Stahlke Adoption

Cognates

When we first met the kids, we were thankful for every cognate we could find:

soup = суп
Soup is served at most meals in Ukraine, so we learned about this cognate very quickly.
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computer = комп'ютер
Internet = інтернет
Since I had to locate internet cafes to write this blog, these words came in handy.
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bus = автобус
machine = машина
automobile = автомобіль

"Bus" (sometimes "bus" or "autobus" in Ukrainian) was immediately recognizable. "Machine" is a true cognate, but it has the additional meaning of "car" or "auto." "Automobile" is also a cognate, but we didn't hear it very much. Our driver Andrei had a nice black sportscar, which the children always called the "black machine" (чорний машина).
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Costume = костюм
This is the word that the kids used for "uniform." Even though they don't speak Ukrainian anymore, they occasionally ask me for their "baseball costume."
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Scotch = Scotch tape
Here's an example of a brand name becoming a generic word. Our kids love to tape things--with LOTS of tape, if we let them--and only one day after meeting them, they were asking us for "Scotch." (I'd give you the Cyrillic, but it's not in the online dictionary.)
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Document = документ
This word functions for any important piece of paper, including receipts. Just a few months ago, Sarah was watching her uncle pump gas into the car. When the receipt emerged, she asked him if she could see the "document" (which she knows is an English word). He didn't understand her, of course, since she was using it in the Ukrainian sense. It's part of the English language that is Chicago-Stahlke-specific!

posted by Stahlkes @ 1:34 PM