Linguistic Adventures

Adventure 13 ~ Kettle-Boiling Challenge 1

/ intrepidjane

Have you ever asked yourself what you might be able to do in the time it takes to boil a kettle? If you’re anything like me, the answer to that question is probably a resounding “no”.

Today I’m trying my first kettle adventure (and a boiling kettle certainly adds pressure to the experience, I can tell you!)

Today’s challenge is to do with words . I’ve posted the results , along with actual kettle-boiling time, below the video.

Kettle-boiling time : 1 minute 25 seconds

Liquid : 0.5 litre room-temperature water

Number of words (excluding repeats) : 26

Performance hindered by : all the swear words I knew beginning with the letter “B” that I wouldn’t let myself say! Blocking any word blocked the overall flow of words.

Big lesson : conscious self-regulation can impede performance!

I’m just going outside and I maybe some time 🙂

JT

Adventure 9 ~ How To Fudgel

/ intrepidjane

For Christmas I received a fabulous gift : The Horologicon by Mark Forsyth. The Horologicon is a quirky, entertaining and witty book about extraordinary, obscure and obsolete words.

I’m using the book as a basis for today’s adventure (and there is plenty of scope for future adventures too!). Today I am going to resurrect “fudgel”, an eighteenth century word which deserves a twenty-first century revival.

By the way, if you haven’t learned to fudgel yet, you really ought to. In today’s video, I show you how it’s done. It turns out that I’ve got quite a talent for it.

I’m just going outside and may be some time 🙂

JT

Adventure 8 ~ Bletchley Park

/ intrepidjane

I have to admit that I got into a bit of a panic today due to a fair degree of misplaced confidence regarding my chances of long-term survival (see previous brassica-related adventures 🙂 ) . The awful realisation dawned on me that my communication arsenal was lacking the one tool that could save me in the toughest of conditions : morse code!

Thanks to Wikepedia, I have learned that, compared to voice-based communication, morse code is less sensitive to poor signal conditions. In other words, I’ll be able to get my message across loud and clear. I feel so upbeat about my increased chances of survival that I’m already humming that Gloria Gaynor classic 🙂

As part of my research, I learned that morse code was last used as an international standard for maritime distress in 1999. The French Navy stopped using morse code on the 31st January 1997. I found their final message very powerful : “Calling all. This is our last cry before eternal silence.”

If I ever get defeated by the sinister sprout, I’ll have the French Navy’s message transmitted in morse code at my post-life celebration.

Here goes …. (Just to let you know, I’m speaking in the dark for the first 20 seconds. The transmission starts at around the 20 second mark. Unfortunately, the light doesn’t appear to be that bright on the video but I think you’ll get the message 🙂 )

Should you also be interested in longevity , you can learn how to communicate in morse code here!

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 5 ~ Let This Be A Sign!

/ intrepidjane

And just to cover all bases … to be totally sure … absolutely certain … completely safe …. assured of survival …  Adventure 5 sees my trying my hand (quite literally 🙂 ) at British Sign Language!

I am just going outside and may be some time 🙂

JT

Adventure 4 ~ I Wonder If Bear Grylls Can Do This!

/ intrepidjane

Adventure seems to be ubiquitous at the moment. This week alone, I’ve watched television programmes about Reinhold Messner (he climbed Everest without oxygen) ; about James Cracknell and Ben Fogle (they attempted to ride camels across the Empty Quarter of the Arabian Desert) ; and about Bear Grylls and Stephen Fry (they shared a wild weekend in the Dolomites).

Whilst I recognise the practical skills and courage required for such undertakings, I did have concerns for their safety. I wondered whether they had sufficient linguistic skills to communicate with the local people should it come to a life-or-death situation.

I think responsible adventurers should take it upon themselves to learn at least one “survival phrase” in the local language of the countries in which they mount expeditions. From my research, there seems to be one key phrase that will ensure survival pretty much anywhere.

The adventure I have set myself today is to say that key survival phrase in 11 languages. Can I do it?

I hope this short video will be accepted as a vital contribution to the global adventuring community. Words save lives 🙂

I am just going outside and may be some time,

JT