Tag: language

What good are forms?

girlinkarate:

ima-imho:

This is a pretty touchy and divisive subject in the martial arts world at large. Some people hold exemplary execution of a form or routine as indication of reaching a certain level in a style. Some people think of them as an important traditional artifact, important to preserve to maintain the style’s cultural roots.

And some people think they’re fucking useless. Not just people outside of Traditional martial arts, either; there are well-respected martial artists who feel that forms training is inefficient and mostly serves to hold these arts back, as opposed to drills and more intense conditioning.

The way I learned it, forms are well understood if you look at learning a martial art much like learning a language. As I heard it said once,

Forms are poetry; fighting is conversation.

Poems arrange words into highly intentional fixed sets, for the purpose of using their meanings and context to express a larger idea; in the same way, forms chain individual techniques together to show the larger strategy and spirit of an art.

Few would find it reasonable to ask someone learning poetry if they’d be able to use the verses in conversation; in any given situation only a small section at a time might be applicable. At the same time, few would advocate learning a language solely by looking at poetry; other practice, learning individual words, sentence structure, and conversation exercises are needed.

But those poems can give you a better understanding of the language and its nuances, and expand your view of the ways it can be used.

That may be my new favorite quote: “Forms are poetry; fighting is conversation” ♥♥♥♥

sailorzeo:

invisible-goats:

A lot of English swear words have Germanic roots, whereas the technical equivalents tend to have latinate roots such as Latin or Old French.

I therefore propose that the reason these words are rude is because they were used by common people rather than scholars or the nobility (who during much of the medieval period would have spoken French as their first, or at least most common, language), so they were considered vulgar and not to be used in polite (i.e. with scholars and nobility) conversation.

In other words, the taboo on many words comes from medieval classism so you should say whatever the fucking shit you want

This was exactly what one of my history professors taught.

theotherguysride:

sapphiredoves:

If I mispronounce your name because it is foreign to my tongue, correct me.

I don’t purposefully allow the accents of your name to fall flat on my tongue like the European English demands or the language to sound chopped and misheard.

If I don’t say your name correctly, don’t shrug and say it’s ok because people have been doing it all your life. Your mother worked hard to name you that name, with all its syllables and apostrophes and hyphens and inflection.

I don’t want to disrespect your heritage, your culture, your great grandmother or grandfather and their struggle.

If I mispronounce your name, forgive me, but don’t let it happen again. Make sure everyone knows your name.

Names are important. A name defines you in a crowd. It is what you hear across a noisy room. A name is something that you can give to other people to mean ‘this is how I am adressed’. It’s important to get them right. 

Please, tell me how to say your name, so that I can speak to /you/.

geeko-kat:

neuroatypically-speaking:

cultural-temmieism:

moody-poet:

cultural-temmieism:

New rule, non muslims can’t say the word jihad. Until you stop conflating a word that means personal struggle with faith and temptation with terrorism youre just not allowed to say it.

I’m not a Muslim but I just thought I would reblog this because I think it’s definitely worth listening to.

It’s totally okay for non muslims to reblog this, and i encourage it. Im just glad you’re listening.

Oh god, finally someone said it. Every time I see words like “jihadist” I want to scream, but I’m not Muslim, so I wasn’t sure I should say anything. 

Jihad means struggle. It doesn’t mean holy war or anything like it. In fact, there is no word in Islam for holy war, because the nature of Islam does not leave room for holy war. Islam has a juridical system, not a Pope who can just say “Go wage holy war.” Conflating the personal nature of jihad with violence is so very gross and it needs to stop. Period.

Actually, there’s another word non-muslims in the media shouldn’t use:

Allahu Akbar. It’s not a statement of terrorism. It means “god is great”. It’s something we say to praise our lord. It’s what we say when we pray. It’s not a statement of terrorism. Allahu Akbar doesn’t mean terrorism stop using it as one

spinningyarns:

madmaudlingoes:

assassinregrets:

im just

the cherokee language has a verb tense that specifically notes the exclusion of a person in the conversation

so there’s i’m going, you’re going, we’re going, and we’re going (but not you) 

i love it

This is called “clusivity” and it’s found a bunch of languages, including Chechen, Vietnamese, Samoan, and Quechua.

Some languages just side-eye harder than others.

imaginal:

look man im a native english speaker and i’ve been mispronouncing a crap ton of words because i never looked up the pronunciation for any of them but if you make fun of how a foreigner pronounces an english word either because of their accent or having never heard that word before i will fucking fight you because english has shitty pronunciation rules and none of them make sense fuck off

naamahdarling:

cr33p3r515:

greeneyesthatlie:

naamahdarling:

naamahdarling:

prokopetz:

prokopetz:

If you’re unsure how to pet a cat (i.e., maybe you didn’t have cats around growing up), it can be helpful to bear in mind that petting is a grooming activity. Grooming each other is how cats bond. Of course, each cat will have individual preferences, but the fact that it’s a grooming thing gives you two basic places to start:

  • Scratch areas that the cat has difficulty reaching, like the chin and upper throat, behind the ears, or the the very top of the head. (Watch the body language here – you’ll know if you pick the wrong spot right away.)
  • Work your fingers deeply into areas of thick fur where tangles are likely to form, like around the shoulderblades or the ruff of the neck. (You may come away with a handful of loose fur; this means you’re doing it right.)

Also, if you’re unsure of how to approach, try extending your hand with the palm up and the fingers relaxed for the cat to sniff. It’s the cat equivalent of a handshake – cats sniff each other to see where they’ve been, and for humans, it’s the hands that carry our scent history, since we touch everything constantly.

It’s kind of amazing watching all the folks who didn’t know that petting is a grooming behaviour come to the realisation that cats lick you because they want to pet you back.

Another thing you can do with skittish cats is offer your *closed fist*.

A cat that is shy of an open hand that can grab may approach a closed hand that they don’t perceive as trying to grab them. (Needless to say, don’t actually grab them, please.)

They bonk against your hands (and your head, if they are at head level) the same way they bonk against one another’s heads. It’s a friendly greeting that often ends in friendly cats turning and licking each others shoulders, necks, and ears a few times.

They scent mark by rubbing their faces on things. Their cheek glands produce a pleasant-smelling (to them, we can’t smell it) pheromone that projects friendship and reassurance. When they scent mark you like this, it is a friendly gesture.

So with this in mind, try letting the cat bump your fist, then gently rub the fist past the side of their face as they rub their face against your fist. Think of your fist like a cat’s head, and you are scent marking them back. You are sharing a friendly gesture.

A worried cat may warm up after a few passes of this, and you may be able to pet the neck and back of the head. The under-chin/throat area can be a little dicey. They don’t casually kiss each other there.very often and it can make them feel vulnerable.

Rolling over to show the tummy does not always mean the same thing it means for dogs. Unless you know the cat, be very careful touching the tummy. It might not be an invitation. It might be a readiness posture.

Digression: cats don’t show submission by rolling. Rolling is a defensive maneuver that prepares them for possible combat with other cats by putting their most powerful weapons – their teeth and back claws – into play simultaneously. They fight other cats by hugging with the front legs, biting anything they can reach, and kicking with the incredibly strong hind legs. It is an advantageous position for fighting/play fighting, lets them see all around them AND above, where humans usually approach them from, and it keeps them from getting pinned on their bellies, unable to retaliate. If they need to, they can flip and run away easily because cats are FAST.

So yeah, some cats love tummy stuff. Some hate it and just want you to admire from afar. A gentle hand placed on their tummy should tell you whether they want actual pets there or not. If they stretch or open up their body language, that’s good. If they tense or “sit up” to look at your hand, that’s not good. Stop petting and go back to the head.

Obviously if they grab your hand and rabbit-kick and bite, then you should not pet them there.

Some cats have a hair trigger. Sorry about that.

You can also pet them without moving your hand, just hold it out and let them rub against it. This will give you a good idea of where they like to be touched and how hard and for how long.

Very shy cats, once they realize you are willing to pet them without grabbing, may really come to enjoy approaching you.

We have a cat like this. If you let him see you respect him by not over-petting, he will rub against your hands and legs for a long time.

The moral is that cats are not inconsistent jerks, it’s just that we misinterpret their body language.

It’s also that we do not respect their boundaries when they present them, because we, as humans, want to be allowed to pet all soft things, and, somewhat spoiled by dogs, who love it nearly unconditionally, we unreasonably expect it of cats, a very very different animal.

If you want a cat to come back for more, don’t push yourself on them. They will remember you are a Cool Human and will come back for more.

(Also, speak softly.  Cats usually really hate loud people.)

HELPFUL

I have had 3 cats for an excess of 5 years, and I feel ashamed to say I knew almost none of it ;-;

Do not feel bad, friend!  I, an Old Person, did not know most of this until the last handful of years!  And I have had cats since I was an infant.

The information about the belly, particularly, was only explained to me a few months ago.  I knew they had this behavior, but did not know WHY.  Now that I know, A LOT of cat behavior makes a lot more sense.  And if you love the fact that cats are murdering little carnivores like I do, it’s actually COOL.

I have since done research for a writing project that led me to look up some videos featuring wild mountain lions and jaguars fighting with (not just hunting, but actual fighting) other animals.  (Don’t do this if you are even slightly squeamish.  It’s potentially really upsetting.)

Especially with animals half their size you’d think they’d just jump on and and hold them down.  No.  Discounting a couple of beautiful Ezio Auditore insta-kills that happened in mere seconds, they grabbed and rolled every single time.

Grisly but it seems to prove the theory as it was explained to me.  It’s an ingrained, instinctive response, and it is a combat response, not a hunting one.

When you pet a cat and it hugs your arm and kicks and bites, playfully I hope, that is what they are doing.  It’s play combat.  Or, if you push your luck, actual combat.

I’ve had a berserk-angry cat full-on latch onto my arm and attack me with its back legs, holding on tight enough that I was able to lift it up off the ground to shoulder-height while it ripped at me with its back claws (it was upside down and still using its hind legs – cats have incredible core muscles).  Even a housecat can be a terrifying opponent.  Do not mess with an angry cat.  If I hadn’t been wearing a VERY thick leather jacket and it hadn’t gotten me behind the wrist, I would have wound up in the emergency room getting stitches and antibiotics out the wazoo.

I love cats, I love them more than anything, but I don’t fuck with ‘em.

punsbulletsandpointythings:

thebisexualmandalorian:

pattroughton:

“I don’t care how genetically superior you are,” [Etain] said loudly. “Go to bed like good boys.”

Mereel laughed. Ordo just looked uncomfortable. “Yes, Buir,” Mereel said. It was the same word for “mother” or “father.” Mando’a didn’t bother with gender. “We’ll brush our teeth, too.”

—Republic Commando: True Colors by Karen Traviss

!!!!!

(But this also means every single Mandalorian couple with children is going to end up with that same sex parents problem of “okay, if I’m buir, and you’re buir, which one does the kid want now?”)

The fact that Mando’a is inherently a gender-neutral language makes me happy on a daily basis.

Think about it tho

it’s the same with ‘vod’ – brother, sister, sibling.

There are prefixes to indicate specific gender, but generally you just use the neutral form.

Basically, what I’m trying to get at here is non-binary and trans clones in the GAR, and all the clones very actively using only the neutral forms of words like vod, on the one hand to avoid misgendering a sibling, but also to protect them from the Kaminoans, who I can’t imagine would have been all to accepting, and also from their Jedi, should they turn out to be a transphobic douche-canoe.