Language |
|
|
|
|
|
what's it about
|
| 1. |
26 Jul 2007 Thu 12:08 pm |
|
why do turkish like to rhyme some words? like çanta manta, çiçek miçek, defter mefter, how are you now are you? what is it for?
|
|
| 2. |
26 Jul 2007 Thu 12:26 pm |
|
The use of a second rhyming word beginning with m is like saying "etc etc" in English.
So
I picked up my bag and everything else and ran after him ...
can be
I picked up my çanta manta and ran after him
The shop sells pens, pencils, rulers, etc etc
Can just be
The shop sells kalem malem.
|
|
| 3. |
26 Jul 2007 Thu 12:29 pm |
|
Quoting MarioninTurkey: The use of a second rhyming word beginning with m is like saying "etc etc" in English.
So
I picked up my bag and everything else and ran after him ...
can be
I picked up my çanta manta and ran after him
The shop sells pens, pencils, rulers, etc etc
Can just be
The shop sells kalem malem.
|
Can you use that for every noun? And if so, what to do when a word starts with a vowel?
|
|
| 4. |
26 Jul 2007 Thu 12:40 pm |
|
I guess you can use it with any noun ... except of course those starting with an "m" don't work (!!!!)
makas makas (scissors etc) sounds silly
et met (meat etc) I have heard used e.g. "et met koymayın"
|
|
| 5. |
26 Jul 2007 Thu 12:41 pm |
|
Thanks, nice to know and it makes my vocabulary larger 
|
|
| 6. |
26 Jul 2007 Thu 12:43 pm |
|
Quoting Trudy: Quoting MarioninTurkey: The use of a second rhyming word beginning with m is like saying "etc etc" in English.
So
I picked up my bag and everything else and ran after him ...
can be
I picked up my çanta manta and ran after him
The shop sells pens, pencils, rulers, etc etc
Can just be
The shop sells kalem malem.
|
Can you use that for every noun? And if so, what to do when a word starts with a vowel? |
Yes, but if the word starts with "m", it sounds funny.
makas makas 
It is used generally in "complaining" sentences.
Hastaneye gittim, ilaç milaç vermediler...
I went to the hospital, they did not give medical drugs (etc.).
This person is angry because he expected to get some medicals maybe.
or it can be a normal sentence too (not complain)
Dışarısı çok güzel, soğuk moğuk yok!
Outside is very nice, there is no cold (air).
Furthermore, I think this is mostly used for the answers which are not expected by the asker.
Anne: Ekmek aldın mı?
mother: Did you buy bread?
Çocuk: Bakkalda ekmek mekmek yok...
child: There is no bread in the shop. (some angry/rude/cheeky)
|
|
| 7. |
26 Jul 2007 Thu 12:50 pm |
|
Quoting MarioninTurkey: I guess you can use it with any noun ... except of course those starting with an "m" don't work (!!!!)
makas makas (scissors etc) sounds silly
et met (meat etc) I have heard used e.g. "et met koymayın"
|
et met = meat and the likes, meat and such
It's called reduplication:
here's a good read on wikipedia:
Reduplication
|
|
| 8. |
26 Jul 2007 Thu 01:57 pm |
|
o, it's good to know something like that, teşekkür ederim!
|
|
| 9. |
26 Jul 2007 Thu 04:01 pm |
|
Forgot to add.
As can be seen in the examples provided above, it is usually used in negative and question sentences.
|
|
| 10. |
29 Jul 2007 Sun 10:46 pm |
|
While translating "Buda" by Sertab, I got an explanation for this that is actually quite clever.
In "Buda," she sings, "tırafık, mırafik."
It means, "traffic, schmaffic" to an English speaker. That's exactly what it means... we have the same alliterative trick in our own language.
I challenge you to forget this!
|
|
|
