Friday November 25, 2011
Derived from Dhivehi
OPEN CHANNEL
I REFER to the article, “How foreign is English?” by Dr Lim Chin Lam (MOE, Nov 11) and would like to bring your notice to a word from Dhivehi, which is the language of the Republic of Maldives. The word is “atoll”. Its general meaning is “a circular group of coral islands”. – Amyna
Thank you, Amyna, for sharing that the word “atoll” is derived from Dhivehi. And all the while, I was under the impression that the word had been derived from the language of one of the South Pacific islands! – Dr Lim Chin Lam
Source:
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- New York City relies on automation technologies to face challenges of urbanisation
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- Powering the Big Apple
- Build robust cities
- Fun with words
- Rail marvel in New York
- Fun with synonyms
- Carnegie Hall gets green facelift
- Win The Good Food Cook Book!
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