Tag: Italian

Celtic Pathways – Cumbersome Confluences

By Simon

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In this episode we disencumber the cumbersome and confluent Celtic roots of words like encumber.

The meeting of the waters

The Proto-Celtic word *kombereti means to bring together and comes from Proto-Celtic *kom- (with, together) and *bereti (to bear), from PIE *bʰéreti (to be carrying) [source].

Descendants in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • cumar = ravine, channel, rut in Irish
  • comar [komər] = confluence, concourse in Scottish Gaelic
  • cymer [ˈkəmɛr] = confluence, meeting of waters, meeting place or clash of armies in Welsh
  • kemper = confluence, junction of streams in Cornish
  • kember [ˈkɛm.bɛr] = confluence in Breton

Words from the same Proto-Celtic roots, via Gaulish *comberos (river dam) and Latin combrus (river dam), possibly include encombrer (to block off, clutter, congest, encumber, burden) in French, ingombrare (to encumber, clutter, choke) in Italian, and cumbersome, encumber and incumbrance in English [source].

You can be encumbered and unencumbered in English, but can you be simply cumbered? Yes, you can. Cumber is an old word that means to slow down, hinder or burden. It comes from Middle English combren (to trouble, vex, annoy), from Old French combre (dam, dike), from Latin combrus etc. [source].

Other words related to cumber include cumberer (one that cumbers), cumberless (unencumbered), and cumberground (a totally worthless object or person, something that is just in the way).

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Episode 4 – The Language of Music

By Simon

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In this episode I talk about Italian, and specifically about the Italian words used in Western classical music. I investigate why Italian is used, look at some of the words, and find out what they mean and how they are used in Italian.

Here are the words featured:

Words for musical compositions and parts of them

Word Musical meaning Other meanings
opera a drama set to music with singing and orchestral accompaniment work, action, deed, piece of work
concerto a work for one or more solo instruments accompanied by an orchestra concert, performance, gig, show
cadenza a florid solo at the end of a performance cadence, rhythm, intonation, frequency
aria an accompanied, elaborate melody sung by a single voice air, look, manner

Words for tempo (time)

Word Musical meaning Other meanings
adagio slow slowly, with care, gently; adage, saying; easy does it
largo slow and dignified wide, broad, loose, big, large, open sea
andante moderately slow, flowing along current, cheap, second-rate
allegro moderately fast cheerful, bright, lively; merry, tipsy
presto very fast soon, quickly, fast, early

Words for dynamics (volume)

Word Musical meaning Other meanings
piano soft flat, level, smooth; straightforward, simple, clear, plain; slowly, carefully, softly, quietly; plane, top, surface
forte loud strong, bright, heavy, hard, large, big, considerable; amazing, great; fast
crescendo becoming louder growing up, raising
diminuendo becoming softer decreasing, falling

Modifiers

Word Musical meaning Other meanings
mezzo moderately means, way, half, middle
molto very a lot, much, many, a great deal, very
meno less less, least, minus, except
più more more, plus, several
ma non troppo but not too much but not too much

More details of Italian musical terms

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Italian_musical_terms_used_in_English
https://www.quora.com/Why-are-all-the-composers-using-Italian-terminology-in-music

The other meanings come from Reverso.

Information about Italian
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/italian.htm

A discussion on why opera singers tend to be quite stout:
https://www.quora.com/Why-are-so-many-opera-singers-stout-or-heavy-set-Does-it-provide-some-sort-of-competitive-advantage

Tunes featured in this episode

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