The word for moon in Kiswahili is the same as the word for month. Of course. And the word for sun is the same as the verb "to know." Poetic.
A point of confusion, however, is that the word for a woman is the same as the word for wife. In my mind, this stirs an entire debate on the identity of a woman. Anyway, a single woman is referred to as a daughter, which has led to some humorous encounters when I've responded to pseudo marriage proposals by stating that, yes, I have a mom and a dad.
The best language mix up is that the word for hot peppers is 'pilipili,' while the word for motorcycle is 'pikipiki.' I've amused several people by asking for motorcycles to accompany my eggs.
A point of confusion, however, is that the word for a woman is the same as the word for wife. In my mind, this stirs an entire debate on the identity of a woman. Anyway, a single woman is referred to as a daughter, which has led to some humorous encounters when I've responded to pseudo marriage proposals by stating that, yes, I have a mom and a dad.
The best language mix up is that the word for hot peppers is 'pilipili,' while the word for motorcycle is 'pikipiki.' I've amused several people by asking for motorcycles to accompany my eggs.
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