Discussion » Questions » Language » Speakers of languages other than English, either as your native tongue or as a second language:
Randy D

Speakers of languages other than English, either as your native tongue or as a second language:

what is a word in that foreign language that does not have an equivalent word in English, OR, what is a word in English that does not have an equivalent word in the foreign language?  Please state the name of the language and a brief definition of the words, thanks. 

(Equivalent as in a specific word in one language that corresponds to a specific word in the other language, requiring a multi-word explanation to get the pint across.)

EXAMPLE: Quinceañera (Spanish) -- The fiesta de quince años is a celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday. It has its cultural roots in Latin America, but is widely celebrated today throughout the Americas. The girl celebrating her 15th birthday is a quinceañera. 

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Posted - January 21, 2018
Tags : None

Responses


  • 13071

    Тоска (tas-'ka)

    While this Russian word roughly translates as emotional pain or melancholy, native speakers continue to claim Americans can't possibly understand its depth. 

      January 22, 2018 4:22 AM MST
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  • 5354
    Here in Denmark we have an 'exclusive' Danish word: "Hygge". It is a verb and denote the happiness of being with friends or family. The other Scandinavian countries have similar words for that, but as far as I know the word (and concept) do not exist outside of that small region.

    The more cultural distance the is the greater is the likelihood of such words. Original Eskimo culture have several words for various specific kinds of snow "loose snow", "snow that packs together to form a hard surface", ...
    I think the "loose snow" above would be "powder snow" in English, but do you have a word for the kid of snow that is good for cutting into blocks and building Iglo's ?.
      January 22, 2018 5:30 AM MST
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  • 5354
    PS: How about "Sweet 16" as a parallel word to "quinceañera" ?
      January 22, 2018 5:45 AM MST
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  • 53504


    Thanks. While it's true it's a parallel, it's not a single word, it's a two-word phrase.  I covered that stipulation in the original question. 
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      January 22, 2018 5:47 AM MST
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  • 5354
    Sorry, Your "A single word" makes little sense for me because Danish contain a lot of compound words such as
    1) "øretæveindbydende" = which is best described as "beating inviter (nasty piece of work)" in English. or
    2) "Billetkontrollørkasketshyggebånd" which means "ticket checkers cap shadow band".
    In both cases The danish 'single word' say the same thing by joining all the words together into a single long word. Gernan is another language that use many such compound words. This post was edited by JakobA the unAmerican. at January 22, 2018 6:59 AM MST
      January 22, 2018 6:51 AM MST
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  • 5354
    Many 'Official' caps have such a band: below is a police officers cap:

    Officially it is illegal to make such a cap for yourself, but in practice the crime that gets procecuted is 'impersonating an officer'
      January 22, 2018 7:23 AM MST
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  • 5835
    Quinceanera is a custom invented by 19th century Spanish socialites in Mexico, specifically to waste some money. It has been revived by Americans of Mexican descent for pretty much the same purpose. It is a wedding, in a Catholic church, without a groom. Of course, individual celebrations might vary a lot, since the event has no specific purpose.
      January 22, 2018 10:30 AM MST
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  • 16763
    Ut (Latin) or hina (Greek). Subjunctive case. Takes two or more words in English.
      January 22, 2018 5:53 AM MST
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  • 53504


      Thank you; what are their definitions, please?

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      January 22, 2018 6:01 AM MST
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  • 16763
    "That it might". Greeks used it only when necessary, Romans whenever possible.
      January 22, 2018 6:03 AM MST
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  • 5835

    English "the" has no equivalent in any other language, and students sometimes never figure out when to use it and when not to use it. Other languages might have an article, but not like English "the". 

    But "set" is the winner: 464 definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary.

      January 22, 2018 10:36 AM MST
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