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Rpsh Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary
half-bear
He was another convict for life, who had come from the galleys, and was dressed in red, like Chenildieu, was a peasant from Lourdes, and a half-bear of the Pyrenees.
First up, could you tell me the meaning of 'galleys' here? I was so curious about the translation of this word which means 'prison' unexpectedly in Chinese. Is it a derivative concept which stemmed from ' • historical A low, flat ship with one or more sails and up to three banks of oars, chiefly used for warfare or piracy and often manned by slaves or criminals.'
It seems to be making sense almost, but I still feel weird. May it be a idiomatic parlance?
Secondly, could you tell me if there is any allusion in this sentence? Because the literal meaning of this sentence remind me the story of Atlas who was punished by Zeus to bear the firmament in Greek's mythology.
First up, could you tell me the meaning of 'galleys' here? I was so curious about the translation of this word which means 'prison' unexpectedly in Chinese. Is it a derivative concept which stemmed from ' • historical A low, flat ship with one or more sails and up to three banks of oars, chiefly used for warfare or piracy and often manned by slaves or criminals.'
It seems to be making sense almost, but I still feel weird. May it be a idiomatic parlance?
Secondly, could you tell me if there is any allusion in this sentence? Because the literal meaning of this sentence remind me the story of Atlas who was punished by Zeus to bear the firmament in Greek's mythology.
Top answer
The word corresponding to "galleys" in the original French is "bagne". org/wiki/Bagne_of_Toulon , the prison was originally created to house galley-slaves -- slaves who rowed the old ships called "galleys". It seems that the word "the galleys" is used in reference to this association.
- The word corresponding to "galleys" in the original French is "bagne".
- org/wiki/Bagne_of_Toulon , the prison was originally created to house galley-slaves -- slaves who rowed the old ships called "galleys".
- It seems that the word "the galleys" is used in reference to this association.
- The reason for the word "galleys" would not be obvious to modern English readers without that historical knowledge.
- "half-bear" in the original is "demi-ours", which literally means half-bear in the sense of the animal.
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10 Answers
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The word corresponding to "galleys" in the original French is "bagne". According to the article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagne_of_Toulon , the prison was originally created to house galley-slaves -- slaves who rowed the old ships called "galleys". It seems that the word "the galleys" is used in referen
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Excuse me, sir. You have answered a lot of my questions on this website. So I think you are a kindhearted man who maybe is passionate about English education. Have you ever heard the name Stephen D. Krashen? He's a famous American linguist and educator. Alternatively, do you know any articles or books about ESL?
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rpshExcuse me, sir. You have answered a lot of my questions on this website. So I think you are a kindhearted man who maybe is passionate about English education. Have you ever heard the name Stephen D. Krashen? He's a famous American linguist and educator. Alternatively, do you know any articles or books about ESL?Unfortunately I don't know a great deal abou
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OK, thank you all the same.
By the way, sir, do you think that my expression is too verbose? Or is it just OK? Please give me some grammatical suggestions?
By the way, sir, do you think that my expression is too verbose? Or is it just OK? Please give me some grammatical suggestions?
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OK, thank you all the same.By the way, sir, do you think that my expression is too verbose? Or is it just OK? Please give me some grammatical suggestions?
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rpshBy the way, sir, do you think that my expression is too verbose?You mean in your last message? No, not too verbose. The English in your last message is almost all good and natural. The only comments I would make are that "Sir" is too formal for this context, and the words "kindhearted man" and "passionate" are arguably slightly inappropriate (too emotiona
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Eh....Actually, I read a article titled 'ten words the foreigners never say'. One of them is 'teacher'. It's said that you should use 'sir' to substitute of 'teacher' when you are talking with your tutor. So I think it maybe a polite way to call a superior in a English situation...
You are right. And the only way to solve the cultural problem, I think, is reading more and more. I'll keep
You are right. And the only way to solve the cultural problem, I think, is reading more and more. I'll keep
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rpshSo I think it maybe a polite way to call a superior in a English situation...Well, I don't consider myself "superior" to you. I might have a better knowledge of English, simply because it's my native language, but in plenty of other subjects, including the subect of your own language, you would be much superior to me!
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