Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2007 October 13

Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

October 13

Capping his tags

In a news story about a New York six year old upsetting local authorities by drawing on her sidewalk with chalk, her father was quoted as saying “I do love that kid,” Shea said, “but I wish she would stop capping my tags.”

Can you help me make sense of that phrase? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.184.159.157 (talk) 01:08, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

It's graffiti slang. A tag is a ubiquitous signature. To cap a tag is to deface it, often by crossing it out. See Graffiti terminology and this. (To cap is not in the Wikipedia article, but I'm no expert, so I'm reluctant to add it. Also, I hate having to cite things.) --Milkbreath 01:41, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Korean question

What does 침착해라 mean? Kikiluvscheese 02:56, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

It means "Calm down!" or "Take it easy" etc. It's the command form of "be composed", so sort of like "compose yourself". Zippyt 04:05, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Then, how do you say "Be yourself" in Korean? Some translation site gave me 침착해라 for "Be yourself," but it can't be right. Kikiluvscheese 17:46, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

You can't. Well, you can, but it needs to be longer and it won't sound as neat. People usually just say "자신감을 가져," which literally means "Be confident." --Kjoonlee 00:01, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

How do you write it in romaji? (I know romaji is Japanese, so let's just say the Korean equivalent of romaji.)Kikiluvscheese 23:21, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

in RR it would be "Jashingam-eul gajyeo," but the "y" is silent after "j". Eu and eo are digraphs; the eu ([ɯ]) is sort of like the Japanese "u", except that the lips aren't compressed; the lips are just straight and unrounded. The eo ([ʌ])is sort of like the short stressed "u" as in hut, cut, but, and so on, but is slightly "lower" and further "back." More details at Korean phonology, terminology at vowel. --Kjoonlee 17:26, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

But who would you be saying it to? If you're good friends, then "Jashingam-eul gajyeo" is fine, but in some other cases, you should say "Jashingam-eul gajyeoyo" or not say it at all. --Kjoonlee 17:35, 15 October 2007 (UTC)