Ripley's Believe It or Not by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! for June 26, 2014
June 25, 2014
June 27, 2014
Transcript:
Children who learn to speak Mandarin or Vietnamese are far more likely than others to have perfect musical pitch! The 3rd century Egyptian Saint Apollonia is the patron saint of toothaches. King George IV of England was one of the first people to wear long pants- or pantaloons, as they were known in the early 19th century, helping to make them popular.
More From Ripley's Believe It or Not
In ‘68, a fellow Marine was telling me a little about the Vietnamese language and its pronunciation. He had attended the U. of Cleveland for a couple years to learn the language. One monosyllabic word can have, in theory, up to seven meanings, depending on its accompanying diacritical marks or lack of them. One word, “nam” can mean south, five, year and who knows how many others. It’s very difficult for most westerner to properly pronounce some of those words. I fondly remember the Vietnamese enjoying conversations with him.