Friday, September 05, 2008

Same In Any Language


I learned something new today. You know how people tell you to say "cheese" when they're taking your picture? In Brazil they tell you to say "cheesy." At least my husband's Brazilian relatives say "cheesy." We asked them if there was a Portuguese language equivalent to "cheese," but they insisted that it was "cheesy." His uncle and second cousin are here for a few weeks from Rio de Janiero, Brazil. I actually witnessed my husband speaking Portuguese. It's amazing how quickly the language came back to him, sort of like riding a bicycle. You never really forget.

Yesterday's song:
Good Morning - Kanye West

PEACE

4 comments:

Michelle said...

Hmmm...I'm suspicious :) Somehow Cheese in Portuguese just can't be Cheesy. But it's cute :) Thanks for all your support as I enter my new family building world.

Anne said...

Would be curious how that expression got started. "Say cheese" sounds kinda funny when you think about it, especially if you consider we don't normally smile while saying that word.

Irene said...

Michelle,
They pronounce most all the letters in a word, with a few exceptions, so they're saying the e at the end of cheese. It's somewhat funny but in a charming sort of way. You should hear my mother in law say "Wednesday."

Anne,
Your pop/soda post got me thinking about certain words. There's probably a Historian somewhere who knows the reason why we say "cheese." Perhaps it's the shape the mouth makes when saying cheese? I dunno... Food for thought!

barbie2be said...

that is so true. when i went to italy a few years ago, i hadn't spoken german since 1984. i flew on lufthansa air and by the time we got to frankfurt i was spreckenzing deutsch with all the flight attendants. not to mention speaking italian. :)