Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-22
PoRrueAL's QUEER TONGUE.
Odd Things About Language OF
Manueps Former Kingdom.

The English speaking person travel
ing in Portugal who thinks in his own
language and who tries to speak III
the language Of the country is great
smile producer
For instance. you never marry any
body in Portugal unless-strange
paradox you happen to be priest.
You marry with" your beloved Maria.
and the priest marres you both, You
never dream about anybody, but al
ways with them, according to An
swers" of London
When the landlady at your boarding
house is ladling out your soup, you
call out, Arrive" You are telling
her to arrive at the stopping points
in other words, that you don't want
more than she has put ont When
YOU see child that you want to ION
de at the other side Of the room you
say 20 her. Arrive here. AND the
child promptly arrives.
In England, when we speak of walk
ing. we refer to a certain use of the
legs, but the Portuguese verb Ito
walk" has many more signifcations
IN Portugal, not only do the people
walk, but also the trans walk, the
trains walk, a balloon walks, and
boat walks Stranger still. the hands
of a clock walk round the face. a
clock, by the way, never goes; II
| works"
Unless you are very intimate, or
very rude, you never say to your taif
partner at dinner, will you have
some bread, some vince etc. You in
ouire "Will your excellency have some
bread2s or, "WiH the lady have some
bread ?"--the lady" meaning, not some
other lady, but your fair partner her
self
In spite of winter You are never colo
| in Portugal unless you are corpse
| You are with" cold In the same
way you are occasionally with heat.
with" headache, with hunger or
| with thirst. When you have oceaE
sion to discuss the weather. you say
TT makes cold" 1T makes hot, :
etc. on your way home from an en-
tertainment you tell your companion
| that il makes dark.
| If in speaking of her husband a
| wife says he is a tame" man, she
| merely means that he is man OF
| peace and justice.
| The word 'house" means more than
with us. Your buttons share your own
| privilege of living in a house. The
buttonholes are called "houses" of the
buttons The squares on ehessboard
are also "houses." You say, I'm GO
ing to do the board" Neither do
YOU say on the way to the barber $,
i.l'm going to get my hair cut, but
| You say, I'm going to cut my hair
| When YOU are in Portugal you have
4 twenty fingers, but no toes. If you
/ want to make a distinction, you say,
FINGERS of the hand or Fingers
of the foot" Instead of telling the
servant to set the table, you tell her
to put ii. When YOU go to the thea
ire YOU assist You don't mean by
that that YOU come on nor even
that you do a little scene shifting.
You mean that you are there.
Residents in flats who mediate TAX
ing a holiday in Portugal will be re-
lieved TO hear that no one plays the
piano there. They merely touch" 1t.
Neither do they ring the bells. They
touch" them also. But they play
stones. meaning that they throw them,
and ship at sea plays when il
pitches and losses.
BE careful how you tell your land
lady that you intend to dine out, OF
she may think, with shrug of the
shoulders. that you intend to dine
outside j. e.. in the garden. In an-
swer TO the kind Inquiries Of your
friends, don't say that Won are Well
say that yea are "good.' BE careful
in your use of words, Some words