Darimana datangnya "OK" ?

How did the term "OK" originate, and do other languages have an equivalent?
Opie


Dear Opie:
According to IdiomSite, a cheery collection of common phrases explained, the origins of "OK" remain a mystery. Strange considering it's a relatively new phrase, only coming into popularity in the mid-1800s.
While no one's sure of the origin of "OK," there are a handful of popular explanations. President Martin Van Buren ran for re-election in 1840 on the "OK" slogan, as his nickname was "Old Kinderhook." Unfortunately, his supporters, the "OK Club," failed to get their man back in the White House.

OK
Became popular in the mid 1800's but the origin is unknown. The oldest written references to 'OK' result from its adoption as a slogan by the Democratic party during the 1840 American Presidential election. Their candidate, President Martin Van Buren had the nickname 'Old Kinderhook', and his supporters formed the 'OK Club' (he lost the election though).
Another possible origin for "OK" is that during the late 1830s, humorous misspellings were a fad, and one of them was
"Orl Korrekt" (OK - All Corrrect).


While Van Buren certainly popularized the phrase, he probably didn't come up with it. The Straight Dope claims the letters come from the phrase "Oll Korrect." The phrase comes from a curious fad for "comical abbreviations" that swept the country in the 1830s and 1840s.

The estimable Oxford Dictionary concurs, while also noting that the term has several foreign equivalents: the Scots "och aye," the Greek "ola kala," the Choctaw Indian "Oke." Word Origins adds that "OK" is the most successful American phrase ever, having spread across the globe by the early 20th century.

- Ask yahoo -

I.E. vs. E.G.

Author: Barb Alexander
Published on: November 17, 2000


In an attempt to sound more formal, writers tend to use i.e. or e.g. when giving examples. Although these Latin abbreviations can sound a bit lofty, it is still perfectly fine to use them, as long as you are using the correct one. There is a difference between them; they cannot be used interchangeably.

1. e.g. stands for the Latin "exempli gratia," (that's "for example" to you and me).
It is followed by one or more examples. Perhaps a better way to remember this one is to think of these letters standing for "example given." Just keep in mind that using "e.g." does not indicate that the list given is a complete one.

a. We'll be happy to have you join us for a Thanksgiving feast, e.g., barbequed turkey, cranberry sauce, wilted Spinach salad.

b. The family has lots of groovy activities planned for our post-meal time. E.g., touch football, television viewing, and power napping are always popular activities for a Thanksgiving night at the Smith residence.

2.. i.e. stands for the Latin "id est," which means "that is." It is followed by an explanation.
Not sure if you should use "i.e."? Replace it with "in other words" and see if your sentence retains the original meaning. If it does, "i.e." is the abbreviation for you, in that case.

a. That great American holiday, i.e., Thanksgiving, is almost upon us.

b. Enjoy your roast turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and homemade gravy on November 23rd, i.e., Thanksgiving.



With either one, remember to
a. Use a period after each letter. They are abbreviations.
b. Either abbreviation can be used to begin a sentence; remember to follow with a comma.
c. Either abbreviation can be used in a parenthetical statement; again, remember to follow with a comma.
d. If using within the sentence, and not at the beginning or in parentheses, always precede and follow with a comma.

In a casual setting of course, you can just say "for example" and "that is."

ASSASSIN, HAZARD, MALARIA, QUARANTINE

Assassin
n. Murderer, generally somewhat professional; esp. one who murders a prominent figure.
During the time of the Crusades the members of a certain secret Muslim sect engaged people to terrorise their Christian enemies by performing murders as a religious duty. These acts were carried out under the influence of hashish, and so the killers became known as hashshashin, meaning eaters or smokers of hashish. Hashshashin evolved into the word assassin.


Hazard
n. Danger; vb. To risk or expose to danger.
This term evolved from the Arabic al zahr, which means the dice. In Western Europe the term came to be associated with a number of games using dice, which were learned during the Crusades whilst in the Holy Land. The term eventually took on the connotation of danger because, from very early on, games using dice were associated with the risky business of gambling and con artists using corrupted dice.


Malaria
n. Infectious disease characterised by chills and fever and caused by the bite of an infected anopheles mosquito.
This word comes from the mediaeval Italian mal (=bad) and aria (=air), describing the miasma from the swamps around Rome. This 'bad air' was believed to be the cause of the fever that often developed in those who spent time around the swamps. In fact the illness, now known as malaria, was due to certain protozoans present in the mosquitos that bred around these swamps, and which caused recurring feverish symptoms in those they bit.


Quarantine
n. Any forced stoppage of travel or communication on account of malignant, contagious disease, on land or by sea.
From the French quarante (=forty). Adding the suffix -aine to French numbers gives a degree of roughness to the figure (like -ish in English), so quarantaine means about forty. Originally when a ship arriving in port was suspected of being infected with a malignant, contagious disease, its cargo and crew were obliged to forego all contact with the shore for a period of around forty days. This term came to be known as period of quarantine.

(fun-with-words)

Naming customs in Africa

It is not known when humans first began using names though the practice is certainly very old, probably extending far into prehistory. Although all cultures use names, naming customs vary greatly from people to people. In some cases they are very simple, such as those of many Indonesians who use just a single name. On the other hand, traditional Chinese naming practices were very complex. Chinese males were given different names at various points in their lives, in addition to a surname and sometimes a generation name.

Names serve several purposes. Most importantly they help distinguish us from one another. Imagine how difficult it would be to refer to people if we did not use names. Instead of saying Bob one would have to say something like the short red-headed man who lives down the street. Some names carry information about our roots, such as family or clan names. They are generally inherited. Names can serve other purposes as well, such as the Chinese generation name which identifies the generation of the bearer, or the names used by some African cultures which describe the order in which siblings were born.
Given names, what westerners call first names, are generally bestowed at some point after the birth of the child. This website looks at the etymology (i.e. the linguistic origin, or meaning) and history of all types of given names.

Africa is home to several language families and hundreds of languages. The people can be divided into over a thousand different ethnic groups. Some practice various tribal religions, others Islam or Christianity. This complex background makes summing up African naming traditions in a few paragraphs very difficult.

Traditional African names often reflect the circumstances at the time of birth. Names such as Mwanajuma "Friday", Esi "Sunday", Khamisi "Thursday", and Wekesa "harvest time" refer to the time or day when the child was born. Other names reflect the birth order of the newborn, for example Mosi "first born", Kunto "third born", Nsonowa "seventh born", and Wasswa "first of twins". Some names describe the parents' reaction to the birth (such as Kayode, Gwandoya, Abeni and Monifa) and still others are descriptive of the newborn or of desired characteristics (like Yejide, Dada, Chiumbo and Zuberi). Vocabulary words are also often used as given names. For example: Sefu "sword" and Tau "lion" (masculine) and Marjani "coral" and Ife "love" (feminine).

Most people in the north of Africa are Muslim and thus tend to use Arabic names. In central and southern Africa, as a result of European colonization, many nations are partially Christian and have French, English or Portuguese as an official language. These regions use European names extensively.

Improve Your Language Skill

Bahasa adalah modal utama dan paling berharga bagi manusia.
Berbeda dengan binatang, manusia mempunyai kemampuan mengadakan
komunikasi dan ekspresi lebih dari makhluk-makhluk lainnya, yang
bahasanya, (kalau mereka itu mempunyai sesuatu sistim komunikasi yang
dapat disebut bahasa) sangat terbatas dan monotonus atau membosankan
kedengarannya. Ini merupakan persembahan saya bagaikan seketul roti
yang kecil kepada saudara-saudara, saderek, dan sarebatang semuanya di
tanah air dan merupakan ucapan terima kasih saya untuk kesempatan
mempelajari ilmu bahasa dan diberikan karunia bahasa oleh Tuhan yang
adalah sumbernya bahasa-bahasa, sebelum saya menjadi pikun.

Saya sering diejek oleh almarhum ayah saya dan saudara-saudara
kandung saya karena tidak dapat berbahasa roh, atau karunia lidah. Tapi
saya bersyukur walaupun tidak dapat atau tidak berminat berbahasa roh,
tapi Tuhan mengaruniakan saya karunia berbicara dalam berbagai bahasa
manusia.

Statistik menunjukkan bahwa orang-orang yang berhasil didunia ini
dan pemimpin-pemimpin yang menonjol dalam karir mereka hampir semuanya
mempunyai perbendaharaan kata-kata yang besar dan kemampuan berbicara
yang tinggi. Jadi kalau anda ingin maju dan berhasil didunia,
usahakanlah memperbesar perbendaharaan kata-kata anda, dan belajar
menyusun kata-kata dengan baik. Semoga pelajaran-pelajaran yang
sederhana ini boleh bermanfaat memperbaiki cara berkomunikasi anda dan
sukses anda dalam hidup. Sammy Wiriadinata Lee



I. Menghindari Kesalahan-kesalahan Penggunaan Kata-kata
Bahasa Inggris

Dalam bagian ini saya akan berikan sepuluh kata setiap kalinya dengan
contoh penggunaan yang tepat.

1. all right/alright Kedua kata ini bisa digunakan, sama artinya. Tapi
sebenarnya, dan seharusnya adalah "all right", tapi berhubung karena
sudah terpengaruh oleh American English, walaupun mengesalkan bagi
pemilik bahasa itu dari sononya, yaitu orang Inggris, tapi karena sudah
banyak orang yang menggunakannya, maka terpaksa kedua-duianya diakui
benar. Tapi kadang-kadang kalau dalam ujian, dan guru bahasa Inggrisnya
dipengaruhi oleh British system, maka anda bisa dipersalahkan kalau
menggunakan "alright"

2. amount/number - "Amount" digunakan untuk jumlah yang tidak bisa
dihitung seperti uang, "He is carrying a large amount of money in his
wallet." "Number" digunakan untuk yang bisa dihitung. "There is a
great number of students gathering in front of the Presidential Palace
for a peaceful demonstration."

3. beside/besides - "beside" artinya disamping atau disebelah. "I
stood beside her at the bus stop." "Besides" artinya selain itu.
"Besides water, we carried some biscuits."

4. between/among - "between" digunakan untuk dua orang atau benda.
"There is a beggar standing between his car and mine." "Among"
digunakan untuk lebih dari dua.

"The teacher distributed the gifts among the students in his class."

5. comprise "Comprise" tidak boleh diikuti kata "of". Seven states
comprise the Commonwealth of Australia. "The choir comprises the senior
class students"

6. farther/further - "Farther" digunakan untuk menyatakan jarak. "I
can swim farther than you." Sedangkan "further" berarti sebagai
ketambahan. "I have nothing further to say."

7. it's/its - "It's" adalah singkatan dari "it is". I believe it's
going to rain soon." "Its" adalah menyatakan kepunyaan. Perhatikan
bahwa tidak ada apostrophe, atau coma diantaranya: "The dog showed his
fangs in anger."

8. past/passed -"Past" digunakan untuk kata benda, kata sifat, kata
depan atau kata keterangan. "My grandfather lives in the past." "In
past years very few people owned computers." "The taxi went past the
hotel." "The swarm of locusts went past our farm."

Sedangkan "passed" hanya digunakan sebagai kata kerja. "I passed her in
the corridor."

9. reason -- "Reason" harus diikuti "that" dan bukan "because." "The
reason for his anger was that he felt insulted." Bukan "The reason for
his anger was because he felt insulted." Dalam bahasa Indonesia juga
kita sering kali mendengar orang berkata,

"Alasannya adalah sebab dia merasa tersinggung." Alasan dan sebab,
adalah sama artinya, jadi tidak perlu diulangi. Cukup kita mengatakan
"Alasannya adalah dia merasa tersinggung."

10, this kind. Untuk tunggal, kita pakai "this kind" dan untuk jamak
kita pakai "these kinds". "I only eat this kind of chocolate." "These
kinds of animals live in Australia." "Those kinds of fruits are only
found in Indonesia."

Dave.Sampouw@Newmont.com

Where do the word 'NEWS' come from

News is News! That s it.

but is it true?:
Word N is come from North and North means a heading of earth?
then E stands for East where the Sun rises every morning and will set to
W= West, how about S then?? It must be stand for South, that meant NEWS is
come from all direction, thats why. ehmmm??


samparth@garuda-indonesia.com

Confusing English

English is often called an international language. But the way it is
used varies greatly around the world.

What is familiar and obvious in one cultural context may be strange and
confusing in another, even where both use nominally the "same" language.
This exercise is intended to help trainee website content authors
appreciate that local cultural and other assumptions affect the way that
their text is received.

Study each of the following items and identify which parts may cause
communication difficulties in an international/intercultural setting.
Discuss how differences may affect the usability of your website and
suggest alternative wording. There are often several aspects to consider
- not just just a single right/wrong answer.


1. The boxing champion weighed in at 13 stones 7 lbs
Comment: Stones, lbs (pounds) and oz. (ounces) are non-metric weights
sometimes still used in Britain. In the US, human body weight is
expressed in lbs (pounds).

2. The table is 6' 6" long and 3ft 3in. wide
Comment: The use of foot, feet (ft) and inches (in) is still common in
Britain even though it started changing over to the metric system more
than 30 years ago. British consumers are becoming increasingly familiar
with metric units of measurement for example centimetres (cm) and
millimetres (mm). The single apostrophe is often use to mean feet, and
the double apostrophe used to mean inches.

3. Birmingham is about 90 miles from London as the crow flies
Comment: Kilometers are more internationally recognised than miles. This
item also assumes that we are talking about Birmingham, England rather
than say Birmingham, Alabama, in the USA. There is also a place called
London in Texas! The expression 'as the crow flies' is rather
old-fashioned and unnecessarily colloquial.

4. The currency exchange rate is about $1.60 the £
Comment: Many countries besides the United States use the $ as a
currency symbol although the value is very different. The £ symbol can
also mean other currencies besides the British pound sterling.

5. It will cost you $29 to replace that item
Comment: What currency is this? Is it clear from the context whether you
mean US dollars or the currency of another country?

6. This new DVD player will set you back £180 ex.vat
Comment: The colloquial (informal) expression 'will set you back' might
not be internationally understood. The expression 'ex.vat' might be
familiar in the UK but cause difficulties in an international setting.


7. Some states permit right turn on red and some don’t
Comment: In some parts of the world, you are allowed to drive through a
red traffic light if the junction is clear and you don't need to cross
other traffic lanes. For British and other readers that normally drive
on the left and whose laws do not allow any traffic to pass red, this
sentence may be totally mystifying!

8. Road accident statistics indicate that turning right is more
dangerous than turning left
Comment: This assumes that cars drive on the left and hence need to
cross oncoming traffic in order to turn right.


9. He was nabbed for doing 110 on the M6 while under the influence
Comment: This assumes that you are familiar with 'nab' to mean 'caught'
or 'arrested' by the police. Also that you know the M6 is a major
highway, that the 110 means miles per hour. Note that 110km/hour would
be within the legal speed limit for this type of road. The expression
'under the influence' means containing excessive amounts of alcohol in
the blood. Note also that the term 'motorway' is British; in the US you
are more likely to hear 'expressway' or 'freeway'.


10. Please fill in your surname, christian name, dob and postcode
Comment: Most people do not have a 'Christian name' and may find this
usage offensive. The abbreviation 'dob' needs to be clearer. The term
'postcode depends on the local postal system and other English-speaking
countries may have a different term such as ZIP code. Even the concept
of 'surname' is not the same in different countries.


11. The car’s rated fuel consumption is 6,9 L/100km
Comment: Although fuel for cars (petrol (GB), gas (US) and diesel) in
Britain is usually sold by the litre (liter), fuel consumption is still
often expressed in miles per gallon (mpg) i.e. the distance the car is
expected to travel for a given amount of fuel. However, in most of
Europe, fuel consumption is expressed as the amount of fuel required to
cover a certain distance, usually 100 kilometers. As a consequence, more
economical cars have a higher mpg or a lower figure for liters/100km.
Note also that the decimal point is written as a comma in most of Europe
but as a full-stop (US: period) in some countries including the US and
Britain.


12. A brand new Nissan Micra will set you back at least six grand but
you can pick up an S-reg for less than two
Comment: In UK contexts, the expression 'six grand' probably means
£6000. 'S-reg' refers to the age of the vehicle with older vehicles
usually having licence (US: license) plates with an earlier letter of
the alphabet. The expression 'set you back' has several colloquial
meanings; in this context it means 'cost'.


13. Heat 2 oz of butter to 350 degrees (gas mark 4)
Comment: This is probably from a British cookery context. A metric
equivalent for 2 ounces should be provided, and the temperature stated
in degrees Celsius not Fahrenheit.


14. The deadline is 8.30 on 1/12/2003
Comment: This is a very ambiguous expression as it is assumed that
'8.30' is a time but it is not clear if this is in the morning or in the
evening. Many countries use both the 24-hour clock and the 12-hour clock
system depending on the context. The date is also highly ambiguous;
1/12/2003 refers to January 12, 2003 in the USA but to 1 December 2003
in many other countries. Global websites should be quite explicit, and
if necessary add the relevant timezone.


15. His bed and breakfast was only 500 yds from a local shopping centre
Comment: The distance is expressed in non-metric units. The British
spelling of 'centre' would be 'center' in American English but the term
itself, 'shopping centre', might need localising to for example,
'shopping mall'. In this context, the term 'bed and breakfast' probably
refers to inexpensve overnight accommodation provided in a converted
house instead of a hotel.


16. He wanted to build a mansion on a half acre plot but eventually
bought a condo for a knockdown price
Comment: Land area is traditionally expressed in acres in British and
American contexts, whilst in most of Europe, the hectare is the
preferred metric unit (10 hectares is approximately 25 acres). However,
other units are used in many parts of the world, for example in Thailand
(even in English language publications) the size of a plot of land is
usually expressed in square wah. The US term 'condo' is short for
'condominium' and refers to an apartment in a shared-ownership block. In
British English, the term 'flat' is more common but 'apartment' is also
used.


17. Road accident statistics indicate that turning right is more
dangerous than turning left
Comment: This assumes that people drive on the left-hand-side of the
road, as in the UK. For countries that drive on the right, the statement
would need amending to make its meaning clearer.


18. The collision badly damaged his car; he needed a new fender, hood
and windshield. He also bought two new tires and put them in his trunk
Comment: There are major differences between British and North American
names for various parts of cars (automobiles).


19. She aims to leave the country before the end of the tax year so that
the Inland Revenue cannot catch her
Comment: The start and end dates of the tax year vary from country to
country so if it is significant in a particular context, you may be
advised to make it explicit. This is not always easy because in some
countries, the "tax year" is not fixed the same for everyone. For
example, in the US you may be able to opt for different months. There
are many different types of tax so it may be advisable to be explicit
about that too. The expression 'Inland Revenue' is British and in other
parts of the world a different term is likely to be more familiar, e.g.
'IRS' in the USA. It may be preferable to make the meaning of 'the
country' explicit if it is not obvious to readers wherever they live.


20. They went to the Kings Head for a swift half before closing time
Comment: In British contexts, the 'Kings Head' is likely to be a pub or
bar and it is clear that the 'half' refers to a half-pint (about 250ml)
of beer. Traditionally, English pub opening times have been strictly
controlled although this is now more relaxed.


21. Visitors to the restaurant have a delightful range of choice: roast
beef, pork, frogs legs, sheeps' eyes, stewed rat, fried locusts, dogs'
testicles, eggs and caviar
Comment: You should appreciate that 'delightful' food has very different
meanings in different cultures and religions. The cow is a sacred animal
in some religions and the pig, and hence pork, is 'unclean' in several
religions. In many other cases, local custom may vary from elsewhere. In
British custom, eating cats and dogs is likely to cause offence and
eating horsemeat is also likely to cause a reaction. In Russian and
western culture, it is not unusual to think of 'caviar' as a very
attractive, high status food but often the origin (fish ovaries) is not
known. Some readers will feel strongly about force-feeding of calves to
produce veal or certain other production methods. Furthermore, many
visitors may be vegetarian by religious belief or personal choice.


22. The offices are closed until after New Year's day
Comment: Different calendars are in use in different parts of the world
and the new year begins at different times in various countries.


23. He wanted to meet them next Friday but they decided to meet this
Thursday
Comment: 'This' and 'next' regarding days of the week, weekends, and
months often causes confusion and should be avoided. If today is Friday,
some people call the following Monday (3 days later) as 'next Monday'
but others will call it 'this Monday' and use 'next Monday' to mean a
week later. Usage is inconsistent within British English and elsewhere.


24. The police were ordered to stop drinking after eleven
Comment: Very ambiguous! Was it the police themselves that should stop
drinking? More likely the police received the order to stop members of
the public from drinking. Drinking what? Probably alcohol. After eleven
what? Eleven pints? Eleven o'clock in the morning or eleven o'clock in
the evening? Probably 11pm because that is the standard legal closing
time for pubs in England. Also for how long? Just that evening? Until
next day? Forever? Taken literally, perhaps the police received the
order after 11 o'clock! Notice also that we take it for granted that we
are talking about pubs and bars - but it doesn't actually say so. Maybe
they're going to stop you drinking at home too!

Taken from:
http://www.active-media-solutions.co.uk/international/