Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2008 October 14

= October 14 =

Stephen Fry on Room 101
A while back Stephen Fry went on room 101 and said a few french words that I would like to know. I typed in what they sounded like into Google and came up with nothing. I know one of the words is "dégagé" but what are the others. This is a link to the episode, he says the words slightly after 3 minutes 30 into the clip.

Thanks.92.4.229.8 (talk) 02:39, 14 October 2008 (UTC)


 * "She's got to the stage now with slightly fierce, almost pince-nez [eyeglasses], and almost deliberately slightly dégagé grey hair to make it, you know, like a more femme savant bluestocking [inaudible]..." —Tamfang (talk) 04:37, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * See also Pince-nez. Gwinva (talk) 00:20, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks92.3.209.248 (talk) 19:15, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

Haitian Creole-English + vice versa dictionary
Can anyone recommend a good Haitian Creole-English + English-Haitian Creole dictionary? I've found a very good one, but it's only Haitian Creole to English. All the bidirectional ones I've seen so far are very poor. I don't want a picture dictionary, but rather a dictionary for an intermediate student with an ample lexicon. Most I've found are too tourist-y. If anyone has come across one and knows the title—or better, the ISBN—I would really appreciate it. Thanks!--el Aprel (facta-facienda) 02:51, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

I did a search at the Tulane University Libraries' website; they sometimes teach classes on Haitian Creole there. There were several hits; I'm not sure which if any are what you are looking for but you could search other University Library websites to get some leads and then google the titles.69.244.5.221 (talk) 00:37, 15 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the advice. I can't believe, as a university student, I didn't think to do that first. I found what I was looking for in my university's library, and wrote down the title, ISBN, and publisher to order it.--el Aprel (facta-facienda) 19:22, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

NLP Language course
I need to study the NLP Meta model language and need a few contacts of institutions which conduct these courses. Please respond to [Email removed].

Thanks and regards —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.245.169.75 (talk) 07:44, 14 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Is that as in neuro-linguistic programming? --- OtherDave (talk) 18:03, 14 October 2008 (UTC)


 * I would guess Natural language processing. AnonMoos (talk) 17:04, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

in or at
Hi, Quick question, is it better to write "actionable at law" or "actionable in law"? --Fir0002 07:45, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * PS let me know if you need further context...
 * It's usual to say "at law. (An "actionable in law" might refer to a curmudgeonly relative.)  --  JackofOz (talk) 07:53, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks! and good point about the in-laws :) --Fir0002 09:00, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

Odin's Pig
What ACTUALLY was the name of Odin's pig? If you are into military stories, you will know what book I read.--ChokinBako (talk) 11:49, 14 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Don't worry, found it. That put an end to an eight year quest! The pig was called Sarimner

Odin decided over both Gods and humans. To his help he had many animals. His horse was named Sleipner, it had eight legs and could easily run in the sky. His pig was Sarimner, it was boiled and was eaten every night but in the morning it was alive again. Odin never ate of the food that was served, he gave it to his two wolves, Gere and Freke. Odin only drank wine, that was enough for both food and drink to him. Odin also had two ravens that was called Hugin and Munin, they flew every night out into the world and found out all new things that had happend. Later they sat on Odin's shoulders and told him the news, that is because he was the wisest and allknowing of the Gods.--ChokinBako (talk) 12:32, 14 October 2008 (UTC)


 * And this is the origin of the Sleipnir browser?--ChokinBako (talk) 12:34, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * I dunno, but it might be the origin of the saying "A little bird told me". Sarimner reminds me of Kenny McCormick. —Angr 12:48, 14 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Aye, but does that not originally come from Kilkenny, the lovely Irish bitter?--ChokinBako (talk) 12:51, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

Referring to yourself as Mr.
Is it good etiquette to refer to yourself as Mr. e.g. when introducing yourself? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.157.37.42 (talk) 13:58, 14 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Not really. In UK we just usually use our first name, or the full name if your interlocuter does not know your first name.--ChokinBako (talk) 14:07, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * I'd say it's okay for schoolteachers to introduce themselves that way, though, so the children know exactly how to address them. It would be strange for a teacher to say "My name is Smith" or "My name is John Smith" on the first day of school, but completely normal to say "My name is Mr. Smith". And with female teachers, it's even more important so the children know whether she's Mrs. Smith, Miss Smith, or Ms. Smith. But I wouldn't do it when introducing myself to another adult. —Angr 14:15, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * I would say that the exception would be if you are a Hospital Consultant and entitled (no pun intended) to use "Mr" in a professional capacity. When I had surgery the consultant introduced himself that way. -- Q Chris (talk) 14:59, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Just a quick semi-related question. Why should it be important for school children to know the marital status of their teachers? I can't really figure out how that is meaningful to them in any way... TomorrowTime (talk) 18:21, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * I am Mrs Smith does not necessarily mean I am married. It is the way I wish the children to address and refer to me. Kittybrewster  &#9742;  18:28, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Likewise, convention where I live now in Raleigh, NC is for all children to call adults "Mr. Firstname" or "Miss Firstname"(regardless of the woman's marital status). This is unheardof where I grew up (New England).  --Jayron32. talk . contribs  18:34, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
 * That's ok, but why would a school teacher require her students to address her as "Mrs Smith" if she wasn't actually married (or at least divorced or widowed)? --  JackofOz (talk) 21:00, 14 October 2008 (UTC)


 * When I was a kid, I addressed my teachers with 'sir' or 'miss'. When I talked about the teachers to someone else, I generally called every female teacher 'Miss [name], regardless of whether she is married or not. Teachers followed the same practise, too, I recall, except that they addressed each other with their first names.--ChokinBako (talk) 23:50, 14 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Actually I have an unmarried teacher that gets somewhat upset if we use Mrs on her. As for first names, there is one exception I've seen, where a teacher usually addressed her husband (in English, anyway) as Mr. C. In fact, she only refered to Mr. C as her husband twice, as far as I know. Vltava 68  (talk  contribs ) 08:53, 15 October 2008 (UTC)


 * In general, I consider it bad form to introduce one's self with a title, becuase you're then expecting the other to address you in that way. I would make an exception for those introducing themselves in a professional capacity (e.g. a priest/minister using 'Rev' or 'Father', a medic using 'Dr', a surgeon/dentist using 'Mr'), and, in such fashion, reassure others that they are qualified for the job at hand. Introducing one's self with a title can express a certain superiority. Thus, teachers often use a title in front of children to keep a professional distance from them. I use the title 'Ms' for all women in formal communication if they haven't expressed a preference for another. I know that practice differs from place to place. In the UK, there is a trend to use titles less. I've noticed Americans coming here (Oxford University) use them more often, and Indians almost to the point of obsequiousness. — Gareth Hughes (talk) 23:21, 15 October 2008 (UTC)