From: john porter (email suppressed)
Date: Sat Jul 01 2006 - 12:53:53 PDT
--- Gary Berendsen <email suppressed> wrote:
> Been reading this thread with interest,
> It does seem that a lot of the problem stems from
> the inadequacy of the
> medium our language that is.
> In this case we are all communicating in english but
> in other languages this
> would be different.
> Also see the earlier point made about the word movie
> which does not exist in
> swedish. Well this is the same for dutch no word
> movie.
> In chinese film is made up of the characters for
> electric, dian and the
> character for picture; image; reflection; shadow. =
> 电影。but can also be:
> 影片 = ying pian which translates as picture,
> image, reflection, shadow and
> pian is thin, sheet, disc, slice or a flake.
> Both means film or movie.
Thanks Gary,
Very interesting, as the Swedish angle was.
I love the idea of "electric
picture/reflection/shadow". (is that "ying dian"?) And
I think it's similar to "moving picture" = "movie".
"Ying pian" ("thin, sheet, disc, slice or a flake")
sounds literally more like our "film" (layer, skin).
Aren't there Chinese, Swedish, Dutch words for
videotape, digital video, etc. to distinguish between
modern "film" and traditional ("real") "film"?
> Anyway I usually just refer to what I am watching or
> renting.
> I do not go to rent a film I rent a dvd or a video.
> I watch said dvd.
> I go to the film or to the movies and watch a movie
> or a film.
Exactly. Just look at the piece of plastic in your
hand, or at the player/projector, to know what format
you're viewing.
But Gary, what about when you "go to the movies" and
it's projected video? I think you're saying that you
"watch a movie", NOT a "film".
I'd say "watch a video" because it's more specific,
less ambiguous than either "movie" or "film".
John.
John Porter, Toronto, Canada
http://www.super8porter.ca/
email suppressed
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