Slovenian language

Image via WikipediaI always knew Slovenian language was more difficult to learn than most other foreign languages. Throughout the years of using and understanding English better and better I realized many times over that there are some terms in Slovenian that cannot be properly translated into English (and the other way around, of course). However, hearing about Slovenian language from an English native speaker's perspective was an extra eye-opener. If you can speak/understand bot languages, English and Slovenian, the article below will be a real treat to you.
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General remark: When reading Slovenian words on maps or in books, you will find special characters, pronounced ch, sh, and zh. They are written with c, s and z with a caron - little v above them - like č, š and ž.


Source of the article below: The Slovenia Times

Photo above: Ljubljana skyline at the sunset from Ljubljana Castle

The Mother Hen and Me
Slovenian

07.12.2007

By Victor Irving

Slovenian is one of the most complicated languages on earth.

Take this joke from students who were struggling with the language:

- Let’s order two coffee.

- All right, coffee is kava en two is dva, so dva kava?

- No, it’s dva kavo – 4th case because it’s the object of the sentence: (I’d like) dva kavo.

- But hey, adjective and noun should match, so shouldn’t it be: dvo kavo?

- Not really, because with two it’s an exception: dve kavo

- All right, the dualism…

- Oh yeah, two has a separate ending! Ena kava, dve kavi, tri kave.

- So it should be Dve kavi, prosim,

- Don’t forget it’s still the 4th case.

- Same as the 1st for dual, female gender words.

- But I’d like my coffee with whipped cream: z smetan.

- That’s the instrumental case. Z smetano.

- No, I think it’s s smetano because of the pronunciation.

- Screw this: ‘Two beer please.’

Another situation: Guys sees a girl walk by and wants to invite her for a coffee.

He is about to say: Zdravo! Gremo na kava?

Then he remembers: Oh wait, we’re going somewhere, so fourth case: gremo na kavo. No wait, with ‘gremo’ she’ll think it’s for three or more persons, so: greva na kavo? Then he realises it’s more polite to ask if she would like to go: Bi rad da greva na kavo? But since he’s talking to a girl he has to say: Bi rada da greva na kavo?

- Zdravo! Bi ra…

The girl has passed by a minute ago.

Even more interesting is the way Slovenian bends city-names. The city is called Ljubljana, but you are from Ljubljane. The a changes into an e, however, if a city-name does not end with an a you add one. For instance, I am from Amsterdama. But if you go to the city, it becomes Ljubljano. And if you say you live there, you say in Ljubljani, or in case there is no a to change into an i, you say you live in Londonu. The same with names: You are at Victorju (Victor’s), the belch came out of Victorja and you’re crying about an impossible grammatical system with Victorjem and you know about Victorjevega mačka and haven’t understood Victorjevega teksta.

Let’s take a moment now to fully appreciate that six cases, three genders and singular, dual and plural endings lead to 54 options, and with adjectives that may differ from nouns, about 108 options. For newcomers, creating a sentence may take some time.

Most interesting, however, is that there are a few words that are the same in every case. Roza (pink) never changes, and neither does a name like Karen. Great. How about something similar for all words in Slovenian? People may still be able to understand each other; in English or Dutch coffee is coffee whether you drink it, see it, don’t have it, order it or throw with it. Moreover, these days national identity is no longer dependant on a language’s complexity. Slovenia is a real country, so the language can develop as all other languages: get easier. Maybe then foreigners can devote some brain capacity to what they want to say instead of how they have to say it.


Victor Irving lives in Ljubljani and is desperately trying to learn Slovensko.

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Krizanke, Ljubljana

Photo "Krizanke, Ljubljana" - courtesy of Vojko Dular

Photographer’s Note

from web
The Knights of the Cross monastery stands by the southwest edge of the former fortified medieval nucleus of Ljubljana, above the New Square (Novi trg). It was built in the middle of the 13th century and redone in 1567. It was first mentioned in 1265. In the walls and lapidary, the stones, with their Gothic and Renaissance characteristics, testify to the medieval whole. The old elongated church was torn down in the 18th century and, according to plans by Domenico Rossi, a new, differently orientated central building was built (1714) with a waved Baroque roof and altars with exquisite paintings (Martin Altomonte, Anton Schoonjans).




The early Gothic relief with Mary on the throne was moved from the abandoned portal to Krakovo Chapel and later to the National Gallery. After World War II, the monastery complex was thoroughly renovated (1953-1956). The Summer Theatre and the School of Design were built, and the Knights' Hall and a restaurant (Plečnikov hram) were arranged. The architect Plečnik was especially dedicated to the arrangement of the courtyards (Hell Yard or Peklensko dvorišče, entrance yard with a lapidary, large yard) and edge terraces. The surrounding is arranged according to his ideas: walls with stone relics and memorial plaques, Graben with pavement and trees, Emonska Street with a children's playground, and the Square of the French Revolution (Trg francoske revolucije) with the Illyrian Column (1929). After Plečnik's death the renovation and arrangement of the theatre was continued by the architect Anton Bitenc, with Viktor Molk by his side. At the edge of a large courtyard, a memorial statue of a portrait of Plečnik's head was uncovered (Vladimira Bratuž) and later the portrait of Bitenc was added. Part of the premises of the School of Design was redone in 1990 (architect Matija Suhadolc).

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Portrait, bigger than a football field in Ljubljana, Slovenia

I'm going to need a bigger paintbrush: Artist's incredible portraits that are bigger than a football field

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Huge ideas spread over canvases bigger than football fields and onto the sides of buildings is how Jorge Rodriguez Gerada expresses his art.

The Cuban lives in Barcelona and has spent the past decade creating his Identity and Terrestrial Series, across Europe and Latin America, on the sides of 60-foot buildings and using 650 tons of sand and gravel spread over two and half acres.

Sometimes using a 4-wheel drive JCB digger to lift and manoeuvre the pigmented and coloured sand for his art, or going through approximately 300 charcoal sticks for each of his 'Identity' series drawings; Jorge does nothing on a small scale.

'Expectation', a portrait of US President Barack Obama, was created using 650 metric tons of sand and gravel. It was designed to be seen from Google Earth

'Enric Miralles,' Jorge Rodriguez Gerado's homage to the Spanish architect, was also part of the 'Terrestrial Series'

Busy exhibiting his artwork at the N2 Gallery in Barcelona, Jorge, 44, is keen to highlight the importance of a sense of identity in everyday people's lives, but also to highlight new technologies and how they can create works that can elude to the immensity of a certain moment. 

'As part of the Terrestrial Series I created the iconic image of Barack Obama just before the U.S presidential elections,’ said Jorge.

'This was designed to be viewed from space by Google Earth as a way to open a dialogue about the dramatic uncertainty of our times and the irrational search for a hero to save us.

'The large Terrestrial Series of art works are put together using a vector image and GPS technology, so we can map them out on the ground.

'Mapped out digitally it becomes a high art and large scale version of connecting the dots and then we would fill in the roped off areas with the different coloured sands and rocks.'   

Photographed from almost 300 metres up by helicopter, Jorge's representation of Obama was followed up by his slightly smaller work that depicted the famed Catalan architect Enric Miralles.

'Tina' is part of Jorge Rodriguez Gerado's 'Identity' series, and was created on the side of a building in Ljubljana, Slovenia

'Santo', also part of Gerado's 'Identity' series, is in Valencia, Spain. He can take up to one week to complete his stunning building sized drawings

His most recent piece created in collaboration with 350.org depicted a little girl named Galla and covered over six acres.

'They are part of my fascination with aerial photography and with creating something relevant,' said Jorge who grew up in the United States and divides his time between Barcelona, New York and Buenos Aires.

'I wanted to also incorporate the new ways that we can examine the Earth through Google Maps and even getting the work photographed by satellites passing overhead.

'The Obama work was 120 metres long by 80 metres wide and I was aided by volunteers who supported the project and helped me complete the work.

'We were hampered by the weather during the process of completing the work, but we were ultimately successful and interest from around the world was huge. '   

Remarkably for Jorge, who honed his artistic talents as a young artist in New York City, his Identity series, which he produces on the side of buildings is actually small scale compared to his land art.

The artist works on 'Emma' in 2006 in Barcelona. He says the blending of the charcoal and the wall surface with the wind and rain is the most important part of the process

'David' is on a wall in Vitoria, Spain. The artist photographs the subject's face to create a mock-up and then puts a hyper realistic work on the sides of the building

'With the Identity series I select someone who has a strong sense of Identity to the place where they live,' explained Jorge.

'That could be in Slovenia, Spain or Argentina, or even London.

'I then photograph their face to create a mock-up and I go about creating a hyper realistic work on the sides of the building.

'I began the series in 2002 and the drawings are meant to question the controls imposed on public space, the role models that represent us and the type of events that are guarded by the collective memory..

'The blending of the charcoal and the wall surface with the wind and rain is ultimately the most important part of the process. The intent is to have identity, place and memory become one.'

Perfectionist Jorge can sometimes take up to one week to complete his stunning building sized drawings.

'My idea is to show that we should all be seen with dignity. I believe that our identity should come from within not from the brands that we wear. We should question who chooses our cultural icons and role models as well as our values and our aesthetics.

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