Archives for February, 2005

Top GIS results for "Slovenes" (left) and "Slovenians." (right)

In 2001, a team of linguists at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, led by Jože ToporiÅ¡iÄ?, unleashed a 2.000-page beast named Slovenski pravopis (Slovenian Orthography) on the world. That book is the authoritative source on the Slovenian language, painstakingly documenting all its complex spelling and grammar rules.

English ain’t so lucky. There is no single source to turn to for answers, which makes it slightly more difficult to answer the question: "Are people from Slovenia called Slovenes or Slovenians?" But we can still try. And we will!

The Short answer: Both are acceptable. Neither one is wrong. Consistency is always nice.

The Long answer: All of the above, but "Slovene" is the first choice among authoritative sources. Here’s a quick breakdown of how some of the most reputable authorities approach the problem:

The Oxford English Dictionary
Description: The "definitive record of the English language."
Decision: Lists "Slovene" first (as person or language) and "Slovenian" as a derivative (noun or adjective.) Other dictionaries seem to follow this convention: Both Merriam-Webster and the American Heritage Dictionary list "Slovene" as their primary entry.
(Source)

The New York Times
Description: "The paper of record."
Decision: Uses "Slovene" as a noun, and "Slovenian" as an adjective. (Note: This is the rule I try to follow.)
(Source)

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Description: "The largest broadcast news gathering operation in the world."
Decision: Favors "Slovene." In fact, there is a subdivision of the BBC called BBC Slovene.
(Source)

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia
Description: The folks running this country.
Decision: Use both interchangeably, but overall seem to favor "Slovenes" (313 hits) over "Slovenians" (131). The official Facts About Slovenia booklet, published last month by the government’s Public Relations and Media Office, exclusively uses "Slovene" as a noun and "Slovenian" as an adjective. You can read that 116-page booklet here. (PDF)
(Source)

Some Other Sources

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Description: "U.S. agency responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments"
Decision: "Slovene" as noun, "Slovenian" as adjective.
(Source)

Google
Description: Index of 8,058,044,651 web pages.
Decision: Favors Slovene. Currently lists 73,800 hits for "Slovenes" and 42,900 hits for "Slovenians."
(Source)

Slovenian Chamber of Commerce
Description: Association of businesses in Slovenia.
Decision: Uses "Slovenian" exclusively.
(Source)

Matkurja
Description: Online directory of Slovenian webpages and country guide.
Decision: Mixed. Sometimes seems to follow the "Slovene" as noun, "Slovenian" as adjective rule.
(Source)

This could go on forever, but it basically boils down to what sources you respect and your personal preference. The big four listed at the top (OED, NYT, BBC, Slovenian Government) are good enough for me, and basically trump the fact that, say, the Football Association of Slovenia uses "Slovenian" exclusively. So I’ll keep on truckin’ with "Slovene" as noun and "Slovenian" as adjective.

At any rate, this will probably be the last time I address the subject, so I welcome any and all comments!

This blog now has an autographed postcard from a German porn star.

[A word of warning: Some of the links in today’s post lead to nudity and/or stuff that is NSFW. If in doubt, don’t click on anything.]

Ljubljana is usually described as the political, economic, commercial, industrial, governmental, and cultural capital of Slovenia. But all that changed a few days ago, when German adult-film star Vivian Schmitt snubbed the foggy capital in favor of a visit to Slovenia’s second city, Maribor.

You may remember Vivian Schmitt from such films as "Excessive Weekend," "Pure Pleasure," and "Animal Heat." She came to Maribor to promote these movies, and to sign some autographs and get nekkid on a stage. I don’t know what it says about my circle of friends that I got an invitation to this event. And I don’t want to know what it says about me that I actually went.

I have to say, first of all, that I was surprised by the many women in the audience. You can’t see it in these pictures, because once the stripping started the men surged forward to claim the best vantage points. But females were there; as were some other local notables, including the Mladina writer Max Modic. (His story is here: 48 ur z Vivian Schmitt.)

I’m afraid you won’t find my face in the leering audience. I mulled around in the back during the show, and then left early. Of course, if I was about 15 years younger it would have been a completely different story. I’d probably still be there right now, picking cigarettes up off the floor to keep as mementos. When you’re 13 and operating under the influence of hormones, a female breast is — to paraphrase St. Anselm — "something than which nothing greater can be imagined." Even catching a brief glimpse of one can be an unforgettable moment.

But maybe this was because I was raised in the United States, which has a decidedly Victorian attitude towards nudity. (Many people say "Puritan attitude," but that’s not as correct. Puritans were rigidly moral, but it was the Victorians who were hyper-sensitive to the very idea of the human body. For them, it was indecent to say words like "cockroach" or "leg" or to even mention anything related to your physical form. Like many present-day Americans, they would also have been traumatized by Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl.)

Slovenes, on the other hand, seem to have a very relaxed attitude — something that took me a while to get used to. And I guess I still find it strange that mainstream newspapers and magazines will sometimes show naked bodies. Then again, they used to air hardcore pornography on public television at night. When I first arrived here, that completely shocked my sense and sensibilities.

But maybe if I was born in Slovenia, none of it would. If we can reincarnate, maybe that’s what I’ll do. I’ll return, as Miha ManÅ¡iÄ?, and find out how different things really are…

Oops, they did it again. [via]

Folks, is it really so hard? I mean, I have to pause too sometimes and think about which country is Latvia and which one is Lithuania, or which one is Kyrgyzstan and how to spell it. But… if I had to prepare a map for a newspaper, I think I would find the five seconds necessary to just google it and make sure. Doing an image search for "Slovakia map" takes 0.15 seconds and gives you everything you need to know, including the important fact that it’s not Slovenia.

Of course, it could be a clever photoshop. Then again, stranger mistakes have been made recently.

(Thanks to fellow Slovenian blogger Lemuel and his wonderful This Blog will be Deleted by Tomorrow!)

UPDATE: The Slovak Spectator is confirming that the map appeared in USA Today: US confusion over Slovakia. And, to add to the chaos, The Daily Czech notes that the White House has mistakenly listed Slovakia’s President Ivan Gasparovic as Czech President Vaclav Klaus, here.

UPDATE 2: USA Today has printed a correction.

This electrical worker escapes the jolt of a lifetime. Click to watch.

This video (4 MB) shows an Elektro Celje worker having a close encounter of the electric kind.

(Thanks Miran!)

Prevedi.slowwwenia.com does instant Slovene-English translations. Click to try.

I have this reoccurring nightmare that I’ll eventually master
Slovene (say, in 50 years) and that the very next day I’ll turn on the
television and see this:

Anchorman: Well, a stunning development today with huge
implications. Researchers from MIT have developed a device that
instantly and perfectly translates all languages in real time. The machine is small,
fits over one ear, and comes bundled with 4000 languages. One of the people behind this revolutionary new device is
with us in the studio today. Thank you for coming in, professor.

Professor: Thanks for having me, Jim.

Anchorman: What are the implications of your invention?

Professor: Well, there are many implications. First, it means
that people don’t have to learn languages anymore. This device will make
everyone able to speak and understand any language fluently and without any problems.

Anchorman: So, what about all our viewers out there who spent hours and hours
and hours of their lives studying and memorizing how to conjugate verb
and noun forms? Would you say that these people have wasted their time?

Professor: Oh, absolutely. I mean, think of all the wonderful
things they could have been doing instead of grammar exercises: taking hot baths, going to rave concerts, experimenting with drugs. The possibilities are limitless.

Anchorman: What would you say to these foolish people, who so foolishly made fools of themselves for all these years? Should they just go ahead and kill themselves?

Professor: Oh, absolutely, Jim.

* * *

It’s a scary scenario. The only thing that gives me comfort is that, so far, the effort isn’t going too well. This page translates small blocks of text from Slovene into English or from English into Slovene. But like Babel Fish, the results are convoluted at best and incomprehensible at worst. Take for example this quote by Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek: (You can listen to him say it here.) (MP3 via Lair105)

"ImaÅ¡ nekega zamorÄ?ka v Afriki, mu daÅ¡ pet dolarjev na mesec in potem dobiÅ¡ enkrat na leto sliko, kako te ima rad. Jasno je, zakaj plaÄ?ujeÅ¡. PlaÄ?ujeÅ¡ ne zato, da bi bilo njemu boljÅ¡e, ampak zato, da ostane - tam."

The proper translation would be something like:

"You have a certain black person in Africa, to whom you donate five dollars a month and who once a year sends you a picture to show you how much he loves you. It’s clear why you’re paying. You’re not paying because you want him to do better, but because you want him to stay — there."

Here’s the machine’s attempt:

"Have a certain zamorÄ?ka in Africa, him come on five dollars on month and after get at last per year picture, how you like. He is eating Jasna, why do you pay. Pay no that is why, that he would be better, but it stays - there." (emphasis mine)

What makes it funny is that it misinterpreted je jasno ("it’s clear") as je Jasno ("eating Jasna" — Jasna being a female name). Of course, that’s the problem with these translators. They can only translate literally without any feeling for content.

The same problem happens in reverse. For example, the English sentence:

"My favorite bands are Smashing Pumpkins, Johnny Cash, and Nine Inch Nails."

Becomes:

"Moji priljubljeni traki so Smashing BuÄ?e, Johnny Gotovinski, in Devet Inch Žeblji."

Maybe I have nothing to worry about after all…

The Postojna Hospital needs your love.

The maternity and gynecological hospital in Postojna (a town famous for its caves) is raising money to buy a new 3D ultrasound machine. They’re calling their charity drive Otroci so popki sveta, which means "Children are the belly buttons of the world." (It only sounds strange in English.)

The machine will be a great help to future parents and to sick women. It also produces kick-ass footage of babies in utero, as you can see for yourself in this short film.

If you’re a Mobitel or Si.mobil user, you can donate 230 SIT (about one euro) to the Postojna Hospital by sending an SMS to the number 1919 with the word "popek" in it. You can also help by speading the word via e-mail, blog, or by standing on a street corner screaming your head off. (Results may vary)

There’s more info about the charity drive here. (In Slovene only)

Section 22, oil on linen (2004) by Peter Å trovs.

There are a few contemporary Slovenian painters whose work I enjoy. One of them is Viktor Šest, whose comic-melancholic paintings always tickle my cherries. Another is the morbid, crow-obsessed (and, unfortunately, recently deceased) Jože Tisnikar. A little while back, I stumbled onto Peter Štrovs and am happy to say I would unhesitatingly include him in my personal pantheon.

He has a number of great works online, including some figures in oil, a sheep on canvas series, a collection of tributes to the human body, painted windows, and big serious paintings. They’re worth inspecting. He’s clearly refining and expanding his style as time goes on, and I’m quite curious to see where it will take him.

Peter has also started blogging over at oslikarstvuinÅ¡eÄ?em ("aboutpaintingandthensome") but it’s in Slovene only. His homepage (official language: "Arafat English") is here.

Nothing refreshes like ice-cold Peachka.

Peach Vodka (or "Peachka") would be greeted with laughs and embarrassed smiles if it were sold in Slovenia, where the homonym piÄ?ka is a popular curse word imported from the Serbo-Croatian.

I first assumed that the bottle shown above wasn’t real, but this girl talks about trying some Peachka (apparently it’s bottled in New Jersey) on the recommendation of her sister, who had been lapping it up in France with great enthusiasm. (These lines write themselves!)

Her best comment: "Perhaps the disadvantaged of my little town sit around on the street corners at night nursing Peachka."

For a bit more info, see: Peachka Vodka at ivodka.com

(Thanks Mlaq Attaq!)

One way to prove the intellectual and moral superiority of your race is to stomp on the heads of people from other races.

Stormfront was founded in 1995 by former KKK Grand Wizard Don Black and calls itself a "white nationalist community." ("Bunch of angry Nazis online" didn’t have such a nice ring to it, even though it’s probably a more accurate description.)

Their online forum deals with such pressing issues as: "Are Jews Hot or Not?", "Is intelligence determined by melanin?" and, of course: "What conclusions should we draw from the fact that Adolf Hitler, upon hearing that the war was lost, said that "it will be better to destroy ourselves" because Aryans will have shown themselves to be "the weaker ones and the future will belong to the stronger eastern nations."¹

The implications of that last question are certainly interesting, but not the focus of this post. That dubious privilege belongs to this discussion, wherein a member asks:

I was just wondering if any of you think that sometime in the future Serbia, Bosnia, and Crotia, might unite again to form a new yugoslavia. Personally I think they should because times didn’t appear to be as hard back when they were together. But then again I don’t live their, that’s why I asked you guys. Any information or opinions are appreciated

If you like little flame wars, this one’s for you. A Slovenian member (SLO-pride)gets into a brief scuffle with members bearing such charming names as WhiteWarlord and Dr Josef Mengele. The fact that this small group of like-minded people can´t even make it through the discussion without insulting each other pretty much answers the question.

However, the most baffling comment by far is this:

the way i look at it is that the people of slovenia probably have very little control in what their jewish bought govt. does. this is why they got help from the u.s. and possibly why they were quicker to get healthy economically. but are they really healthy economically? what about all the jewish investment that went into slovenia? i’m not sure that is so healthy. see my point?

Wait. Huh? Is there a point? What’s going on? Everytime I try to figure this one out, my head starts to hurt a bit and I have to go lie down for a while.

If you’re also a glutton for punishment, or just want to see the whole argument unfold, you can read it here.

————————-

1) The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William L. Shirer, 1960, Simon & Schuster, page 1104. Hitler was speaking to his armaments minister Albert Speer. Hitler also added: "Those who will remain after the battle are only the inferior ones, for the good ones have been killed." (ibid)

Carniola’s server (above) almost never makes mistakes.

I’ve been out of the country for the past few days and set the site to self-publish every morning while I was gone. Apparently something went wrong for today. I think it can only be attributable to human error.

I know I’ve made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you
my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I’ve still
got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission.

In the meantime, I’ll try to figure out what went wrong. Regular posts will resume shortly.