NationStates Jolt Archive

This is a thread which is despite being started by Rejistania not about computers. It is about languages. If you know more than one language, you sometimes encounter words in one language, which have no counterpart in other languages you speak. This annoys me greatly when I have to stop in speech and need to think around it. These words are words like "open minded" or "Fächer" or weird combinations like "unabsteigbar" (in sports RPing I sometimes want to use such terms) for me. Also, yesterday, I stumbled over the Turkish for "<my thing> yok" for "I do not have a <thing>" (I said: "My cellphone does not exist" and then laughed and pretended it was intentional).

Which words do you stumble upon most often?

Edit: also: dare to make some threads about new topics :) I miss them!

In English, I think the word most badly-used and in sore need of being split into several words like they have in other languages, is 'love'.

I don't really know enough of another language to try to translate words that don't fit, but I've seen lots of instances of people translating and saying things like 'well its like this, but not quite, it has some of this in it also'.

yeah, the lack of having words that correspond to ones you want to say is painful, though i normally don't speak russian often enough to have to try and figure out words for things in english.
it's far worse for those who have to interpret/translate languages professionally and one of the reasons why we still have a long time before translating software will be good (i'm playing a japanese game and the stuff that comes out of a brand-new translating program barely makes any sense)

What I hate is when you're conversing and the word you need next just poof! disappears from your brain, leaving you stammering and trying to figure out the next synonym to it (and you don't have to be fluent in multiple languages for it to happen.)

There are many words in German which lack equivalent in English, mostly because they are actually several words smushed together. For example, schadenfreude (the pleasure derived from others pain) or Gesamtkunstwerk (the synthesis of all art-work into a single piece). There also seem to be many words that have to do with forests.

There are many words in German which lack equivalent in English, mostly because they are actually several words smushed together. For example, schadenfreude (the pleasure derived from others pain) or Gesamtkunstwerk (the synthesis of all art-work into a single piece). There also seem to be many words that have to do with forests.

;) In American English (at least) we solve that problem by stealing words like shadenfreude, sushi, et cetera.

What Kat said. American English just steals words, like yutz (jackass) and schmaltz (overt sentimentality).

What I hate is when you're conversing and the word you need next just poof! disappears from your brain, leaving you stammering and trying to figure out the next synonym to it (and you don't have to be fluent in multiple languages for it to happen.)
Yeah... that is annoying as well. Especially if you know the term in another language... I sometimes speak like a jerk in such a case: "What is important in this case it that the... Verteilung... err... the distribution changes to become more effective."

Because I study 6 languages in school(Dutch, English, Latin, Greek, French, German) I'm often stuck with this problem...But it's amazing how much Dutch resembles German :p

Edit: I go to a dutch school....that's why I do 6 languages :p

Welsh is the biggest pain in the ass ever.

Language has hardly evolved and doesn't keep up to modern words in other languages such as english.. so you end up speaking half welsh / half english all the time :headbang:

I always end up speaking a wierd combination of French and Spanish during a conversation in French... ever so annoying. Fortunatly, the romance languages have COGNATES!!! whee! so if you just pronounce the word a different way people think you're speaking their language.

Same thing with Dutch and German:p

Mmmmm, this thread has a certain, je ne sais quoi . . .

What Kat said. American English just steals words, like yutz (jackass) and schmaltz (overt sentimentality).

It's not just American English. English as a whole has got to be the biggest thief of a language ever.
Welsh is the biggest pain in the ass ever.

Language has hardly evolved and doesn't keep up to modern words in other languages such as english.. so you end up speaking half welsh / half english all the time :headbang:

Same with Irish.

On any particular day I can only remember, like, half my vocabulary immediately. I swear I once spent an hour trying to remember 'impetus'.

It's not just American English. English as a whole has got to be the biggest thief of a language ever.


Same with Irish.

Damn, I've gotta find that quote before I get beaten to it. The one with English chasing languages down alleyways and rifling through their pockets for new words.

Damn, I've gotta find that quote before I get beaten to it. The one with English chasing languages down alleyways and rifling through their pockets for new words.

I know that one, I just can't remember it.

"English does not borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over and goes through their pockets for loose grammar."

I think.

"English does not borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over and goes through their pockets for loose grammar."

I think.

Close enough. Various versions (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=6rN&q=rifles+through+their+pockets+for+new+words&btnG=Search), but I like this best:

"The problem with defending the purity of the English languange is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore.We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle through their pockets for new vocabulary." ~ James D. Nicoll

Close enough. Various versions (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=6rN&q=rifles+through+their+pockets+for+new+words&btnG=Search), but I like this best:

"The problem with defending the purity of the English languange is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore.We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle through their pockets for new vocabulary." ~ James D. Nicoll

Ah. I believe I got the version I posted off of a T-Shirt. :)

Because I study 6 languages in school(Dutch, English, Latin, Greek, French, German) I'm often stuck with this problem...But it's amazing how much Dutch resembles German :p

Edit: I go to a dutch school....that's why I do 6 languages :p

Yup :( But you do the 2 classical languages (Greek here means old greek). So that also means you're in the highest level of education for secondary school :)

And many languages borrow from each other. Just look at a modern dutch text and see how many words are english, french or german* of origin.

It's not just American English. English as a whole has got to be the biggest thief of a language ever.

Don't forget Yiddish and Scots.