condoms, one of the two Urban Dictionary entries actually refers to the song.  While the Urban Dictionary is hardly the most credible source, sometimes it's the only one.Wolfgangus 03:04, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

IPA transcription for Enya and Maire Brennan
Can anyone transcribe Máire Ní Bhraonáin and Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin to IPA in Irish? -- Sergiusz Szczebrzeszyński    '  ' ' '' 19:34, 7 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Máire is /mˠaːrʲə/ and Eithne Patricia is /ɛnʲə pˠat̪ˠrʲəciə/. For good measure, their brother's name Pól is /pˠoːɫ/.  Ní Bhraonáin is  /nʲiː wɾˠiːn̪ˠaːn/.  I broke the names up to make the IPA a little easier to read.  For future reference, the article on Irish orthography treats this pretty thoroughly.  --Lim e tom 11:22, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

Australia
Why is Australia named Australia. What does the word mean. Where did it come from.


 * It comes from the Latin Australis, meaning 'of the south'. Clio the Muse 20:06, 7 January 2007 (UTC)


 * (restoring my edit which mysteriously disappeared) It's explained in more detail in the article on Australia, under the section called "Etymology". JackofOz 01:21, 8 January 2007 (UTC)


 * You may also find the article on New Holland (Australia) and Terra Australis interesting. Vespine 03:44, 8 January 2007 (UTC)