+135 You feel jealous that some languages have words for things that English doesn't have a word for, amirite?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

waldeinsamkeit (german): the feeling of being alone in the woods. meraki (greek): doing something with soul, creativity, or love. pochmuchka (russian): a person who asks a lot of questions. forelsket (norwegian): a sense of euphoria experienced when first falling in love. cualacino (italian): the mark left on a table from a cold glass. Yeah, i'm jealous.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Pochemuchka, actually :) Nabokov talked about the Russian word toska, which is the feeling of utmost lonliness, boredom, depression, and hopelessness. There is no word to equal its power in English. Greek doesn't have a word for privacy.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

It's not like a combination of words can't be used to the same effect.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Of course a combination of words can be used to achieve roughly the same effect. However, it is interesting that some languages have words for certain concepts, while others have not I guess I'll leave it at this XD

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Mamihlapinatapai (Yaghan): A look shared by two people, each wishing that the other will offer something that they both desire but are unwilling to suggest or offer themselves.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Melengmes (Palauan): I only have an example for this. When you go to a friend's house and his parents offer you food, but you decline even though you're really hungry, you're showing a kind of respect that's called Melengmes. I honestly don't know how to explain this better, and I'm Palauan.

by Anonymous 11 years ago