Animals are one of the first things we learn when studying a foreign language.
And probably every language in the world uses animals as a way to symbolize human personality traits
or as a way to insult others.
However, the meaning of each animal is not necessarily the same across languages.
For example, when I first came to Vietnam, I was surprised to find that "dog" is a pretty serious curse,
used when you feel someone else is really mean, or just all-around awful.
You took my money to go gambling again, didn't you?
Uh, yup.
You dog!
It's not like that in English.
Naturally, calling someone "a dog" isn't a compliment,
but it has a much different quality from "dog" in Vietnamese.
Let's take a look at what characteristics dogs have.
They're very loyal to their masters,
they love running and chasing things,
and in general, the males really like having sex.
So in English, "a dog" is a guy who's constantly horny, who sleeps with a lot of different girls,
and typically goes after girls really aggressively.
And when you call a woman "a dog," it means she's so ugly it makes your eyes hurt.
But I don't know why it means that.
To me, female dogs are beautiful.
An animal with a meaning somewhat similar to a dog is a cow.
Let's see what characteristics a cow has.
It moves slowly,
it's got a fairly indifferent outlook on the world,
and it's pretty dern big, too!
So in English, "a cow" is an obese woman.
It's a very mean thing to say. You shouldn't use it.
Another fat animal is the pig.
Its main qualities are that it's pretty lazy,
it gives off a rather pungent odor,
and it eats a lot.
So the meaning of "a pig" in English is someone who's really gluttonous.
Or it can also be someone who's greedy.
For example, a phrase often used to describe greedy, selfish businessmen is "capitalist pig."
While we're still out on the farm, I want to talk about chickens, too.
Their first characteristic is that they're great eating,
except when boiled.
The second characteristic is that the roosters like crowing all damn day.
And their third characteristic is that they run like hell anytime they get scared.
The meaning of "a chicken" in English comes from this third characteristic.
It means someone who's a pitiful coward.
"Spicy Korean Noodles: Level 1" (There are 7 levels, so 1 is pretty tame.)
And this usage of "chicken" is so common,
we often tease other people just by making chicken sounds.
And one animal you rarely see on Vietnamese farms, except in Ninh Thuận,
is the sheep.
Like a cow, it eats grass,
has an indifferent outlook on the world,
and it always travels with the herd.
If you call someone "a sheep"
it means they don't act according to their own thinking and their own morality,
but instead just follow the crowd . . .
regardless of how stupid that crowd may be.
Ok, whoever wants to make a lot of money, without a lot of effort,
just join our multi-level network!
Let's see those hands!
Ok, now let's leave the farm and head into the city,
where we'll look at some animals we encounter more often.
In Vietnamese cities, there's probably no animal we encounter more often than rats.
Their key qualities are spreading disease,
reproducing like crazy,
and furtively sneaking around in the shadows.
"A rat" in English is a snitch, someone who enjoys telling on others.
No one likes rats, so we've invented a lot of pest control methods to get rid of them.
Or you can use biological pest control . . .
like snakes, for example.
The characteristics of snakes are that they also move furtively,
they've got cold blood,
and they can attack with lightning speed.
So in English, "a snake" is a liar, someone who's always ready to cold-bloodedly betray others.
So rats and snakes are both bad.
Is there any animal that can catch both?
Ah, a cat will do.
The qualities of a cat are sleeping a lot,
catching small animals with great skill,
and often behaving rather haughtily.
If you use "cat" as an adjective, "catty," it means that person has a somewhat conceited personality,
and often insults people in clever, indirect ways.
However, cats also have a positive meaning in English.
If you call a guy "a cool cat,"
it means he's just a really cool, entertaining dude.
Yeah.
I can't help but agree.
I'd like to thank the guys at Viet Pet Garden Shop for letting me shoot video of all their snakes.
If you like snakes, pythons, and other types of interesting reptiles,
then check out their website at vietpetgarden.com