Have you ever heard the famous saying: “Necessity is the mother of invention”? Necessity is a need for something and invention is the creation of something new, something that no one has ever made before.
Many new inventions come about (result) by combining two or more things into something new. Cars are a good example. Hybrid cars (often simply called “hybrids”) are cars that combine an all-electric car with an all-gasoline-burning car to create a car that runs on part electricity and part gasoline. In this case, our need for more efficient and cleaner fuel (power) was the mother of invention.
When speaking of food, we often use the term fusion to talk about the blending of (putting together of; combining of) two or more types of cooking to make a new type of cuisine (fine food; cooking). In Los Angeles, Asian fusion is quite popular, with chefs (professional cooks) combining ingredients (individual parts of food) or cooking techniques of Asian food with those found in French, Italian, Middle Eastern, or other types of cooking. What is the necessity that is the mother of invention here? To please curious palates (mouths; tastes)? To lure (attract) to one place people who like different types of cuisine? The wish to create something new and innovative? Perhaps it’s a combination (fusion?) of all of these reasons.
I recently come across a new and interesting combination in music. You may have heard of the ukulele, an instrument used in traditional Hawaii music. It is a small instrument with four strings. And you all know what a guitar is, an instrument with six strings that no rock musician could do without. But have you heard of a guitalele?
As the name suggests, the guitalele is a cross between (combination of) a ukulele and a guitar. It has six strings like a guitar, but it is closer in size to a ukulele. From the clips (small segments of audio or video) I’ve seen on YouTube, it sounds marvelous. What is the necessity that prompted (encouraged) this invention? To help smaller musicians? To have an instrument with a really funny name that makes you laugh each time you hear it? I’m not sure. Unfortunately, for Americans, the inexpensive guitalele by Yamaha is not sold in the U.S. Why? I can only guess that they are still holding the funny-looking spork against us.
(By the way, “a cross between” is a very useful general phrase meaning a combination of two things. For example, in movies, a cross between a comedy and a romance is called a romantic comedy. With animals, a mule is a cross between a horse and a donkey. And when describing Jeff’s looks? He’s a cross between Brad Pitt and George Clooney, of course!)
~ Lucy
Today I’ve heard very nice fusion of as usual interesting podcast, and great musical illustration of the text.
One of the best english cafe!
Brunch would be also example of a cross between breakfast and lunch. And lunner is a cross between a lunch and dinner.
Wow! I really need to meet Jeff! …….lol
a words just jumped out of my mind, that is motel, a cross between motor and hotel!
I am back baby,
I know you were thinking that you finally got rid of me.hate to break it to you ,but you are sadly mistaken:))))
what we got going on here. Bring me up to speed guys,
I have been a no-show for a while since I was in a deep sh.t
truth to be told, I was dating three girls at the sane time ,and things got ugly
I was away clearing my huge mess
however,Good to be back
I know you ate not saying in response : good to have you back
take my advice and be a keeper
Guys,
I started looking for another job. Funny thing is I have laughed out of 6 interviews for the last 2 days and so. Things couldn’t get better.
Definitly, I am off to a good start this yeR around.
I am down on my luck, big time
In the Brazil the hybrid that borns of crossing among male-donkey with mare, the mule, was mostly important to enlarge Brazil’s border, ’cause our territory had many hard and rough paths, ’cause has so many hills and mountains and many rivers, beyond closed forest in ancient time. And then, the mule why is a charge animal very strong and was very important to carry people and loads to development of the Brazil from the ancient Capital “Rio de Janeiro” in direction inside country, since Brazil’s medieval age in 1500s for ahead of, ’cause the ancient capital had a principal harbor and had necessity to carry products till Brazil centre and the more distant border, with the time there were others important harbors, but the troubles to carry to inside and bring back were the same, and then that hybrid animal the mule had biggest importance on Brazil’s development, about more than two centuries. For us the quoted animal is much representative, there is some Brazilian’s masterpieces that show the men and its mules, they are known like “tropeiros”, ’cause they had great quantities of these animals that followed in line in hard paths, an animal troop, that’s why, they are known as “tropeiros” that man that had a mules troop to carry all kind of stuff. So, they made up the trade between villages and finally this job created new roads, the Brazil’s emperors D. Pedro I and D. Pedro II stimulates this job, cause was very important for Brazil trade. Is a little of Brazil’s history, a very large and an environmental rich country, and the hybrid animal quoted was mostly important for us.
Congratulations Lucy, by interesting work posted, thank so much.
Cheers for all.
Interesting and nice post Brazil, it reminds me what my father talked about his youth when he was only fourteen and started to work doing a similar kind of work but the mules instead pulled a big cart full of goods that were transported all around cities and villages here in Spain.
On that past time was usual to carry great tonels with wine or packs of wool in big carts that were carried by two or four mules, quite strong animals that were of a great value here along hundred of years.
The mules were useful to the army along so many years too that I think these animals were of use in the last Civil War here in Spain, as they may go through every kind of land or mountains and they were peaceful hybrid animals.
Now I don´t know if is there any of them here? may be…
I think there are some donkeys that are protected by the laws as an animal to reserve from extinction despite they have not any use
for transportation.
May be in Mijas, a little town here in the south cost of Malaga, the donkeys transport some tourist who are seeing the village.
Of course, that´s only typical for tourism and so on.
Our Nobel poet Juan Ramon Jimenez has a book dedicated to a little donkey its name was “Platero”, the title of the book is
“Platero y yo”…..Platero and me, and it´s really nice and easy to read.
Regards Brazil.
Our saying is “necessity obliges” (la necesidad obliga) either than “is the mother of invention” what may be similar but not the same.
Now and here I don´t know if we do invent anything or really nothing, I think the last it is more appropiate.
Guitalele is a nice instrument and it sounds very well to me, is it easier to play that the guitar?
Please, tell us about it Lucy. I think that you may know something about the matter and even it´s possible that you how to play them?….
Sorry Lucy but I am just a little intrigue.
Thanks and regards dear teacher. emiliano
Emiliano,
Thanks by comment! I’m glad ’cause brought to you good memories!
I forgot to say, we(Brazilians) have a saying, that say: “The necessity does it the monk!”
I’ve been noticed, some sayings looks like similar, in Portuguese, English and Spanish!
Should be ’cause the languages Portuguese and Spanish are sisters languages and English is a extend family like a cousin language. What do you think about it?
Greetings
Thanks for another great blog Dr. Lucy Tse. I really like your good sense of humor.
Yes of course, I think so Brazil.
I like to tell you that my mather´s father was born in Galicia, Pontevedra, and he speaks the same language that all Portuguese people. As a matter of fact Galicians and Portuguese speaks the same language or very similar, so we are like brothers I think.
When I have been in Portugal, five or six trips, I have not any problems with the speaking. Only listening carefully to the people and speaking very slow…., that has been enough to talk and be understanded. I have to add that I like Portugal and His people as much
as Spain which is my country.
English has just a lot of words from Latin and from German too, but I don´t know if we are cousins….may be, but quite a difficult cousin by all means.
Very sorry……..”understanded”…? No I want to say understood.
What a big mistake, that´s the reason I said English is a difficult cousin, very difficult indeed.
Emiliano,
I agree with you, when we can to talk between us, both Portuguese natives speakers and Spanish natives speakers, we can understand well each other. But, this happen when we are chatting personally, ’cause we can doing use of body language which help us a few, by phone is a little more confused, but is not impossible. Like brothers with a strong accent, each one with own way to talk, but very similar. The English language has strong influences others, I agree with you again when you told the English is a odd cousin, in true is a extend family which has several influences in which has a strong influence of ours cousins the French, they made an invasion in 1066 into Britain and caused strong changes in their behaves including way to talk, too far long ago the Romans already had done this too, beyond the Saxons. That’s why, I think, it is hard to understand his patterns, they have many relatives. Each one left an influence there, and finally the writing has nothing with spoken language.
You are absolutely right; English is a complicated cousin, maybe. I agree with you.
In other hand, the English Language has a pretty sound to listen.
Best regards,
Hello,
I’m learning English. So, I need for your help.
I can not understand a sentence, “they are still holding the funny-looking spork against us.”.
What does that mean?
Thank you.