141–150 of 151 posts
Off-topic: I never understood why native English speakers use Sahara and desert and think they are different things. Sometimes they even say "Sahara desert".
That prompted me to look up what 'sahara' and 'desert' are in Arabic - صحراء - Sahra' - Desert الصحراء الكبرى - alsahra' alkubraa - The big desert? What language are you coming from?
Off-topic: I never understood why native English speakers use Sahara and desert and think they are different things. Sometimes they even say "Sahara desert".
Perhaps this explanation will help. When I hear the word 'Sahara' I think of a physical place, in northern Africa. When I hear the word 'desert' I think of an ecological system, characterized primarily by low rainfall and sandy soils. When I think of the physical place in northern Africa that is denoted (in my language) by the word 'Sahara', I think of it as being an exemplar of the ecological system denoted by the w…
I understand that... but Sahara means the latter in Arabic. Any desert is Sahara.
Off-topic: I never understood why native English speakers use Sahara and desert and think they are different things. Sometimes they even say "Sahara desert".
The same reason English speakers often say “chai tea”. They speak English, not Arabic or Hindi, and those words haven’t been turned into loan words. Likely, because English has its own equivalent.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That prompted me to look up what 'sahara' and 'desert' are in Arabic - صحراء - Sahra' - Desert الصحراء الكبرى - alsahra' alkubraa - The big desert? What language are you coming from?
I am an Arab, that's why I always notice it. صحراء means desert, any desert, not a specific one.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Perhaps this explanation will help. When I hear the word 'Sahara' I think of a physical place, in northern Africa. When I hear the word 'desert' I think of an ecological system, characterized primarily by low rainfall and sandy soils. When I think of the physical place in northern Africa that is denoted (in my language) by the word 'Sahara', I think of it as being an exemplar of the ecological system denoted by the w…
"When I hear the word 'Sahara' I think of a physical place, in northern Africa. When I hear the word 'desert' I think of an ecological system, characterized primarily by low rainfall and sandy soils." I understand that... but Sahara means the latter in Arabic. Any desert is Sahara.
Languages are littered with these kind of things. Like every language.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"When I hear the word 'Sahara' I think of a physical place, in northern Africa. When I hear the word 'desert' I think of an ecological system, characterized primarily by low rainfall and sandy soils." I understand that... but Sahara means the latter in Arabic. Any desert is Sahara.
But Sahara doesn't mean desert in English... Languages are littered with these kind of things. Like every language.
It is just a small observation actually, not a big deal.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
But Sahara doesn't mean desert in English... Languages are littered with these kind of things. Like every language.
Desert doesn't mean Sahara in Arabic, and they never say Desert Sahara. Do you see my point? It is just a small observation actually, not a big deal.
My adjacent point is that this is very common: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tautological_place_nam...
Oh, man. So almost a decade ago I'm in Kampala, Uganda, staying in Muyenga, a neighborhood on the hillside above Lake Victoria. I've bought an adungu, a local instrument that's a sort of harp shaped like a sailboat. I bring it back to the apartment building I'm staying in and I start trying to figure out how to tune it and play it. Turns out it's generally tuned to chromatic C, so you can play anything that's in C or…
This reminds me of my young days when I happened to visit my grandpa's house during summer vacation. I had a habit of going for long walks during the cool evenings/early nights - one of those teenage things. On this particular night, I walked farther than usual and came upon a clearing next to the bank of the local river - it was a small river next to the tea gardens. This being a small town very long ago had next to…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Desert doesn't mean Sahara in Arabic, and they never say Desert Sahara. Do you see my point? It is just a small observation actually, not a big deal.
I understand your point, but not why you are surprised. If a non-Arabic speaker hears this place referred to as "sahara", why wouldn't other languages adopt it as "Sahara"? My adjacent point is that this is very common: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tautological_place_nam...