Through the Looking-Glass

Comment

Comment by Heleen de Vaan on January 17, 2018 at 1:20am

I think you're right about the Xhosa pronounciation. Fortunately there is no x or ' in the word for (m)ail artist, as these letters/sounds are very hard to pronounce for non-native speakers. (there is an awesome movie in which a xhosa speaking man is the main character. Something about a cola bottle, a long journey and a coup d'etat - I think you should see it - if you don't know it already. I loved it even more than the movies about Alice (not sure if I may say that in this group..))

Comment by Heleen de Vaan on January 17, 2018 at 1:14am

I think you can use the pre-word 'ost' for all ail artists in whose language 'mail' means 'post'.

In German a Mail Artist is a Post Künstler, so an Ail Artist will be an Ost Künstler, 'Ost' here not to be confused with the meaning 'East' but with the abbreviation of the Latin word 'ostium' which means 'opening', and an opening, although some'thing' which brings us to new places and/or insights, also is something without a 'thing', a piece of nothing.

I mentioned the German version, to point at the possibly misunderstanding of mixing Ost and east; for the other languages which use the Latin alphabet, the word for Ail Artist can start with ost- anyway.

So in Dutch an 'ostkunstenaar', in Spanish indeed an Artista Ostal, etcetera.

Comment by Mail Art Martha on January 16, 2018 at 7:45pm

Xhosa sounds nice, it looks like it could be as phonetic as Spanish. 

Comment by Heleen de Vaan on January 16, 2018 at 12:20am

I don't know in Swahili, but in Xhosa mail artist is Umculi wiposi, 

and for ail artist we can say Yimuphi umculi.

I am happy to have helped you to solve the long-lasting question!

Comment by Mail Art Martha on January 15, 2018 at 6:37pm

Ail Artist, appeals to  me. Ail as in suffering of course as this person (who is an Artist but not a Mail Artist) suffers from being incomplete as an Artist, lacking Mail Artistness. As it is considered that everybody is an Artist the term Ail Artist can be extended to everybody who does not exercises Mail Artisting, whether this person is considered an artist or not.

Thanks Heleen, years of search have come to the end. 

As we are multilingual in this group, how about, for the French version Artiste Ostal, for the Spanish Artista Ostal, for the Italian Artista Ostale, for the German Ail-Künstler , for the Swahili ... please somebody stop me1

Comment by Heleen de Vaan on January 14, 2018 at 10:24pm

Wonderful ATC's by ToniPoet!

To be posted in the coming week on my animals blog, too.

Comment by Heleen de Vaan on January 14, 2018 at 10:21pm

Thank you, Mail Art Martha, for the wonderful adventure of Ali Khat and Vermina Rat in Alice's wonder world. I received it well last month, and I will be posting it the coming week on my real weird animals blog. 

Comment by Heleen de Vaan on January 14, 2018 at 10:19pm

In reply to Mail Art Martha, who writes "This remind me that I need a word to mean 'a person who is not a mail artist'. Something like the word 'muggler' for a non magician in Harry Potter. Can anybody help? I have been thinking about this for ages and cannot come up with anything. Perhaps we should ask Humpty Dumpty."

An Ail Artist ?

or an Ail Tist ?

Comment by Mail Art Martha on December 20, 2017 at 6:24am

Comment by Mail Art Martha on November 24, 2017 at 5:24pm

I enjoyed exploring the mental floss site, about words and many more strange and amazing things. Wish I had more time to kill. And better memory: there was a word for killing time that I cannot remember. This remind me that I need a word to mean ' a person who is not a mail artist'. Something like the word 'muggler' for a non magician in Harry Potter. Can anybody help? I have been thinking about this for ages and cannot come up with anything. Perhaps we should ask Humpty Dumpty. 

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