Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2011 May 2

= May 2 =

Arabic for Al-Thager Model School
What is the Arabic name of Al-Thager Model School? I'm trying to find it, but I'm having trouble WhisperToMe (talk) 07:38, 2 May 2011 (UTC)
 * مدارس الثغر النموذجية --Soman (talk) 13:49, 2 May 2011 (UTC)
 * Their website is http://www.thghr.com/ --Soman (talk) 14:16, 2 May 2011 (UTC)
 * Thank you so much :) WhisperToMe (talk) 17:47, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

USAGE OF THE WORD CONSTITUENT
Can a nonelected government employee use the phrase "I, as an inspector for ABC County, have a constituent who has asked me to check out his drainage?" Do only elected officials have constituents or are all voters in a municipality considered the constituents of all government employees? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.129.129.219 (talk) 14:23, 2 May 2011 (UTC)
 * I would not use "constituent" in that wider sense, and the OED concurs: " a. One of those who elect another to a public office, esp. as their representative in a legislative assembly; an elector; more widely, any inhabitant of the district or place so represented." There may be people who do use the word in the way you are suggesting, though. --ColinFine (talk) 15:02, 2 May 2011 (UTC)
 * In praxis, no. In theory, though, yes. In Hernando County, Florida (where your IP directs to) you elect representatives who then make decisions for you, such as appoint inspectors to check out drainage. Someone who said this to me would be giving off airs of narcissism to me, having a inflated ego for being so appointed. Schyler  ( one language ) 22:17, 2 May 2011 (UTC)
 * I'd say "resident" or something, rather than "constituent". The inspector has an area he is responsible for, but it isn't really a constituency. --Tango (talk) 22:57, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

Ennui
In a conversation today a guy used "ennui." I went along with it because I understood what he meant by the context. Later I looked it up, and all it means is "boredom." I have a feeling that it carries a much deeper meaning in native context, because the guy was using it like it meant insatiable desire, or boredom after reaching a goal, as in carnal goals, or the desire for a higher high after taking a drug. Can someone enlighten me as to the usage of this term among French speakers? Thanks Wikipedians! Schyler ( one language ) 22:12, 2 May 2011 (UTC)


 * Not sure it's in reference to general French usage; more often it refers to an overall spiritual emptiness which was fashionable among some intellectuals during certain periods... AnonMoos (talk) 00:03, 3 May 2011 (UTC)
 * That definitely fits. This guy was a would-be intellectual who liked quoting Xenophon while receiving a Witness. Anymore insight is welcome! Thanks! Schyler  ( one language ) 01:06, 3 May 2011 (UTC)
 * I hope I don't embarrass myself again by pretending to know what French speakers mean, but it can also just be regular boredom. It's also part of the verb "ennuyer", so you can say "ça m'ennuie" ("I'm bored" or "this is boring"), or describe something as "ennuyeux" or "ennuyant". But "ennui" can also mean "trouble", like you've done something bad and are in trouble for it. On the other hand, in English, I would assume it refers to the soul-crushing spiritual emptiness AnonMoos mentioned, and that the person using it would be speaking either pompously or ironically. Adam Bishop (talk) 10:22, 3 May 2011 (UTC)
 * I think in this case it's an example of the english loanword having a different meaning than the original. Much how in German "angst" simply means "fear" but in english it means something more philosophical (a generalized kind of pain and fear of the world in a very gothy sort of way).  I think the best translation of the english meaning of ennui would be world-weariness.  Perhaps it can best be illustrated with a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet: "How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world!" HominidMachinae (talk)  —Preceding undated comment added 12:38, 3 May 2011 (UTC).


 * Ok. Thanks all. Just wondering, though: can it still be used in the senses in which I originally interpreted it? Schyler  ( one language ) 13:29, 3 May 2011 (UTC)
 * I didn't hear the conversation, but based on your description I'd say your acquaintance was probably misusing the word. Marco polo (talk) 13:42, 3 May 2011 (UTC)


 * Not really as written, but it's associated with the concepts, at least in English. "Ennui" as a word used in English writing and conversation has drifted a bit from it's original French meaning, and is most commonly used to describe world weariness and emptiness of the soul (French terms used in English tend to get overloaded with grand connotations). It doesn't mean "insatiable desire," but it can be applied to the feeling of pointlessness one might have after the realization that ones deepest desires can never be obtained, or the "boredom after reaching a goal", as one realizes that the achievement of the goal now leaves you driftless, or if one realizes that the goal wasn't worth pursuing and all the effort spent obtaining it was wasted, thus putting you off pursuing any further goals. If you're wanting to use it to mean the goal itself, though, that's not any usage of ennui I've ever heard, but if it was in reference to a feeling of pointlessness or emptyness surrounding the goal, that's within the spectrum of common usage. -- 174.31.219.218 (talk) 16:05, 3 May 2011 (UTC)


 * Maybe he was just trying to waste the Witness's time. A lot of people think it's an amusing use of their own time to make a Witness' job as difficult as possible. Adam Bishop (talk) 16:08, 3 May 2011 (UTC)


 * Schyler has the challenge of managing time efficiently while making a reasonably accurate assessment of a person's interest and attitude. Probably no one can meet that challenge perfectly.
 * —Wavelength (talk) 16:36, 3 May 2011 (UTC)
 * I think I have a better grasp of the idea of ennui. Thank you all. By the way, Matthew 7:6 doesn't come into play in the field ministry very often, but it is readily discernible when one is "trying to waste the Witness's [sic] time." It's always a pleasure to find anyone at home who is willing to share in a conversation about the Bible, but if it is seen that the householder was not genuinely interested and just wanted to see one of Jehovah's witnesses fumble, then one simply marks "NI" (Not Interested) and goes to the next house. Schyler  ( one language ) 17:56, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

Looking for a word
In Theodore the Black for example, what is the proper term for "the Black"? Clarityfiend (talk) 23:25, 2 May 2011 (UTC)


 * "Epithet"? -- AnonMoos (talk) 23:55, 2 May 2011 (UTC)


 * Yes, epithet it is. DuncanHill (talk) 23:56, 2 May 2011 (UTC)


 * Okey dokey. Now, for bonus points, what kind of categories can be attached to The Black (epithet) List of people known as the Black? Clarityfiend (talk) 00:13, 3 May 2011 (UTC)
 * [ [Category:Names] ]? Schyler  ( one language ) 01:10, 3 May 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I'll add that to the new Category:Epithets. Clarityfiend (talk) 02:50, 3 May 2011 (UTC)


 * You may be interested to know that species names are classically epithets as well, see specific name. This is why many specific epithets are re-used across genera. For example, Coffea robusta could be translated as "Coffee the bold", or Cannabis ruderalis as "Cannabis the weedy". Not sure if this is appropriate for Category:Epithets, but I'd lean towards 'yes' :) SemanticMantis (talk) 16:19, 3 May 2011 (UTC)
 * I've slapped that category onto Specific name. Clarityfiend (talk) 02:19, 4 May 2011 (UTC)
 * I don't see why these are epithets, rather than simple attributive adjectives, which tend to follow the noun in Latin as in the modern Romance languages. Coffea robusta just means "robust coffee", Cannabis ruderalis just means "weedy hemp", and Homo sapiens just means "wise man". Pais (talk) 09:09, 6 May 2011 (UTC)