tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52123722214594786982024-03-14T08:43:29.094-04:00Lost in TranslationSigns, Inscriptions, and Displays in Washington DCJonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-88148298973695608352014-07-15T06:56:00.002-04:002014-07-15T06:56:44.956-04:00Viking Brand in Iceland<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBSqABs43p6VYJ0Qv5iP0zgyYekxlMMaSnXHEhKsab0WFfNF0Uv9JHmFVZ-vfyjB3b2_6qXjRJviPNsZ3jwHpbejnXNMZ1YKFmFd5Iik04ua3-naH4vLqNEqNSt-n27JJ24b1EKEmSB0/s1600/viking+thorn+2014-07-13+17.09.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBSqABs43p6VYJ0Qv5iP0zgyYekxlMMaSnXHEhKsab0WFfNF0Uv9JHmFVZ-vfyjB3b2_6qXjRJviPNsZ3jwHpbejnXNMZ1YKFmFd5Iik04ua3-naH4vLqNEqNSt-n27JJ24b1EKEmSB0/s1600/viking+thorn+2014-07-13+17.09.28.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Best use of a letter-form in national branding: Viking sword and two axe-blades form the outline of a stylized<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;"> Þ ("thorn") at the National Museum of Iceland [its name in Icelandic: Þjóðminjasafn Íslands]. Reykjavík, Iceland, July 2014.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">FYI, in Icelandic there are two different letters to indicate what we transcribe as the "th" sound in English. </span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22px;">Þ /</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22px;"> </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22px;">þ</b><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorn_(letter)" target="_blank">("thorn")</a> indicates the "th" sound as in "thunder," while </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22px;">Ð / </b><b style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22px;">ð</b><b style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22px;"> </b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eth" style="line-height: 19px;" target="_blank">("eth")</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;"> indicates the "th" as in "weather." Old English (Anglo-Saxon) used to employ these letters too but they have since become obsolete.</span></span>Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-12999037121278585242014-06-12T08:45:00.002-04:002014-06-13T00:09:34.085-04:00Cryptic Sculpture (Hirshhorn)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkD-by0JEURpFfzd2i4a7JsAQmiMH6KC4_WOBj7R6XV1uefSCstwYMXXkHl_Zqd-5c3V4ZNbczc4odIs4lKYXMh_e7E2C1SJzaYo2TiCF_xwhxKUO8k8fb-QEe6uZUv4na2EvdwBm9lCA/s1600/hirshhorn-cryptic-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkD-by0JEURpFfzd2i4a7JsAQmiMH6KC4_WOBj7R6XV1uefSCstwYMXXkHl_Zqd-5c3V4ZNbczc4odIs4lKYXMh_e7E2C1SJzaYo2TiCF_xwhxKUO8k8fb-QEe6uZUv4na2EvdwBm9lCA/s400/hirshhorn-cryptic-2.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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This mysterious sculpture is entitled "Antipodes" (Sam Sanborn, 1997) and it stands the garden outside the Hirshhorn Museum. This <a href="http://www.artsobserver.com/2011/10/24/antipodes-at-the-hirshhorn-is-one-of-jim-sanborns-many-text-inspired-public-works/" target="_blank"><i>Arts Observer </i>article</a> provides a good description of the piece with nice images of the work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7Z5-RPEAyZD3lrOzFdLQLVIBaQ2sxiBTB4mGQkJBSMBt0K5pMVMiVGtIftqw7rekxMPe6Bb2S2rqVv5eGRbwUF1L5K_XsbtGw2h8oxjmS1fbx_t3lEJGXA67r0yXOMFyUzzN27rYHMg/s1600/hirshhorn-cryptic-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7Z5-RPEAyZD3lrOzFdLQLVIBaQ2sxiBTB4mGQkJBSMBt0K5pMVMiVGtIftqw7rekxMPe6Bb2S2rqVv5eGRbwUF1L5K_XsbtGw2h8oxjmS1fbx_t3lEJGXA67r0yXOMFyUzzN27rYHMg/s400/hirshhorn-cryptic-3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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A detail of part of the sculpture reveals of pattern of letters. Reading across the top row of this photograph you can just make out the word KRYPTOS; this word is repeated in every line in a slightly different position, surrounded by what appears to be the other letters of the Roman alphabet: ABCDEFG ... etc.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii55nPmAuPdiP1Eggy4EphvfTB6NXnZlQBd6D9Jv_QZZF5ocH2izcy9nu5nPpbO5LgfP7RPzKag9Q18yMoLbIfGc7A6qTp02jE76VSJblp2L36mGDnlLlOqODjFT8ZiR0sGLELbsBmIEU/s1600/hirshhorn-cryptic-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii55nPmAuPdiP1Eggy4EphvfTB6NXnZlQBd6D9Jv_QZZF5ocH2izcy9nu5nPpbO5LgfP7RPzKag9Q18yMoLbIfGc7A6qTp02jE76VSJblp2L36mGDnlLlOqODjFT8ZiR0sGLELbsBmIEU/s400/hirshhorn-cryptic-1.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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I took at look at the other half of the sculpture (left-hand side in this photo), which looks like the letters of some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrillic_script" target="_blank">Cyrillic script</a> in reverse. I have no idea what's going on here. But -- as it turns out -- someone else has devoted years studying this artwork and has finally (as of September 2003) <a href="http://elonka.com/kryptos/sanborn/antipodes.html" target="_blank">cracked parts of the code</a>.<br />
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The English part of the sculpture, by the way, apparently repeats the code in another sculpture by Sanborn entitled (appropriately enough) "Kryptos," and this artwork stands on the <a href="http://elonka.com/kryptos/index.html" target="_blank">grounds of CIA Headquarters</a> in Langley, VA.Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-2971883157800134182013-06-02T18:10:00.000-04:002013-06-02T18:10:17.925-04:00Say what? Chinese Proverb (Chengyu) on Notecard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpmxuBfeKLOWs1Qi_qDhHmZ20PgeV7c6sxQ7ObCpbDpmfiaVT-DpYxja0gqJeAO2vxTSVhJxiynD2DUiP-HyqOPi4DspjbUslFPRhNjNuFn-tQLSLVm2P-mGNDDqIlWxEUzIEz2o0sRI/s1600/IMG_4142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpmxuBfeKLOWs1Qi_qDhHmZ20PgeV7c6sxQ7ObCpbDpmfiaVT-DpYxja0gqJeAO2vxTSVhJxiynD2DUiP-HyqOPi4DspjbUslFPRhNjNuFn-tQLSLVm2P-mGNDDqIlWxEUzIEz2o0sRI/s400/IMG_4142.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I spotted this handwritten notecard in an English/Chinese phrasebook in a used bookstore today. The prior owner (user) of this book has inserted a notecard recording the phrase<i> kǒu chǐ bù qīng </i>(literally translated: "mouth teeth not clear," in Chinese: 口齒不清 or 口齿不清). This expression indeed conveys the sense of someone being unclear or inarticulate. It seems somehow fitting that this notetaker made a false start in writing out this note, and the text remains partially illegible.<br />
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By the way, this phrase is one of many<i> chéng yǔ </i>(成語 or 成语), i.e., proverbial expressions or "set phrases" in Chinese. These are most often four words long and since they are highly idiomatic and context-specific, they can prove quite difficult to translate.<br />
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One curious convergence of idiomatic expressions across languages is the Chinese expression <i>Hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn!</i> (好久不見 or 好久不见), which translates remarkably literally into English as "long time no see." Some have argued that this expression entered the English vernacular <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_time_no_see">via Chinese Pidgin English</a> -- perhaps by Chinese immigration to North America or contact between the members of the British Navy and traders in China.<br />
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For some useful <i>chéng yǔ</i>, see <a href="http://carlgene.com/blog/2010/07/20-actually-useful-chengyu-%E6%88%90%E8%AF%AD/">HERE</a>; for more on <i>chéng yǔ </i>as oblique references to Classical Chinese literature, see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengyu">HERE</a>.Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-53654033105204186092012-08-05T23:26:00.000-04:002014-06-11T09:34:13.372-04:00Clockwise Shadows (Smithsonian Castle)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhyAtC8NxfprhZMaPf2CAA_m61ki8gU28YQvAgN6PhRyw9O_M6L5o2lrqa-r6xPJJRDxUW8D3mrYP1e2hgj5dexav3Szfbr8iH6gosqUByf8qO6W05qZ59hh2qMN0NEW6yoauLSKm5s4/s1600/smithsonian-castle-sundial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhyAtC8NxfprhZMaPf2CAA_m61ki8gU28YQvAgN6PhRyw9O_M6L5o2lrqa-r6xPJJRDxUW8D3mrYP1e2hgj5dexav3Szfbr8iH6gosqUByf8qO6W05qZ59hh2qMN0NEW6yoauLSKm5s4/s400/smithsonian-castle-sundial.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sundial, Smithsonian Castle Garden, August 5, 2012. 1:15 pm. Latin inscription (left on this photo): <i>Aspice, Respice, Prospice</i> = "Look Around, Look Back, and Look Forward" (or, more loosely translated, "Observe, Reflect, and Think Ahead").<br />
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Some observations: You'll see that "north" (and 12 o'clock) on the middle right in this photo; I oriented the image to better reveal the shadow of the <i>gnomon</i> (rod) that's indicating the time. Over the course of a day, the Sun causes the shadow to around the sundial in a "clockwise" direction. The only reason mechanical clocks go "clockwise" is that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clockwise#Usage" target="_blank">they follow the motion established by earlier sundials</a> - if sundials (and clocks) had been invented in the Southern Hemisphere, they'd now be going in the "other" direction.<br />
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Numbers on the clock are indicated in Roman numerals. The number "four" is indicated as IIII, <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/24578/why-do-some-clocks-use-roman-numeral-iiii" target="_blank">after the Roman fashion</a>; the form "IV" was actually a later (medieval) development.Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-36405928548888239452011-09-24T10:15:00.001-04:002011-09-24T10:17:20.131-04:00The Art of Money (Multilingual Quarters)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1LAFAz3KoxxImL8Tqfj_6l-y7ppkeEnyIrZulAYJXjDjz9yLo49haF5Ksse8ZthbA62EyQq-p5nvvRnr_lxqG-XDxjzC3at11X_DUItSdFuyZ-VsktGqCU2xE9OuRlBzYoHoDang8BQ4/s1600/us-mint-quarters-hi-dc-territories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1LAFAz3KoxxImL8Tqfj_6l-y7ppkeEnyIrZulAYJXjDjz9yLo49haF5Ksse8ZthbA62EyQq-p5nvvRnr_lxqG-XDxjzC3at11X_DUItSdFuyZ-VsktGqCU2xE9OuRlBzYoHoDang8BQ4/s400/us-mint-quarters-hi-dc-territories.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Commemorative quarters for Hawaii, DC, and other US territories, photo taken mid-2009. <br />
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Early in 2009 some media outlets were reporting on the release of new quarters <a href="http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_hispanicaffairs/2009/03/available-today-puerto-ricos-commemorative-quarter.html">commemorating Puerto Rico</a>; these coins contained the words "Isla del Encanto" (Island of Enchantment) in Spanish on one side. As a follow up to the <a href="http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/50sq_program/">50 State Quarters Program</a>, the US Mint launched the <a href="http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/dcandterritories/">DC and US Territories Quarters Program</a> in 2009, with Puerto Rico receiving its own quarter. To see a diagram of the Puero Rico quarter (not in the above photo), <a href="http://www.blogger.com/PR%20%28Mar%202009%29:%20http://www.statequarterguide.com/2009-puerto-rico-quarter/">see this website</a>.<br />
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Many reports were treating the use of Spanish on US coins as novelty, but the presence of non-English inscriptions on US coins isn't a really a "new" thing. First of all, <i>every</i> US quarter bears the unofficial Latin motto <i>E pluribus unum</i> ("out of many, one"). Second, the state of Hawaii had already used Hawaiian in addition to the standard Latin motto on its quarter in 2008 (read more about the Hawaii quarter <a href="http://www.statequarterguide.com/2008-hawaii-state-quarter/">here</a>). <em>UA MAU KE EA O KA 'AINA I KA PONO</em> = "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness."<br />
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As you can see above (click to enlarge), DC and the US Virgin Islands have mottos in English (<a href="http://www.statequarterguide.com/2009-district-of-columbia-quarter/">DC</a> = "Justice for All" and <a href="http://www.statequarterguide.com/2009-american-samoa-quarter/">Virgin Islands</a> = "United in Pride and Hope"). The <a href="http://www.statequarterguide.com/2009-northern-mariana-islands-quarter/">Northern Mariana Islands</a> have no additional motto aside from the standard Latin. <a href="http://www.statequarterguide.com/2009-american-samoa-quarter/">American Samoa</a> has a motto in Samoan: SAMOA MUAMUA LE ATUA ("Samoa, God is First"). <a href="http://www.statequarterguide.com/2009-guam-quarter/">Guam</a> has a motto in Chamorro: "Guahan I Tanó ManChamorro" ("Guam: Land of the Chamorro").<br />
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(For the US quarter that includes a Braille inscription, see the previous posting.)Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-62033606210000978362011-09-22T19:50:00.002-04:002011-09-22T20:16:38.843-04:00The Art of Money (Braille on Quarter)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzHHMQ6vJa4yZKgF4ZfxX3Rut09GBiBHzCTBWGVMaC3H8FxfalKqxlaPHbpFj5WUpXm8BrTLFfvdAHk9okf2gKShHWvWLSgNkt_rxyk_RJjuzSASigmbrld9JVnMBodpVxdlLoNM7AyY/s1600/us-mint-quarters-al-braille.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzHHMQ6vJa4yZKgF4ZfxX3Rut09GBiBHzCTBWGVMaC3H8FxfalKqxlaPHbpFj5WUpXm8BrTLFfvdAHk9okf2gKShHWvWLSgNkt_rxyk_RJjuzSASigmbrld9JVnMBodpVxdlLoNM7AyY/s400/us-mint-quarters-al-braille.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The US Mint began its <a href="http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/50sq_program/">State Quarters Program</a> in 1999, issuing commemorative coins in the order in which each state entered the Union. The state quarter of <a href="http://www.usmint.gov/historianscorner/?action=coinDetail&id=29121">Alabama</a> (released March 2003) depicts Helen Keller, and above her name is the equivalent "translation" in Braille dots. I wonder if a blind person is able to read this inscription at this size?<br />
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I think it's interesting that Helen Keller is depicted in the act of reading itself. She runs fingers over a book in her lap, presumably one with Braille dots or raised letters.<br />
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By the way, this quarter -- like all quarters -- contains some Latin: the unofficial motto of the United States, <i>E pluribus unum</i> ("out of many, one.") <br />
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(For more on the use of the motto<i> E pluribus unum</i>, see <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2009/11/e-pluribus-unum-arlington-memorials.html">here</a> and <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2009/11/e-pluribus-unum-modern-takes.html">here</a>. For more on Helen Keller, see my <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2011/09/helen-keller-capitol-visitor-center.html">earlier posting</a> about her statue in the Capitol Visitor Center; see also <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2009/11/here-lie-helen-keller-and-anne-sullivan.html">here</a> and <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2009/11/white-house-walk-helen-keller.html">here</a>.)Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-51633053328628490882011-09-15T17:33:00.003-04:002011-09-22T20:18:34.764-04:00Helen Keller (Capitol Visitor Center)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7-bayWgXp4KG4cb6X_9ZaZSJMANK0fochZBKyPDpPCcKJ8wy4gsk2EGZhTEZ4bPpWK4XojB8V3r0CspvGrH3CsvmZjV7a4m2c3CfdjjM1_zjqA2wvHZfZZWCVH2Wp1NOkR47cezk4ew/s1600/capitol-visitorcenter-statues-al-helen-keller-all-sep-2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7-bayWgXp4KG4cb6X_9ZaZSJMANK0fochZBKyPDpPCcKJ8wy4gsk2EGZhTEZ4bPpWK4XojB8V3r0CspvGrH3CsvmZjV7a4m2c3CfdjjM1_zjqA2wvHZfZZWCVH2Wp1NOkR47cezk4ew/s400/capitol-visitorcenter-statues-al-helen-keller-all-sep-2010.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;">I've already posted about the <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/index.cfm">National Statuary Hall Collection</a>, but I thought I should follow up with one more statue. Helen Keller, whose statue is now in the Capitol Visitor Center, is one of two statues representing Alabama. Keller was deaf and blind at an early age, and this statue depicts a <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/keller.cfm">linguistic epiphany at a water spout</a>: "Her </span><span id="cs_format_span"><span style="font-size: small;">expression of astonishment shows the moment when she and [her childhood teacher and lifelong companion] Annie Sullivan f</span>irst communicated, by touch, the word <span style="font-family: 'WP TypographicSymbols';">'water.'" (This episode has been made famous by the play <i>The Miracle Worker</i>.)</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj66oDKgtfhyRJ1XrPwcTKza4VJfhh9tabogJXEadhcXdg4eH7bXrV04oQfiUKeH2QIv2DfDkmiRL3EZ1vBR4KmByPeANIlqkSa5bcRbXuTxauTPg2w71mFShmaZxn85J5QNTY6YxTQYaY/s1600/capitol-visitorcenter-statues-al-helen-keller-braille-inscriptions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj66oDKgtfhyRJ1XrPwcTKza4VJfhh9tabogJXEadhcXdg4eH7bXrV04oQfiUKeH2QIv2DfDkmiRL3EZ1vBR4KmByPeANIlqkSa5bcRbXuTxauTPg2w71mFShmaZxn85J5QNTY6YxTQYaY/s400/capitol-visitorcenter-statues-al-helen-keller-braille-inscriptions.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span id="cs_format_span"><span style="font-family: 'WP TypographicSymbols';">The base contains a relief sculpture of Keller's Alabama home with English and Braille inscriptions - and an inspiring quotation from Helen Keller herself: "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart."</span></span><br />
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<span id="cs_format_span"><span style="font-family: 'WP TypographicSymbols';"><span style="font-size: small;">For more on Helen Keller, see <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2009/11/white-house-walk-helen-keller.html">this plaque</a> (here) and the tomb of Keller and Sullivan (<a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2009/11/here-lie-helen-keller-and-anne-sullivan.html">here</a>). </span></span></span>Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-43011509191182497242011-08-01T21:43:00.002-04:002011-08-01T21:46:08.526-04:00Capitalization is WUNDERBAR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSs5C_aW4_o32Ql7aroSJGhBu_svx9oX4hvrSrQLiJJG45LsHBHHQ4UFvxgG5lN0oysp7H8Ye_B0-yCZS_Q9az-svGCo_BvE-xyQxcDIDWmuWDrobFu4ICIqRZP44qXQNiA3wS8-i74fw/s1600/german-wunderbar-jul-28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSs5C_aW4_o32Ql7aroSJGhBu_svx9oX4hvrSrQLiJJG45LsHBHHQ4UFvxgG5lN0oysp7H8Ye_B0-yCZS_Q9az-svGCo_BvE-xyQxcDIDWmuWDrobFu4ICIqRZP44qXQNiA3wS8-i74fw/s400/german-wunderbar-jul-28.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Georgetown, July 2011 [click image to enlarge].<br />
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These cheerful green buses can be found all around DC as part of Germany's <a href="http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/11__Campaign/Do__Deutsch/Do__Deutsch__HS.html">"do Deutsch" campaign</a>: it seeks to promote the joys of learning the German language and pique interest in German culture more broadly.The website promoted on the bus (<a href="http://www.germany.info/">www.Germany.info</a>) has some interesting links, include a German <a href="http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/__pr/GIC/TWIG__WoW/Word__of__Week__PA.html">"word of the week" blog</a>.<br />
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The bus itself strewn with various German nouns that have entered everyday English speech. In German, all nouns should be capitalized - but things are pretty erratic here (some words are in all caps, some in lowercase). "Wunderbar" [wonderful] is an adjective, not a noun, but - strangely enough - it's capitalized. Oh those wacky Germans, being so playful with their capital letters!Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-28758086783517607062011-03-08T10:53:00.001-05:002011-03-08T11:01:49.006-05:00Chinese Silkweaving, Multiple Scripts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3LTo5sGtw_cuM8MApvhaTTZBfmNZUb5Gq1tCYKtloLNTIoMH857plqp8TD2w-2B9m0T7ZcbIw5JSfDOEUzDyP-Ru7N1JdnSYsC4gpUX0f9J2yB_aYQqkomrfE_hPT4KNnGkC3BOO8Js/s1600/chinese-freer-silkweaving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3LTo5sGtw_cuM8MApvhaTTZBfmNZUb5Gq1tCYKtloLNTIoMH857plqp8TD2w-2B9m0T7ZcbIw5JSfDOEUzDyP-Ru7N1JdnSYsC4gpUX0f9J2yB_aYQqkomrfE_hPT4KNnGkC3BOO8Js/s400/chinese-freer-silkweaving.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>During a visit to the Freer Gallery of Art last year, I came across this 13th-century scroll painting that depicts the art of Chinese silkweaving. The scroll links together 24 sheets of paper unfurling from left to right, and its visual content is fascinating (the scenes represent all the stages of silk production). Its verbal content is interesting as well. Each scene is accompanied by a poem that is written out in a formal style of calligraphy called "seal script." Next to each character of text in the poem there's a tiny gloss "translating" the character into standard script. There are also various inscriptions in "running script" throughout the scroll, in addition to the seals of multiple owners that have accrued over time.<br />
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To see more images of the scroll and download detailed documentation about its contents, <a href="http://www.asia.si.edu/songyuan/F1954.20/F1954.20.asp">see this website</a>.Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-7864526086443817982011-03-03T09:38:00.001-05:002011-03-03T09:40:24.434-05:00DC's Letter-Named Streets (I and Absent J)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wtaxSrfZ6wpvTvC1mAH5-5wMf16odYym4vw_4-2aJBz9qO_GabeaSKDzKFKW5j5IZKyhfZzxEhuEwSqyi_B9cTb6yn6FlZvfoPWkBvYqSIt8znXHlPZIGJwLGl-GLH09z47f_IUbG60/s1600/foggy-bottom-eye-and-i-street-nw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wtaxSrfZ6wpvTvC1mAH5-5wMf16odYym4vw_4-2aJBz9qO_GabeaSKDzKFKW5j5IZKyhfZzxEhuEwSqyi_B9cTb6yn6FlZvfoPWkBvYqSIt8znXHlPZIGJwLGl-GLH09z47f_IUbG60/s400/foggy-bottom-eye-and-i-street-nw.jpg" width="353" /></a></div>DC's system for naming its streets is distinctive. Streets running east-west take letter names (A, B, C, etc.) and streets running north-south are numbered (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on). In addition, diagonal avenues are named after US states (for a guide to navigating DC streets, <a href="http://godc.about.com/od/planyourtriptodc/qt/dcstreets.htm">see here</a>). Above, two ways of rendering I (Eye) Street in Foggy Bottom. I've seen many people write addresses referring to "Eye Street" rather than "I Street" - I suppose order to avoid any confusion with the numeral 1 (one).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGiw71ZIpV_VmDe6IfDg4qacFrrxTGl02OR2bfNjpoKw3r9-2bva2o2UKMpaBAfa5rh1s6Twm-DMTJLx-P0PmotzHorUJ-5ColO91wADJ7Zg2EB63irWxJ9MKYoP9gCC9vyFF9ctDaro/s1600/foggy-bottom-eye-22nd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGiw71ZIpV_VmDe6IfDg4qacFrrxTGl02OR2bfNjpoKw3r9-2bva2o2UKMpaBAfa5rh1s6Twm-DMTJLx-P0PmotzHorUJ-5ColO91wADJ7Zg2EB63irWxJ9MKYoP9gCC9vyFF9ctDaro/s400/foggy-bottom-eye-22nd.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Why is there no "J Street" in DC, you ask? I've heard people say it's because the I/J distinction was difficult to discern (or non-existent) in 18th-century typography. Others claim that DC lacks a "J Street" because Pierre L'Enfant (the Frenchman who planned the city) disliked Chief Justice John Jay - but this is apparently an <a href="http://www.snopes.com/history/american/jstreet.asp">urban legend</a>.Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-66593215774160681132011-03-01T22:00:00.002-05:002011-03-01T22:10:05.398-05:00Vintage Globe (Air and Space Museum)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBFbYhZW9Pga0f5zUlSIyhubiA1IMNBXShnuTFSxUlqeIJ9qJmxcY-iFSdYvVWwIFvNQAe4qn1LR2o_ssQ_-e5UwG7xkD_GRddUtNGzBkPCqS1dwUHhVO5dPAWnKIqb7-ygSkWQThHq0/s1600/smithsonian-air-space-globe-atlantic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBFbYhZW9Pga0f5zUlSIyhubiA1IMNBXShnuTFSxUlqeIJ9qJmxcY-iFSdYvVWwIFvNQAe4qn1LR2o_ssQ_-e5UwG7xkD_GRddUtNGzBkPCqS1dwUHhVO5dPAWnKIqb7-ygSkWQThHq0/s400/smithsonian-air-space-globe-atlantic.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>View of the North Atlantic in an antique globe, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, September 2010. This artifact is part of the "America by Air" exhibition. Juan Trippe, president of Pan Am Airlines, was accustomed to using this globe to calculate flight distances (using string!) and often posed with it in publicity photos (see <a href="http://www.nasm.si.edu/americabyair/innovation/innovation17.cfm">here</a> for more).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGar0uyhofKKP-khdvsqeZVx_OqQ-jjsEhpqVmVLDVyszcDscDlfMc47m-dCbqG9Q_oR2ojh0nMx3SpNrw-brITYeT7QHIRB22I9CtPIeTFJmxAtVcsMz6KBiwfwlz-kooKE_BXDEEGM/s1600/smithsonian-air-space-globe-hawaii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGar0uyhofKKP-khdvsqeZVx_OqQ-jjsEhpqVmVLDVyszcDscDlfMc47m-dCbqG9Q_oR2ojh0nMx3SpNrw-brITYeT7QHIRB22I9CtPIeTFJmxAtVcsMz6KBiwfwlz-kooKE_BXDEEGM/s400/smithsonian-air-space-globe-hawaii.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It's interesting to see how much borders and place-names have changed over time. Here, the Hawaiian Islands are called the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Islands">Sandwich Islands</a>" (Cook named the islands in honor of the John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich -- who, contrary to popular belief, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Montagu,_4th_Earl_of_Sandwich">did not actually invent sandwiches</a>).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aGO01gMjg5jRoKGgEjNBvNyZDUqgdHwe7zkja3PMqn_r3FysJlkdNfzEYGCG2D8q0BHSbxQ3acqPW3ovXuI_kpkEU7MaOwKqJxPY4BEAAVTY5kguMEsVWs2vk_Qd1WUOgiNRI2OUSgk/s1600/smithsonian-air-space-globe-n-amer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aGO01gMjg5jRoKGgEjNBvNyZDUqgdHwe7zkja3PMqn_r3FysJlkdNfzEYGCG2D8q0BHSbxQ3acqPW3ovXuI_kpkEU7MaOwKqJxPY4BEAAVTY5kguMEsVWs2vk_Qd1WUOgiNRI2OUSgk/s400/smithsonian-air-space-globe-n-amer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Take a look at North America! Canada is called "British North America." And Alaska is "Russian America." And much of what's now the Western part of the US lacks any borders or writing.Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-5539684285511320672011-01-27T12:30:00.002-05:002011-01-27T12:33:35.329-05:00"Children at Play" (Chinese Art)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrFqBvSc2aq5r_xQZnPCDcrZh5-okPgEil9S-USy83yIqQjQoNh9t9a6hoQvJIyDaPfn2leLBtx0la68Vw88pBLPNDpR47_pTXZwAsJkYQWRDolsJzWe3mnQDqii55IE1WJ5Ue8qgA9c/s1600/chinese-freer-children-qibaishi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrFqBvSc2aq5r_xQZnPCDcrZh5-okPgEil9S-USy83yIqQjQoNh9t9a6hoQvJIyDaPfn2leLBtx0la68Vw88pBLPNDpR47_pTXZwAsJkYQWRDolsJzWe3mnQDqii55IE1WJ5Ue8qgA9c/s400/chinese-freer-children-qibaishi.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Children at Play" Exhibition, Freer Gallery of Art, April 2010. Last year I saw this <a href="http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/current/children.htm">exhibition</a><span lang="zh-Hant"> </span>and I thought these paintings 齊白石</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="zh-Hant"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">(Qi Baishi) were just so charming I had to post about them on this blog. The painting on the left (c. 1930) is called 夜讀圖 ("Studying at Night"), and the one on the right (also c. 1930) is 送子師從 ("Taking the Son to School"). The paintings seem quite sympathetic toward the child's plight.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Incidentally, the name </span><span style="font-size: small;">齊白石</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="zh-Hant"> </span>is a pseudonym. The self-taught artist was known for landscape painting (among other things), and </span><span style="font-size: small;">白石</span><span style="font-size: small;"> literally means "White Stone," suggesting snow-covered mountains.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">For more about the artist and his legacy, see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi_Baishi">here</a>.</span></div>Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-48864106820522343422011-01-27T12:03:00.000-05:002011-01-27T12:03:14.402-05:00Guide to Arabic Calligraphy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59qO3yE7kF7u6QsoFt2mAGGxyJuPPsqrOctm4VjJq2Swv_PZWh2rXxws6LMYPXJCFgPB-NP6P8829NrBOc-WO5UbKSKXH9nNC1bioySpod76S70_nksYtNCcrRAQAdTrBRQESGFLVdsw/s1600/sackler-arabic-calligraphy-islamic-world-guide-2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59qO3yE7kF7u6QsoFt2mAGGxyJuPPsqrOctm4VjJq2Swv_PZWh2rXxws6LMYPXJCFgPB-NP6P8829NrBOc-WO5UbKSKXH9nNC1bioySpod76S70_nksYtNCcrRAQAdTrBRQESGFLVdsw/s400/sackler-arabic-calligraphy-islamic-world-guide-2007.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Guide to the Arabic alphabet, "Calligraphy of the Islamic World," Sackler and Freer Gallery of Art, 2007. This pamphlet offers a chart providing information on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_alphabet">the letters of the Arabic alphabet</a> and it also allows you to trace the proper strokes in order to write <b><span lang="ar">السلام عليكم</span></b> (<i>As-Salāmu `Alaykum</i> = "Peace be with you"). I'm not exactly sure if the chart of letter forms is all that useful, since Arabic letters (as I understand it) must change their shape depending on where they appear in a given word.<br />
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(For more on calligraphy in Muslim cultures, see this <a href="http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/islamic/calligraphy1.htm">online exhibition</a>. To see another chart of the Arabic alphabet with cute animal pictures, see this <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2009/11/arabic-alphabet-animals.html">earlier post</a>.)Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-42358390943318823172011-01-23T18:40:00.001-05:002011-01-23T18:44:57.653-05:00Jibberish Scripts (Hebrew? Greek?)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxawfZF6iWzzb_fLJyrRR8wQdm_VvgKKgfXamChLSNEVlEfwtMg7z-IHyMF10MkuXVg_YhmgTU9Nx8_FG-QvxRuUrPTk4Bcsnso-NpHq1ZAGfq82SGE7xkHldDQBMd54B0EFVtVYdZLc/s1600/nga-mary-salome-family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxawfZF6iWzzb_fLJyrRR8wQdm_VvgKKgfXamChLSNEVlEfwtMg7z-IHyMF10MkuXVg_YhmgTU9Nx8_FG-QvxRuUrPTk4Bcsnso-NpHq1ZAGfq82SGE7xkHldDQBMd54B0EFVtVYdZLc/s400/nga-mary-salome-family.jpg" width="351" /></a></div>A holy child writes in a book in this detail from Bernhard Strigel's <i>Saint Mary Salome and Her Family</i> in the National Gallery of Art (click image to enlarge). I was intrigued by the appearance of the writing in this book, which looks to me like jibberish script. At first I thought these letter-forms were approximating Hebrew, but if that's so then the writing is going in the wrong direction (i.e., the pen is moving left to right, as one does when writing Latin and other languages; Hebrew should go from right to left).<br />
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When I took another look at the entire painting online (see image and description <a href="http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg35a/gg35a-46188-none.html">here</a>), I realized this child actually identified as SANCTV. IOHANES EWAN. (Saint John the Evangelist) - and his Gospel was actually <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_John">written in Greek</a>. But the writing doesn't look very much like Greek either.<br />
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I guess it doesn't really matter whether the writing is "supposed" to be Greek or Hebrew. It looks like the artist was much more interested in representing the "idea" of a holy writer rather than conveying the accuracy of any particular script. (For another creative use of script in a religious painting, see this earlier posting about <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2009/12/upside-down-latin.html">upside-down Latin</a>.)<br />
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I'm sure I could find other examples of jibberish script throughout the NGA if I really looked around, but here's a similar example from a painting I saw in the <a href="http://www.operaduomo.siena.it/english/index.html">Museo dell'Opera del Duomo</a> during a visit to Siena:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinF5eawZgJ-kA5KVfyWSlbesfGTXSN4rztI8zdWJXAjq00oWEdMx55IPjNXt-2s6TUnUWearA2jT8R-d626v1-l1pY0oQljkXeBMogQEY36lZhMqHamtH-7cJqZaCKj-qYmWeBgb8MerU/s1600/italy-siena-jibberish-letters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinF5eawZgJ-kA5KVfyWSlbesfGTXSN4rztI8zdWJXAjq00oWEdMx55IPjNXt-2s6TUnUWearA2jT8R-d626v1-l1pY0oQljkXeBMogQEY36lZhMqHamtH-7cJqZaCKj-qYmWeBgb8MerU/s400/italy-siena-jibberish-letters.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>I don't remember who this figure is or even the name of the artist, but it's another intriguing example of visually stylized script that lends an aura of authority. Whether it's meant to represent Hebrew or Greek, the symbols here look to me a lot like a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_numerals">older form of Arabic numerals</a>.Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-25986152557746865062011-01-19T17:37:00.001-05:002011-01-19T17:38:59.182-05:00Chocolate-Covered Fortune Cookies?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRaUHP2W6sgxZKNu7xg15_q7jjAsLpzCR2UkFtSsfPf_eu4eG8PuqagvR904-h7mYZMnwpXlxq1tb7F1DJKYce45OmHPegJ4sUsXbd7hcZKmMbNPmrANVcCPuVMqyzk4X4Z-YaosInpY/s1600/choco-fortune-cookies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRaUHP2W6sgxZKNu7xg15_q7jjAsLpzCR2UkFtSsfPf_eu4eG8PuqagvR904-h7mYZMnwpXlxq1tb7F1DJKYce45OmHPegJ4sUsXbd7hcZKmMbNPmrANVcCPuVMqyzk4X4Z-YaosInpY/s400/choco-fortune-cookies.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>I saw this quality Valentine's Day themed product for sale today: chocolate-covered fortune cookies, complete with red "Chinese takeout" shaped box. Each fortune apparently has a romantic theme. The character 愛 (love) is written on the box in reasonably legible traditional script, but for some reason it has been rotated counter-clockwise by 45 degrees.<br />
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At least this company knows better than to use a stereotypically pointy "Chinese take-out menu" font (for some examples of this, <a href="http://www.dafont.com/theme.php?cat=201">see here</a>). That being said, I do think it's rather odd that the white tear-drop shaped portion of the yin/yang symbol becomes the "dot" in the letter "I" as well as the apostrophe.<br />
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P.S. The origin of the fortune cookie is disputed (see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_cookie">here</a>), but as far as I know it is not actually a Chinese invention.<br />
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P.P.S. I have not purchased, nor have I tasted, these cookies.Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-3876339833498844522011-01-18T22:30:00.004-05:002011-01-18T23:40:32.205-05:00Muse of Poetry (National Gallery of Art)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfdEiu54dWAOYNiTFCo6uh6ieu3EXm-dqI2lbtPl-mn77luzAb6M5okW1IGYqA2HpAW493Rh1OO-usGn2so9Og6T7BPX4ZihLAF121p1Px6i5HPZtjP7gveCA5GjUCwCsRTFiF_SeYtk/s1600/nga-calliope-all.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfdEiu54dWAOYNiTFCo6uh6ieu3EXm-dqI2lbtPl-mn77luzAb6M5okW1IGYqA2HpAW493Rh1OO-usGn2so9Og6T7BPX4ZihLAF121p1Px6i5HPZtjP7gveCA5GjUCwCsRTFiF_SeYtk/s400/nga-calliope-all.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><i>Calliope</i> (muse of heroic poetry), as sculpted Austin Pajou (c. 1763), in the French Neoclassical style. The name for Calliope comes from the Greek <i>Καλλιόπη</i> (<i>Kalliope</i>, or "beautiful-voiced"), and she is conventionally depicted <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calliope">holding a book or tablet</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFRInSl0RVik6dwxe-UgIQYBE7689Eks3AnfiXw8DyCuBcSFd0nR-QJLKZK1DEZXfgyBkohoZs6B2Hb5xRqxNUv0_2pjS-eo_AFZhUVPf5UfJyv3-Bih10ksnSHRb2bx36NkkU2JztC4/s1600/nga-calliope-detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFRInSl0RVik6dwxe-UgIQYBE7689Eks3AnfiXw8DyCuBcSFd0nR-QJLKZK1DEZXfgyBkohoZs6B2Hb5xRqxNUv0_2pjS-eo_AFZhUVPf5UfJyv3-Bih10ksnSHRb2bx36NkkU2JztC4/s400/nga-calliope-detail.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>In this detail, we see that the sculptor has chosen to show her holding an open book. On these pages are a Latin inscription. The first 3 lines on the left-hand page read CALLIOPE REGI/NA HOMINVM / DIVVMQVE (Calliope, Queen of Humans and Gods). The "queen" form of address is an allusion to Horace, whose Latin poetry refers to Calliope as <i>regina</i>, or queen (<i>Carminae</i>, III.iv.2). National Gallery of Art, West Wing.<br />
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To read more about this sculpture (including a full transcript of the Latin inscription), <a href="http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/ggsculpt/ggsculpt-41722-prov.html">see here</a>.Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-19792325564405737132011-01-12T08:30:00.001-05:002011-01-12T09:57:33.818-05:00Trans-Atlantic Poetry (Navy Memorial Metro)<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3r-6SFiKOoKJb6snK4jINgwl0LEMmcl2OQ3O2OstC8h6c2KlHNxYotOHAO7cMC9Kv-WRCz3IwOE0tvL3VD93MUO4VuaTNoTufUe3RYEKChLTwNh7JxKM7cVi5L-DfMyK5IIPN68I3jbU/s1600/metro-navymemorial-inscription-whitman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3r-6SFiKOoKJb6snK4jINgwl0LEMmcl2OQ3O2OstC8h6c2KlHNxYotOHAO7cMC9Kv-WRCz3IwOE0tvL3VD93MUO4VuaTNoTufUe3RYEKChLTwNh7JxKM7cVi5L-DfMyK5IIPN68I3jbU/s400/metro-navymemorial-inscription-whitman.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two poems are inscribed all the wall in part of <i>Ocean Piece</i>, an artwork by Jorge Martin (1995). As far as I can tell, the artwork honors trans-Atlantic navigation and exploration. On the left (Western?) side of the artwork is an excerpt from Walt Whitman's poem "The Prayer of Columbus." The lines read:</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><pre style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>All my emprises have been fill’d with Thee,
My speculations, plans, begun and carried on in thoughts of Thee,
Sailing the deep, or journeying the land for Thee;
Intentions, purports, aspirations mine—leaving results to Thee.
O I am sure they really come from Thee!
The urge, the ardor, the unconquerable will,
The potent, felt, interior command, stronger than words,
A message from the Heavens, whispering to me even in sleep,
These sped me on.
By me, and these, the work so far accomplish’d (for what has been, has been);
By me Earth’s elder, cloy’d and stifled lands, uncloy’d, unloos’d;
By me the hemispheres rounded and tied—the unknown to the known.
</i></span></pre><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMd_P5u1AsE9UnYwx-sBtflJh93IzClE4JqJ_RdIoSKJ8LwQrYTzMr9f_NBYMu71123sKN6MSSODU3MaPWNSoRJndUEVr8uumHtgCohUl12GY7K0GkTTilYKEcn_R1bE0tzsVsrVASa0M/s1600/metro-navymemorial-poem-occident.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMd_P5u1AsE9UnYwx-sBtflJh93IzClE4JqJ_RdIoSKJ8LwQrYTzMr9f_NBYMu71123sKN6MSSODU3MaPWNSoRJndUEVr8uumHtgCohUl12GY7K0GkTTilYKEcn_R1bE0tzsVsrVASa0M/s400/metro-navymemorial-poem-occident.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;">On the right (Eastern?) side of the sculpture - across a gentle bulge, which seems to me to evoke an ocean wave - is an excerpt from "Occident," a work by the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. These lines read:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">With two hands - Deed and Fate</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">We have unveiled in the same gesture, one</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"> Raises the flickering and divine torch</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">While the other draws the veil aside.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Whether the hour was ripe or it owned</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">The hand that tore the Western veil,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Science was the soul and Audacity the body</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Of the hand that unveiled it.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Whether the hand rose the glittering torch</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Out of Fortune, Will or Tempest,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">God was the soul and Portugal the body</span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Of the hand that bore it. </i></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This artwork was a gift from the Lisbon Subway to the DC Metro (see <a href="http://www.wmata.com/community_outreach/metroarts/artwork/green/archives_1.cfm">this website</a> for more). The oceanic and transportation-themed artwork is indeed fitting for its location: the Navy Memorial metro station.</span>Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-71450429184444748432010-11-30T09:30:00.001-05:002010-12-28T13:56:14.873-05:00Pocahontas Portrait<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDD8Ae0a64khKHoMVMzAqhWmKFoEzbBYogJ7Dd_4h6iSKja9b5Y68tkj7IhNgnp1GZjhiOSTNY93WReYteMIhJwDxvQr6iA7z2WD1GPRtgv8d7b05T7qUfQTaarcQzcBMCt6p5pGHIMCE/s1600/saam-portrait-pocahontas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDD8Ae0a64khKHoMVMzAqhWmKFoEzbBYogJ7Dd_4h6iSKja9b5Y68tkj7IhNgnp1GZjhiOSTNY93WReYteMIhJwDxvQr6iA7z2WD1GPRtgv8d7b05T7qUfQTaarcQzcBMCt6p5pGHIMCE/s400/saam-portrait-pocahontas.jpg" width="350" /></a></div>Painting of Pocahontas, after a Dutch engraving, National Portrait Gallery. Known by many names, this Native American woman supposedly saved the life of English colonist John Smith; she later converted to Christianity and moved to England, assuming the name Rebecca Rolfe. The inscription states this is how she appeared at age 21 in the year 1616, and the Latin inscription around the border reads<small> "MATOAKA ALS REBECCA FILIA POTENTISS. PRINC. POWHATANI IMP. VIRGINIAE</small> ("Matoaka, alias Rebecca, daughter of the most powerful prince of the Powhatan Empire of Virginia"). <br />
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To find out more about Pocahontas and this painting, see this <a href="http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_31_00014.htm">US Senate website</a>. For more on the original 1616 engraving upon which this painting is based, see this <a href="http://www.smithsoniansource.org/display/primarysource/viewdetails.aspx?PrimarySourceId=1199">Smithsonian site</a>. For more on Pocahontas and her perception on both sides of the Atlantic, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas">see here</a>.<br />
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For more about iconic Native Americans with multiple names, see <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2010/11/translating-names-national-statuary.html">here</a> and <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2010/11/sequoyah-inventor-of-cherokee-writing.html">here</a>.Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-59248719400892702512010-11-20T12:50:00.001-05:002010-11-20T12:58:25.637-05:00Translating Names (National Statuary Hall Collection)One of the most interesting features of the US Capitol is the <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/index.cfm">National Statuary Hall Collection</a>, which consists of 100 statues (2 from each state in the union). A particularly diverse group of statues populates the Capitol Visitor Center, reflecting the multicultural heritage of the nation.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixJvUrZWj773nmns3gnwuFeUmSLcurKOts2t3HUTqvJp3stIddcuBRk185RSiTlK3FF9DkjqXc-uC_ik4m8GiEFd_iAArToJ1WihRghInf94w3qZa2VWn7znG6bYcPWnOMaPX0RkttQw/s1600/capitol-visitorcenter-statues-hi-kamehameha-nd-sacajawea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixJvUrZWj773nmns3gnwuFeUmSLcurKOts2t3HUTqvJp3stIddcuBRk185RSiTlK3FF9DkjqXc-uC_ik4m8GiEFd_iAArToJ1WihRghInf94w3qZa2VWn7znG6bYcPWnOMaPX0RkttQw/s400/capitol-visitorcenter-statues-hi-kamehameha-nd-sacajawea.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>On the left (above) is King Kamehameha, who (according to this <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/kamehameha.cfm">official description</a>) "united all the inhabited islands of Hawai'i under his rule." The pedestal of the statue reads KAMEHAMEHA I (i.e., King Kamehameha the First), but his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamehameha_I">full Hawaiian name</a> is apparently much longer. On the right (above) is the Native American woman most commonly known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacagawea">Sakagawea</a> (or Sacajawea). In selecting this statue, the North Dakota legislature honored the woman they called <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/sakakawea.cfm">Sakakawea</a> as a "traveler and guide, translator, a diplomat, and a wife of mother" who was so crucial in the expeditions of Lewis and Clark.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SZ9U6pt8CLwcDisWpGfd4dp7KxH4OtDQiRo8iAWDdqgEcXz0WRqTI5oLMKMSWyHRfYe4JrSmrx6ZH1oAEHbpT4yOYeDgnNN_mlVY_lZdKUa_cvVPxqQVFwErvkzccJOw9Wchb-5zbW0/s1600/capitol-visitorcenter-statues-ok-sequoyah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SZ9U6pt8CLwcDisWpGfd4dp7KxH4OtDQiRo8iAWDdqgEcXz0WRqTI5oLMKMSWyHRfYe4JrSmrx6ZH1oAEHbpT4yOYeDgnNN_mlVY_lZdKUa_cvVPxqQVFwErvkzccJOw9Wchb-5zbW0/s400/capitol-visitorcenter-statues-ok-sequoyah.jpg" width="190" /></a></div>Another figure worth mentioning here is Sequoyah, a Native American who represents the state of Oklahoma. The <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/Sequoyah.cfm">official description</a> refers to him the "inventor of the Cherokee alphabet," but the writing system he developed is technically a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_syllabary">syllabary</a>.<br />
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(For more on Sequoyah, see <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2010/11/sequoyah-inventor-of-cherokee-writing.html">my previous posting</a>.) <br />
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Other statues in the collection depict figures from far-flung points of origin: e.g., Spanish missionaries Eusebio Francisco <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/kino.cfm">Kino</a> (AZ) and Junipero <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/serra.cfm">Serra</a> (CA); Quebec-born settlers Jean-Baptiste <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/mcloughlin.cfm">McLoughlin</a> (OR), Jason <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/lee_j.cfm">Lee</a> (OR), and Mother Joseph, née Esther <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/joseph_m.cfm">Pariseau</a> (WA); a French missionary, Father Jacques <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/marquette.cfm">Marquette</a> (WI); a Dutch-speaking Belgian known as Father Damien, born Joseph <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/damien.cfm">de Veuster</a> (HI); and more Native Americans: Sarah <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/winnemucca.cfm">Winnemucca</a> (NV-Paiute), <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/popay.cfm">Po'pay</a> (NM-Tiwa), and <a href="http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/washakie.cfm">Washakie</a> (WY-Shoshone).Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-6160123886919222002010-11-17T09:13:00.001-05:002010-11-20T13:01:30.438-05:00Sequoyah, Inventor of Cherokee Writing System<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNz2QtChBHTtjU5SmUDMedbOxP-DEln7JuiuzLIojmbZ18gyTOof7UWFTfDso4e9WImHsRDL4N-1Sr9D5-rP5tQFmJa2sQRd8l7bLZuYxlSYXphcakFMpkEJ9RNj6nbYdXRLx1gxO078/s1600/npg-portrait-sequoyah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNz2QtChBHTtjU5SmUDMedbOxP-DEln7JuiuzLIojmbZ18gyTOof7UWFTfDso4e9WImHsRDL4N-1Sr9D5-rP5tQFmJa2sQRd8l7bLZuYxlSYXphcakFMpkEJ9RNj6nbYdXRLx1gxO078/s400/npg-portrait-sequoyah.jpg" width="345" /></a></div>This painting by Henry Inman at the <a href="http://www.npg.si.edu/">National Portrait Gallery</a> depicts the Sequoyah (d. 1843), the inventor of the Cherokee writing system. The script in Inman's painting doesn't look as well-executed as it could be; perhaps this is because Inman's work based upon a lost painting by Charles Bird King (King's painting was destroyed in a fire at the Smithsonian Castle).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYftyt4GqUKKLdjNceu0YRrvPy2nBDex8CV7AIs5K4qlYKCo5jql9zIwLjgeNaiqXryo2-Wjl2yep9YQjiDHtDYxwxZ_k6Qzt0vVtudu7qNMWjfYgJoTKDIrbDFeLpzoOQlcOzSvWy2hA/s1600/npg-sequoyah-aka-george-guess-lithograph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYftyt4GqUKKLdjNceu0YRrvPy2nBDex8CV7AIs5K4qlYKCo5jql9zIwLjgeNaiqXryo2-Wjl2yep9YQjiDHtDYxwxZ_k6Qzt0vVtudu7qNMWjfYgJoTKDIrbDFeLpzoOQlcOzSvWy2hA/s400/npg-sequoyah-aka-george-guess-lithograph.jpg" width="345" /></a></div>This engraving, also based upon the lost King painting, seems to do a better job re-creating the Cherokee script. Sequoyah himself <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoyah">signed his name</a> as ᏍᏏᏉᏯ (<i>Ssiquoya</i>), but you can see here that he was also known by the English name of George Giss or Guess.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-JUSkoH4DLlhvK6eKexvLrG8Q8vY1DDxjikZ0SY4-k9RHYRa-6RHq2pqCOko2udd9n7L_eAZ_Jq8lQUmkM_k5V6MA9poMshr7w1442EE2WHjvn1bUV1hAG_82DCS3BlNqgPaih-mig4/s1600/npg-sequoyah-cherokee-postcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-JUSkoH4DLlhvK6eKexvLrG8Q8vY1DDxjikZ0SY4-k9RHYRa-6RHq2pqCOko2udd9n7L_eAZ_Jq8lQUmkM_k5V6MA9poMshr7w1442EE2WHjvn1bUV1hAG_82DCS3BlNqgPaih-mig4/s400/npg-sequoyah-cherokee-postcard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This postcard, which erroneously calls the syllabic writing system an "alphabet," at least gives you a good sense of the sounds that the signs represent. For more about the Cherokee syllabary and language, <a href="http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cherokee.htm">see this page</a>.<br />
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To read (or hear) more about this painting, see this <a href="http://face2face.si.edu/my_weblog/2008/12/portrait-of-sequoyah-by-henry-inman.html">NPG blog posting</a>. You can also read about the statue of Sequoyah in the National Statuary Hall Collection (see the <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2010/11/translating-names-national-statuary.html">next posting</a> for more).Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-14782559205164281732010-11-12T00:53:00.002-05:002010-11-13T10:32:48.989-05:00FDR's Minimalist Monument (National Archives)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYlR5uBVR62W47wRTGTskrIQQjdrn2A7abUhOdUMQ-TLQHEnRmeb2Mbn5JMq-LW5v_e6AZJy2rZBjAnoGq3g-ebkQkSexd8lr5HhhxVzUfaQTqTqcU7zLekvCdcENXc8L1WXqxE1l7F8/s1600/fdr-memorial-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYlR5uBVR62W47wRTGTskrIQQjdrn2A7abUhOdUMQ-TLQHEnRmeb2Mbn5JMq-LW5v_e6AZJy2rZBjAnoGq3g-ebkQkSexd8lr5HhhxVzUfaQTqTqcU7zLekvCdcENXc8L1WXqxE1l7F8/s400/fdr-memorial-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It's very easy to miss this simple monument on the north side of the National Archives. This memorial is dedicated to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and for a presidential monument this one is not very grand or informative.<br />
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As it turns out, that's exactly what FDR wanted. Note the second "explanatory" plaque that has been erected in front of this memorial (click to enlarge and read the text).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQTo8oMaFKRqeFRN3QqjX5KZEj8LAqsP6WpJu9Q4yoTo4ptLAPFAJDfjQ8VTHzR9h2DDQcYNJlRqYXOOPBGj0978ShPky86RMe636JspRZyEFOcDpL8JiUoOuH3aVVEPunVyUScw4Gas/s1600/fdr-memorial-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQTo8oMaFKRqeFRN3QqjX5KZEj8LAqsP6WpJu9Q4yoTo4ptLAPFAJDfjQ8VTHzR9h2DDQcYNJlRqYXOOPBGj0978ShPky86RMe636JspRZyEFOcDpL8JiUoOuH3aVVEPunVyUScw4Gas/s400/fdr-memorial-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It seems funny that this plaque both honors and disrespects his wishes. FDR did get his modest form of commemoration - but the plaque itself goes beyond FDR's instructions, turning the president's humility into something worth of commemoration in its own right. <br />
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There is, of course, a huge and complex <a href="http://www.nps.gov/fdrm/">FDR Memorial</a> on the National Mall - which, I suppose, adds to the irony (see <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2009/10/braille-inaccessible.html">here</a> and <a href="http://lostintranslationdc.blogspot.com/2009/10/fdr-memorial-braille-inverted.html">here</a> for more).Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-33236922726310473822010-11-02T00:14:00.001-04:002010-11-10T23:32:20.350-05:00Obamamania (DC Flashback)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUgjwWbNA8K2yyKH7ZU7aIxUDPoiiOOzy-5vGEFWs2QsZgaBDyiJyo1GhEDgpWgJ2GupD-27mnZdStR-UNzW2lFAoYbd8YNvO-xTb9LcgO_uqnyqdNOdVu4Q8B_HTfL0GRMGGUtXY6rU/s1600/newseum-election-day-papers-nov-2008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUgjwWbNA8K2yyKH7ZU7aIxUDPoiiOOzy-5vGEFWs2QsZgaBDyiJyo1GhEDgpWgJ2GupD-27mnZdStR-UNzW2lFAoYbd8YNvO-xTb9LcgO_uqnyqdNOdVu4Q8B_HTfL0GRMGGUtXY6rU/s400/newseum-election-day-papers-nov-2008.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>It has now been two years since Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. There was much euphoria in DC at the time: above, international newspapers (from Brazil and Saudi Arabia) announce Obama's victory in the election (<a href="http://www.newseum.org/">Newseum</a>, the day after Election Day, November 5, 2009). You can view front pages from newspapers around the world on this day at <a href="http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/default_archive.asp?fpArchive=110508">this Newseum website</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIprNxHxEol4FSuIU64lGCRy7thtR8XG2W7O5PFA6mq37mL04G4SE9upW96cKdc-iiIx0D0yUmuue9BsI-Levj9L8ULHn4VuJ6NASEYhyHheR8AbwBQdFf8E9vKNXV-Nb9zQqVGs8-qAI/s1600/nmaa-african-kenya-swahili-obama-cloth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIprNxHxEol4FSuIU64lGCRy7thtR8XG2W7O5PFA6mq37mL04G4SE9upW96cKdc-iiIx0D0yUmuue9BsI-Levj9L8ULHn4VuJ6NASEYhyHheR8AbwBQdFf8E9vKNXV-Nb9zQqVGs8-qAI/s400/nmaa-african-kenya-swahili-obama-cloth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Other museums around DC fed into "Obamamania" in their own ways. Above, "Hongera Barack Obama," a <i>kanga</i> (dyed cotton cloth, used for many purposes), produced in east Africa in 2008, hangs on display at the <a href="http://africa.si.edu/">National Museum of African Art</a>. Obama's father was from Kenya, and the Swahili inscription expresses the hope many felt upon Obama's election: <i>Upendo Na Amani Ametujalia Mungu</i> ("God has blessed us with peace and love").<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BxEXPYP1_IrD-fu_HZPVJGCjGNmVuAoReD0FjX82jH6gIckyQ6QKNqKfb-8a-mCq40gPg-17jNYyuRA94YklHLdFYk2M47TG6eKCNZsKU9_phUmd0QWy5I01zNHZZsD9Zr-oCP2AkOU/s1600/nmah-hawaiian-potus-hawaiian-nov2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BxEXPYP1_IrD-fu_HZPVJGCjGNmVuAoReD0FjX82jH6gIckyQ6QKNqKfb-8a-mCq40gPg-17jNYyuRA94YklHLdFYk2M47TG6eKCNZsKU9_phUmd0QWy5I01zNHZZsD9Zr-oCP2AkOU/s400/nmah-hawaiian-potus-hawaiian-nov2009.jpg" width="336" /></a></div>At the gift shop of the <a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/">National Museum of American History</a>, this children's book recognizes Obama's connections to Hawaii, the state where he was born. <span style="font-size: small;">Note the use of the backwards apostrophe [<span class="okina">ʻ</span>] in the word Hawai<span class="okina">ʻ</span>i. This punctuation mark, called the <i><span class="okina">ʻ</span>okina</i>, represents the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glottal_stop">glottal stop</a>, a sound that does not exist in English.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJlUirFXRJ2KlkpQfaM3SaTuz6PtQWFo9S_DawtU3sFxowET8HFTklQalmVFJXXxByTri3_JbjoQe_ODTguottE7B9nHa18yKBLlZXn3fCZf9j3y3h8ZOxvPvY6Q1Y-NytAYyR4jlM6o/s1600/nmah-obama-chant-jan2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJlUirFXRJ2KlkpQfaM3SaTuz6PtQWFo9S_DawtU3sFxowET8HFTklQalmVFJXXxByTri3_JbjoQe_ODTguottE7B9nHa18yKBLlZXn3fCZf9j3y3h8ZOxvPvY6Q1Y-NytAYyR4jlM6o/s400/nmah-obama-chant-jan2009.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;">The <a href="http://www.nmai.si.edu/">National Museum of the American Indian</a> also got involved in the celebrations. Here, dancers perform a traditional Hawaiian </span><i>mele inoa</i> (name chant) for Obama as part of the Smithsonian's "Out of Many" Festival, January 17, 2009. You can read the Hawaiian text (with English translation) and even watch a recording of the performance <a href="http://www.halau.org/index_015.htm">on this website</a>.Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-61287175732492272752010-11-01T09:32:00.000-04:002010-11-14T11:05:48.675-05:00Native Boats, Indigenous Languages<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>November is officially <a href="http://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/">Native American Heritage Month</a> - so I'll be including a few postings throughout the month to honor this.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwUTFAmNES8Jks6tPJxC-ptuYD9uLsynIih4mwkOLl1DXZQjKunOHY68FoFofnkQ2wd-mQjmzfmANmWiDml1nmTRGKobg2RB1v2uEwOs56_WBr25UmGW8vONu5yESE2CWxBTTPNo7bNw/s1600/nmai-inuit-hawaiian-boats.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwUTFAmNES8Jks6tPJxC-ptuYD9uLsynIih4mwkOLl1DXZQjKunOHY68FoFofnkQ2wd-mQjmzfmANmWiDml1nmTRGKobg2RB1v2uEwOs56_WBr25UmGW8vONu5yESE2CWxBTTPNo7bNw/s400/nmai-inuit-hawaiian-boats.png" width="280" /></a></div>The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) employs "American" in the broadest sense, encompassing in its scope diverse indigenous cultures across the Americas. Prominently displayed on the entrance level are 3 boats representing different cultures: a Hawaiian boat, an Inuit kayak, and a reed canoe constructed by Aymara people (see this <a href="http://www.slightlysurly.com/nmai/canoe.htm">website and gallery</a> for more). Above, descriptions of the boats in the Inuit language (which uses a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuktitut_syllabics">syllabary</a>) and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_language">Hawaiian</a> language (which uses Roman letters). [Click the image to see a larger version.]<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Note the use of the backwards apostrophe [<span class="okina" style="font-family: Lucida Sans Unicode,sans-serif;">ʻ</span>] in the word Hawai<span class="okina" style="font-family: Lucida Sans Unicode,sans-serif;">ʻ</span>i. This punctuation mark, called the <i><span class="okina" style="font-family: Lucida Sans Unicode,sans-serif;">ʻ</span>okina</i>, represents the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glottal_stop">glottal stop</a>, a sound that does not exist in English.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxPa5fZbD3G3wNM1-hXRPX_M8pe22ELWWt5GRF-UFQ2NlwJR24VtM2yciC-e6WlaGWFqLWNTR_mCwDsd8u8W5RU8TpUDVwUO-0yn6GnAaVLIRPIR_kqP0XOL5JbWw1zRMiOE_17J7Za0/s1600/nmai-peru-canoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxPa5fZbD3G3wNM1-hXRPX_M8pe22ELWWt5GRF-UFQ2NlwJR24VtM2yciC-e6WlaGWFqLWNTR_mCwDsd8u8W5RU8TpUDVwUO-0yn6GnAaVLIRPIR_kqP0XOL5JbWw1zRMiOE_17J7Za0/s400/nmai-peru-canoe.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>The description of the reed canoe is written in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aymara_language">Aymara</a>, an indigenous (and co-official) language of Bolivia and Peru.<br />
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The English translations of these texts are written on the reverse of these signs - sorry I didn't include them here!Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-25891915416119166162010-11-01T01:04:00.001-04:002010-11-10T23:29:52.077-05:00GOTV (Get Out The Vote) Posters [Election 2008 Flashback]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MM33d0BPl5ILogC4c8RyU9FS2cPeo3TPdEpEF9li3sJExQKCD8MXkfdxgBkH34yxPYnm_pMs3YOzS6uyxsOPScKCBjfCNR3vlFnq-POp_QBEF5orXJ7TnsxgW-UocseLjTZU-u8LRuE/s1600/se-quadrant-posters-jan-2009-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MM33d0BPl5ILogC4c8RyU9FS2cPeo3TPdEpEF9li3sJExQKCD8MXkfdxgBkH34yxPYnm_pMs3YOzS6uyxsOPScKCBjfCNR3vlFnq-POp_QBEF5orXJ7TnsxgW-UocseLjTZU-u8LRuE/s400/se-quadrant-posters-jan-2009-a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>These election posters (placed in spots were windows once were) encourage people to get out and vote in the 2008 elections. These were on the wall of an abandoned school building in the SE Quadrant, Inauguration Day 2009. Above (center), a poster featuring an adorable little girl encourages Spanish-speaking voters to take part in the election: <i>Ella confia en ti para tomar la decisión correcta ... Tu país también. </i><i>¡Voto!</i> ("She trusts you to make the right choices...so does your country.") On the left, a week-long pill box organizer has 4 compartments raised to read VOTE (a plea to elderly voters perhaps?).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_L4TYsMyeaDsNsi6jnz-enJdQQn_HpmY0jPYY3kwFHfyKPfky7_4vPB4-ojdtJYmzCAwy_24H5wh6QcZeupigCgG81wnqXTq2-1KeGXPF9ExcKxQoRzCg6RLlaqndqw9to7ryWmRnw0/s1600/se-quadrant-gotv-posters-jan-2009-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_L4TYsMyeaDsNsi6jnz-enJdQQn_HpmY0jPYY3kwFHfyKPfky7_4vPB4-ojdtJYmzCAwy_24H5wh6QcZeupigCgG81wnqXTq2-1KeGXPF9ExcKxQoRzCg6RLlaqndqw9to7ryWmRnw0/s400/se-quadrant-gotv-posters-jan-2009-b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Above, posters targeting African Americans (right) and Asian Americans (left). The whole "Wok + Dutch Oven = Asian American" thing is a bit silly, but it's an attractive poster nonetheless.Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5212372221459478698.post-44452364783839993032010-10-30T22:38:00.000-04:002010-10-30T22:38:59.146-04:00Hope<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUT9sm10BKrhb1eRA9ZSWNxf59hJYeOS5QSBIPecmPw6x0TrDonk5MTfNYdT5vuao641OBhF_EZ6XjmwylqzOMqSzTB3NwkffXDovd3O-r_OgeFsYvmpls454pgFUbBDiAhyphenhyphen7_Tz3V7OU/s1600/arlington-tombstone-hope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUT9sm10BKrhb1eRA9ZSWNxf59hJYeOS5QSBIPecmPw6x0TrDonk5MTfNYdT5vuao641OBhF_EZ6XjmwylqzOMqSzTB3NwkffXDovd3O-r_OgeFsYvmpls454pgFUbBDiAhyphenhyphen7_Tz3V7OU/s400/arlington-tombstone-hope.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Despite what they're reporting in the news these days, hope is not dead. Reverse side of a tombstone, Arlington National Cemetery, July 2009. (For more Arlington tombstones, click the "Arlington" tag below or on the right side of this page.)Jonathan Hsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214201468052661183noreply@blogger.com0