Obscure Word of the Month Competition #1

[trevelyan]

I've been slow a bit slow updating the master database because of workload, but here's our first poll for obscure word of the month. It covers entries made between May 15 - June 15. There are prizes, so vote early and often, especially if you don't want them.... : )

[TCcookie]

Hmm.... although I think it's cool someone found Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi's name, it's coolness comes from the obscureness of his very name (not necessarily from the transliteration) and its length. The name of the lab is out just because it's too similar to the other entry and could easily have come from the same article.

I have to choose 微分音主义 simply because it's a real word and doesn't just get it's obscurity from having been transliterated from some English-language cultural icon.

Still, good job to all contestants. This is a great idea for a contest and I hope it continues--not that I'll contribute, at least not for a while, but I like seeing what people come up with.

[Dennis]

索沃耶利里坡那罗讷特罗里莫哭卡希特罗。

suowoyeli li pona luone teluo li moku kaxi teluo.

A transliteration in Hanzi and Pinyin of the Toki Pona word soweli li pona lon telo li moku kasi telo which means Manatee .

[Dennis]

索沃耶利里坡那罗讷特罗里莫哭卡希特罗。

suowoyeli li pona luone teluo li moku kaxi teluo.

soweli li pona lon telo li moku kasi telo .

[roddy]

The name of the lab is out just because it's too similar to the other entry and could easily have come from the same article.

Actually, I just made it up.

VOTE LABRADOR!

Roddy

[Quest]

索沃耶利里坡那罗讷特罗里莫哭卡希特罗。

观自在菩萨行深般若波罗蜜多时照见五蕴皆空度一切苦厄舍利子色不异空空不异色色即是空空即是色受想行识亦复如是 舍利子是诸法空相不生不灭不垢 ...

[wushijiao]

Lassie. I think a lot of old classic, wholesome 50's shows could get some pretty decent audiences in China. It's a random, but logical fit.

[trevelyan]

Dennis -- added your suggestion.... should be in next month's contest.

[beirne]

Should a transliteration of the Toki Pona word for manatee really be in the competition, or anywhere at all? Chinese has a perfectly good word for manatee, hai3niu2. If you start adding transliterations for words that already exist in Chinese it will never end.

[Dennis]

That is the reason why I posted Manatee because that word like all the others are transliterations of foreign words or names.

[beirne]

That is the reason why I posted Manatee because that word like all the others are transliterations of foreign words or names.

Yes, but has anyone ever said 索沃耶利里坡那罗讷特罗里莫哭卡希特罗 instead of 海牛 other than in the context of discussing Toki Pona? The English word "manatee" may come from a foreign word but it is now part of the English vocabulary. I'm not sure that 索沃耶利里坡那罗讷特罗里莫哭卡希特罗 is part of the Chinese vocabulary.

[Dennis]

Like any other transliteration of foreign words and names.

That is why this competition is both fun and a bit 'stupid' because you will always get words like soweli li pona lon telo li moku kasi telo or the name of the Prime minister of Samoa because real Chinse words and names are not that special.

[beirne]

Like any other transliteration of foreign words and names.

That is why this competition is both fun and a bit 'stupid' because you will always get words like soweli li pona lon telo li moku kasi telo or the name of the Prime minister of Samoa because real Chinse words and names are not that special.

But someone could conceivably use the name of the prime minister of Samoa when speaking Chinese. If no one uses a word, though, it isn't a word.

[Dennis]

You have just used 索沃耶利etc... several times and the viewers of this thread Chinese and Non Chinese have read this word and also the other words in the competition but that does not make them Chinese words.

Daimyo Samurai, Blackthorne, Mariko San and Toranaga Sama are used in the american novel Shogun from the american writer James Clavell but they are not American-English words.

[trevelyan]

Don't worry about it guys. There was a lot of obscure stuff that didn't make it -- the selection is a bit arbitrary. I think the most obscure was a lengthy word for the city Bangkok that was apparently used in the 18th century. Didn't fit in the poll box....

Roddy's entry was clearly a joke (it didn't go into the database intact, but since we didn't have "Labrador"....). It looks like someone (*cough*) is really interested in getting that Richie Jen VCD though. Hard to tell who....

Anyway, I'm happy enough to keep this sort of contest running if there is interest, if only because I'd like to find a way to reward regular users who take the time to contribute to the common database. We can always shift the topic month by month to liven things up if people get bored with obscure phonetic translations, aiming for things like Slang or Chengyu, or Xiehouyu. Suggestions welcome.

[trevelyan]

And the winner of our OWOTM contest is.....

Roddy, whose contribution of Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi's family pet secured an astonishing 98.71 percent of the vote. Roddy, who apparently took our earlier admonition to vote early and often to heart, will be taking home a glistening new VCD of Richie Jen's spectacular 2003 concert tour. It must be seen to be believed.

To forestall accusations of unfairness which might arise due to the perculiarities of the concert, I'm actually happy to send the same prize by mail to any of our runners-up. The only criteria is that they've got to contact me with a proper mailing address so I can send the swag through the mail.

[roddy]

Wow, did I get that many votes!? Thanks to everyone who voted for me! And also of course, to all the members here who made it possible, to God, my parents, the hosting company and Mr Adsotrans.com himself.

Thankyou.

Roddy

PS This is a genuine VCD, right? I don't want a pirated one.

[zhwj]

I'm just curious as to why you have on hand enough Richie Jen 2003 Live VCDs to hand one out to each runner-up...