How long is a piece of string?
ca, kivuye
Ubutumwa 34
ururimi: English
Korsivo (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 22 Ndamukiza 2011 05:42:08
I found this on a site: "It's interesting, because the length of any specific piece of string is directly measurable, whereas in the general case it's indeterminate because of the wide range of non-standard lengths of pieces of string."
I always thougth it must have rather had something to do with the fact that you can stretch it to fifferent lenghts... I could never find a good equivalent in Italian to express this (idea that all is relative?)
geo63 (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 22 Ndamukiza 2011 05:53:25
Korsivo:How to translate the famous question "How long is a piece of string?" in E-o?Kiom longa estas kordero?
I found this on a site: "It's interesting, because the length of any specific piece of string is directly measurable, whereas in the general case it's indeterminate because of the wide range of non-standard lengths of pieces of string."
I always thougth it must have rather had something to do with the fact that you can stretch it to fifferent lenghts... I could never find a good equivalent in Italian to express this (idea that all is relative?)
ceigered (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 22 Ndamukiza 2011 06:42:06
But (I think) I get what the phrase means (looking here), so perhaps for an EO equivalent we could choose something like "Kiom da esperantistoj estas en la mondo?", to which the answer is "neniu scias" (unless you're talking to someone involved with demographics who might be brave enough to try for a serious answer).
Otherwise whatever Geo63 says
tommjames (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 22 Ndamukiza 2011 08:37:55
Note that "kordo" is more for musical instruments. And seeing "kordero" I would probably think of one of the string's individual fibres, not a peice of the stuff.
sudanglo (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 22 Ndamukiza 2011 09:26:37
Does 'How long is a piece of string' have direct equivalents in other languages?
BasilioLorca (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 22 Ndamukiza 2011 10:23:39
"Kiom longa estas peco da ŝnuro".
La mezuro ne estas definita, do oni skribu "peco da".
Kordo/kordero rilatas al muzikaj instrumentoj.
darkweasel (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 22 Ndamukiza 2011 10:32:32
BasilioLorca:Laŭ mi:A "piece" is not a measuring unit. "de" is correct. And don't forget that this is the English-language forum.
"Kiom longa estas peco da ŝnuro".
La mezuro ne estas definita, do oni skribu "peco da".
Kordo/kordero rilatas al muzikaj instrumentoj.
tommjames (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 22 Ndamukiza 2011 10:58:18
And let's not forget that even if the word used is a measuring unit, there's nothing stopping you use "de", if all you're interested in showing is the consistency, rather than quantity.
geo63 (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 22 Ndamukiza 2011 11:49:56
BasilioLorca:Laŭ mi:Not exactly:
Kordo/kordero rilatas al muzikaj instrumentoj.
kordo: cord , line , rope , string
elektra kordo
teorio de kordoj
geo63 (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 22 Ndamukiza 2011 11:59:15
sudanglo:Ceiger, I quite like that as a home-grown idiom for something indefinable. You could make it even snappier with 'Kiomas da Esperantistoj'.Exact equivalent not found in Polish, but we have many alike:
Does 'How long is a piece of string' have direct equivalents in other languages?
Ile diabłów zmieści się na czubku od szpilki?
How many devils can fit on pin top?