Sometimes I heard ‘blah, blah, blah’ in Thai sentence, but I think it is not a Thai word but are borrowed from English language. Now I’m trying to find a Thai word that have the same meaning and same usage as the word. According to “Who, What, Why: When did we start saying 'blah, blah, blah'?”, there are many words in many languages that have the same meaning, for example “yada yada yada” and “bar bar bar”. The Oxford English Dictionary credits the first use of blah to an American journalist in his 1918 US memoir, but Geoff Nunberg, a linguist at the University of California, Berkeley school of information, said that it may have evolved from an earlier phrase, "blab blab blab" which showed up in books in the 19th Century.
In my opinion, the word is ear catching and easy to understand. I might use them once or twice after a group of examples, like cows, chickens, pigs, blah, blah, blah; but there are other ways to use it. Apart from the meaning ‘and so on’, it can also mean talk meaninglessly. The word ‘Blab’ has similar meanings to the second one which are gossip, be talkative, and reveal secrets, for example.
I have never heard of ‘yada yada yada’. It sounds strange and funny to me. It reminds me of yoda in the Star Wars. If someone said that to me, I couldn’t guess the meaning of it. On the other hand, “bar bar bar” and “blab blab blab” sound very similar to “blah blah blah”, I may hear them as “blah blah blah” and not recognize the differences.
When I read the article and saw that there are the same meaning words in other language, I’m trying to find its Thai word. I started thinking of Thai words with the ‘blah blah blah’ meaning. The first one that came into my mind was ‘จุดจุดจุด’ which is ‘dot dot dot’ but that’s definitely not a right word. It is more like a blank in a sentence. Then I thought of ‘เรื่อยเปื่อย’ which means continuously and aimlessly. But that doesn’t sound right. It can’t be used to mean ‘and so on’. Next one I thought of was ‘อื่นๆ’ which can mean ‘other’ and also ‘etcetera’. This seems to be the best answer of the stated words. Nevertheless, it’s not perfectly fit the ‘blah blah blah’.
In conclusion, I can’t find a proper word for ‘blah blah blah’ in Thai. It is one of many words that can’t be described clearly in other language. In this case, examples help understanding. Anyway, I believe most Thais understand the word well even they just hear it for the first time because it’s easy to guess.
If any of you can think of a suitable word for ‘blah blah blah’, please let me know.
Reference
Who, What, Why: When did we start saying 'blah, blah, blah'. (2014, May 7). BBC News magazine monitor. Retrieved May 9, 2014 from http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-27300184
I just ran the search term "blah blah blah,yada yada yada,ba ba ba,bar bar bar" through Google Ngram tool (last on the list of Useful References on the right).
ReplyDeleteThe graph does show a strong spike after 2000, and the other terms are nowhere near as popular as blah blah blah, although prior to 1960, they were all about the same.
I suspect that my ba ba ba term is more often the sound of sheep than a modern equivalent of the ancient Greek bar bar bar.
Google's Ngram Viewer is a neat tool.
And this Ngram graph comparing yoda with yada (I liked Pueng's comment on this) is not what I expected at all.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Yoda was only in films and didn't get written about that much? And I'm seriously tempted to do a bit a research to discover why people were using the word yoda in the 1830s - I'm sure it had nothing to do with a weird green person (is Yoda a person?) who had trouble with the English syntax of his sentences.
And that's enough fun for my second morning coffee, this time with a yummy, buttery croissant.
In my opinion form my observation,Thais like to use บลา บลา (sounds like blar blar ) as same as in English because Thais got culture of "Blahing" for the westerners.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog post, I start to think what is the most suitable Thai word that has the same meaning as 'blah blah blah' but I can't find too!
ReplyDeleteMaybe 'อื่นๆ' that means etcetera is closest. However, I always use the word 'blah blah blah' instead of using Thai word ('อื่นๆ') because it seem to be formal if I use it with my friends and also with another.
So I'll wait for someone who can find the best one.
I think your blog post is very interesting. When i finished reading it, i still cannot find the word that better than "อื่นๆ". Sometime i use blah blah blah to my friends when i can't explain something.
ReplyDeleteI think "Blar Blar Blar" that sounds like "whatever", isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI used to say "etc" with my friends instead of "blah blah." when I'm too lazy to continue the conversation. On the other hand, I said "blab blab" when I can't explain something. I don't know if there's a difference between 2 words. I sort of said it by the feelings.
ReplyDeleteBut don't use etc. in your academic writing.
DeleteIf you do, I will certainly colour it when I proofread.
The exception is if you write etc. in parentheses. You could write the full Latin phrase, but that's not usual in English these days, although the United States Supreme Court judges do sometimes do it. I generally resist the temptation to write et cetera in my work, although if it were an argument in response to a US Supreme Court ruling, I suppose it might seem a reasonable word choice - academic legal English does still some Latin words and phrases that are not normally in use elsewhere.
My intention was to say 'ee-te-ce'. I don't know how to write it in syllable. How should I write it?
Delete"Ee-tee-cee" is clear.
DeleteSorry, I meant that your "ee-te-ce" is clear, although I would double all the es.
DeleteI think mushiness of my brain of definitely setting in for today.
This is a good example of when I notice, usually as I'm clicking the blue "Publish", button that there is an awful mistake in my comment. I generally prefer not to delete it, but to add a new reply if necessary.
I think that using "etc" is going to be better, please don't use "blah blah" then westerner will not understand what are you saying except westerner who lives in Thailand many years. I know "blah blah" meaning but you have to know that different country will use different language and communication is very important too.
ReplyDelete