Which word from another language do you need in your language?

[Valka D'Ur]

So we need more words? More language precision? I say "No"! Ambiguity is part of the reason English can be so fun and interesting. In science one does want precision but in literature and poetry, not so much.

Dictionaries are never complete so their word counts are always low. Covid and cofefe are two new words and I'm sure the urban dictionary has many more. "Exit the plane" has been replaced with "deplane". Not an improvement. Globalization is adding lots of new words to every language. When do we get to count vamonos as an English word? Isn't "schlep" a word in every language now? My spell checker didn't underline it.

I've added a lot of words to my spell checker because I got fed up with it telling me that some of the words I use frequently are incorrect. Canadian English includes a mix of British spellings, French spellings, and various indigenous words.

Right now I'm reading a very long Harry Potter story. I figured out over 150 chapters ago that the author is Canadian, because she uses the word "toque."

My first recollection of hearing "deplane" was this in 1977:


Link to video.

Did you watch any of the new series that was on recently? The island was run by Mr. Roarke's grand-niece, Elena Roarke. There weren't that many episodes, though. I think it's already canceled.

We also do have a word for "grandparents", although this word is exactly the same as the plural of "grandfather". It's a similar situation to "mankind" referring to both genders even though "man" obviously refers to males only. Not a perfect comparison though since nobody says "mankind" to refer to malekind. But you get the idea

"Humankind" is my preference.

Or "peoplekind" if your name is Justin Trudeau.

 

[Kyriakos]

Funnily enough, there is no standard term currently used in Greek for "privacy". This led to the appearance of the direct translation "idiotikotita" (from the same route as idiotes, which means private-interest oriented, and gives you the idiotic 'english' term "idiot").

 

[Samson]

Funnily enough, there is no standard term currently used in Greek for "privacy". This led to the appearance of the direct translation "idiotikotita" (from the same route as idiotes, which means private-interest oriented, and gives you the idiotic 'english' term "idiot").

So idiot, if one takes the derivation as "meaning", means someone who is not working for the state? Interesting. From wiki:

The word "idiot" comes from the Greek noun ἰδιώτης idiōtēs 'a private person, individual' (as opposed to the state), 'a private citizen' (as opposed to someone with a political office)​

 

[Kyriakos]

So idiot, if one takes the derivation as "meaning", means someone who is not working for the state? Interesting. From wiki:

The word "idiot" comes from the Greek noun ἰδιώτης idiōtēs 'a private person, individual' (as opposed to the state), 'a private citizen' (as opposed to someone with a political office)​

Yes. The negative meaning is due to the social situation in ancient Athens, where people tended to not bother about state affairs since they had enough money through the Delian League. It's why Athens paid you to vote.

 

[warpus]

So idiot, if one takes the derivation as "meaning", means someone who is not working for the state? Interesting. From wiki:

The word "idiot" comes from the Greek noun ἰδιώτης idiōtēs 'a private person, individual' (as opposed to the state), 'a private citizen' (as opposed to someone with a political office)​

TIL I'm an idiot

 

[Takhisis]

I have never played Civ3.

Well, you should fix this.

 

[red_elk]

Civ3 was just about city spamming, who has the bigger empire, wins.
Civ4 is much better basically at everything.

 

[warpus]

Civ4:BTS is the best Civ game to date in terms of game balance and replayability

 

[Samson]

Civ4:BTS is the best Civ game to date in terms of game balance and replayability

FTFY

 

[Takhisis]

Civ3 was just about city spamming, who has the bigger empire, wins.
Civ4 is much better basically at everything.

My careful linguistic analysis of the terminology employed to put forward these premises, as well as a verification of the actual factual content alleged, leads me to definitively conclude that both statements are mere Kremlin propaganda and should be dismissed as such.

Edit: I further counsel that the proponent of so obvious a piece of propaganda be barred from accessing this debating hall for a suitable period of at least three months.

 

[r16]

playing at monarch , ı tend to win most of the civ lll games ı play , with about 5 cities until about the middle of the game . 5 micromanaged towns tend to owerpower 25 towns of Al quite often , before taking on an other one with 30 . And yes , by non-stop rinse repeat of a small wonder tonight ı had 4 techs in 5 or 6 turns , instead of a minimum 16 .

 

[r16]

oh-kay , ı didn't know stuff was being followed that far away . But today , this particular day , am not particularly liked . And to top that , some fugitive mob boss guy has threatened to release video clips of "multiple" A-K-P bosses travelling to engage in homo whatever sxual stuff "away" in Northern Cyprus , so "hot" that if threatens to make people stop having the Faith . (Considering he has already brought down the Prime Minister of the said location .) Not accusing anyone of anything but one needs to make sure before answering to any charge of being a bot , which tends to sound odd ...

and yeah , it will still kick anything down or up , as soon as ı put some lazer things on it .

 

[Takhisis]

I think that two words missing from the Ingerlish language are:

a) ‘sobremesa’ i.e. the situation and atmosphere that happen when you linger at table after eating.

b) ‘fiacca’ (borrowed from Italian as ‘fiaca’ here and ‘fjaka’ in Croatia) which is a sort-of comfy slowthfulness but not quite.

 

[Ferocitus]

Mamihlapinatapai
A look that without words is shared by two people who want to initiate something, but that neither will start
or
looking at each other hoping that the other will offer to do something which both parties desire but are unwilling to do.

A romantic interpretation of the meaning also exists:
"It is that look across the table when two people are sharing an unspoken but private moment. When each knows the other understands and is in agreement with what is being expressed. An expressive and meaningful silence."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamihlapinatapai

 

[Gori the Grey]

But surely they must have had a word for the hair that grows under your nose before the Normans imported the "Moustache" - what was it ?

Possibly nobody wore a moustache without a beard also, so it's possible they actually didn't need any word for a non-existent phenomenon.

 

[Kyriakos]

The byzantine titles just-below-emperor, could find use. Like Hyperprotopansebastohypertatos (most of those terms mean "highest", "first").
That's what happens when you need to call the second in command (and also the third and fourth) something really grandiose.

 

[Broken_Erika]

....... Hyperprotopansebastohypertatos

I dare you to pronounce that 3 times really fast.

 

[Takhisis]

Actually, in Greek it's quite pronounceable, because it's pronounced as it's spelled. In English's peculiar way of butchering classical languages, on the other hand… *shudders*

 

[Gori the Grey]

The byzantine titles just-below-emperor, could find use. Like Hyperprotopansebastohypertatos (most of those terms mean "highest", "first").
That's what happens when you need to call the second in command (and also the third and fourth) something really grandiose.

SeniorAssistanttotheSecondVicePresidentforStrategyandCommunications

 

[Takhisis]

SeniorAssistanttotheSecondVicePresidentforStrategyandCommunications

I'll raise you ‘Cholmondeley’ and ‘Leicester’.