"'Raielli, Erratan!'
"Halt, Earthling! Juan jarred to a stop."
-"The Season of Forgiveness," pp. 327-328.
Googling informs me that the Tio and the Tia are an uncle and an aunt, not the names of the two sisters. I had not known what a pinata was.
We learn two words in one Ivanhoan language and have now learned the word for an Earthman in at least three extraterrestrial languages -
on Ivanhoe: Erratan;
on Ikrananka: Ershoka;
on land on Starkad: vaz-Terran.
But most of the linguistic wealth of the Technic History passes us by. How many languages does van Rijn speak? In how many Merseian languages, apart from Eriau, is Olaf Magnusson fluent? I have expressed myself in questions rather than in statements in order to avoid having to search for the answers. However, the question about Magnusson is answered here.
Slight correction: "vaz-Terran" is collective, not singular.
3 comments:
My mother grew up speaking Spanish, but I think I'd have picked up things like piñata just living in the US and Canada -- seen it referenced on old reruns of "Zorro" or whatever.
Kaor, Paul!
Dang! I had not known or realized Juan was thinking of an uncle and aunt with the mention of Tio Pepe and Tia Carmen! I had hitherto thought they were the names of his sisters. And I should have remembered how odd it would be to associate the masculine "tio" contrasted with the feminine "tia," if both those persons had been female.
Ad astra and Happy New Year! Sean
Sean,
There is a wine called "Tia Maria," which turns out to mean "Auntie Mary."
Paul.
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