Open-air Cabaret

[muckefuck]

That last post reminded me that, opposite the Glenwood, there is a very nice mural on the retaining wall of the railroad embankment. It features the word "Welcome" in a dozen languages. Can you name them all? (Note that all non-Roman phrases have been romanised, often rather idiosyncratically.)

1. Witajcie
2. Wilkommen
3. Kalós orísate
4. Foon ying
5. Khush amadiid
6. Bienvenidos
7. Heni odjen
8. Bun venit
9. Bienvenue
10. Merhaba
11. Dobro pozhalouat

There were two I didn't know: #5 I misidentified as Somali and #7 simply said nothing to me at all. Can you do better than that?

Comments

[mlr.livejournal.com]

I had to cheat - so doesn't count I guess:
1: polski
2. Deutsch
3: ελληνικά
4: 广府话/廣府話
5: اردو
6: español
7: Gã
8: român
9: française
10: malti
11: русский

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

I would think it understood at this point that everyone's on the honour system in cases like these. Kudos for giving the language names in the vernacular, but there's a flaw in (9). At least now we have an answer key for everyone to check their responses against.

[mlr.livejournal.com]

i see it: adjective instead of noun - oops

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Actually #10 is wrong; the standard Maltese spelling is merħba. Reflexes of this word are common to several languages, but given the local ethnic mix I think it was probably intended to be Turkish, possibly Arabic.

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

Turkish would be my (poor) guess.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

A closer Turkish equivalent would be "Hoş geldiniz!" which is the equivalent of the Persian (lit. "nice you-have-come!"). "Merhaba" is more like "hello", especially in modern Turkish. But it all depends who they asked for these phrases.

[richardthinks.livejournal.com]

apart from identifying 10 as Arabic rather than Malti (sure, both, and folks say it in Turkey too) I'm nowhere near being able to play this game.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Yeah, looks like your best two languages were unceremoniously ignored.

[pne.livejournal.com]

Without looking, I would say:

1. Polish
2. Dutch, or misspelt German
3. Modern Greek
4. Cantonese
5. Persian
6. Spanish
7. (no idea)
8. Romanian
9. French
10. Turkish (or possibly Arabic)
11. Russian

[pne.livejournal.com]

After having looked it up, I see that Dutch would be "Welkom", I guess "misspelled German" is more likely for #2.

[sandor-baci.livejournal.com]

Isten hozta!

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

And what do the atheists say?

[sandor-baci.livejournal.com]

No true Magyar, I say, NO TRUE MAGYAR is an atheist. Or a Jew. Or a homosexual. Or a socialist. Mind you, once you're one of any of those things, the chance that you're all of them at once is quite high. Saves time hating, that.

[tisoi.livejournal.com]

Yeah I missed #7 too