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Different languages have interesting terms for cash. In Spanish, they call it efectivo. Maybe that means other forms of payment are theoretically ineffective or suspect. In Hebrew, it’s mezuman, which means something like “right now,” i.e. money you don’t have to wait for the bank to clear.

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author

Neat. Language tells a story!

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Jul 8Liked by Andrew Smith

You got your facts backwards. The reason it was ever pronounced "cash-ay" is hidden in this section of your post: "The English speakers of North America, in what is today Canada and the United States, took the ball and ran with it."

Everyone was pronouncing it "cash," until an American showed his cache to a Canadian, who said "Cache, eh?" - the rest is history.

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author

Dadiel Nest, ladies and gentlemen.

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Jul 8Liked by Andrew Smith

How far I've fallen from the days when they called me "Danimal."

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Just the other day someone gave me a Scrooge McDuck comic and I always wondered why he doesn’t get a concussion every time he dives into his pile of cash?

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author

Have you seen the Family guy parody of this? If not, it's worth a giggle.

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I have NOT! I have work to do today

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lol thank you for that

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My favorite is how to say, “Mother and Father" in different languages. The word ‘Mother’ derives from the Latin *mātēr, which traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European word *méh₂tēr. We are back to talking about languages.

English: Mother, Mum, Mama, Mummy, Mom, Mommy, Ma

French: Maman, Mère

Italian: Mamma, Mammina

German: Mama, Mutter, Mutti, Mami

Dutch: Moeder, Moer

Hindi: माँ (Maan), मां ( Maji)

Japanese: お母さん (Okaasan), 母 (Haha), ママ (Mama)

Korean: 엄마 (Eomma), 어머님 (Eomeonim), 어머니 (Eomeoni)

Indonesian: Mama, Bunda, Ibu, ‘bu

Polish: Mama, Mamula, Mamón, Mamuśka, Matula, Mamcik

Vietnamese: Mẹ

Swahili: Mama

Czech: Matka

Turkish: Anne

Tamil: அம்மா (Amma)

Ukrainian: мама (Mama), матуся (Matusya), матінка (Matinka)

Afrikaans: Ma, Moeder

Basque: Ama

Spanish: Mami, Mama, Madre

Danish: Mor

Filipino: Mama, Nanay, Nay

Portuguese: Mãe

Russian: Мамочка (Mamachka), Мам (Mam), Мамуся (Mamoosya), Мама (Mama)

Swedish: Mamma, Mor, Morsa

Greek: Μαμά (Mamá), Μητέρα (Metera)

Estonian: Ema

Arabic: أم (Omm), أمي (Ommi)

Finnish: Mami, Mama, Äiti, Mutsi

and

English: Dad, Daddy, Father, Papa, Pop

French: Père, Papa

Italian: Papà, Papi, Babbo, Babbetto, Babbino

Spanish: Papá, Pá, Papi, Tata

Japanese: お父さん (otousan), パパ(papa), お父ちゃん (otouchan)

Dutch: Pa, Papa, Vader, Pappa

Korean: 아버지 (abeoji), 아빠 (appa)

German: Papa, Papi, Vater, Vati, Papilein

Russian: Папа (Papa), Папочка (Papachka), Пап (Pap)

Hindi: पापा (Paapa), बाप (Bapa), अब्बा (Abba)

Arabic: ابي (Abee), اب (Ab), بابا (Baba)

Cantonese: 爸 (Baa)

Mandarin Chinese: 爸爸 (Baba)

Danish: Far, Fader

Catalan: Pare

Hungarian: Apa

Polish: Ojczulek, Tato, Tata, Tatuś, Papa, Papcio

Swedish: Pappa

Norwegian: Far, Pappa

Turkish: Baba

Greek: Baba

Indonesian: Ayah, Papah, Papa, Bape, Bapak, Babe, Abah, Amang, Tati, Papi

Portuguese: Papai, Pai, Paizinho, Paizão

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