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Author Topic: The Loanword Thread  (Read 6109 times)

Sheb

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The Loanword Thread
« on: March 31, 2014, 02:24:05 pm »

So I got this idea after trying to use Realitätsfremd in English.

English is becoming the world's lingua franca, but every language got some words that are plainly better and should be incorporated as loanword. Some already have: Schadenfreude is probably one of the best example of a loanword.

So this thread is for all of us to propose words for loanwordsdom. I'll just ask people speaking language that don't use the latin alphabet to post a romanized version, fore easier loanwordisation.

So here are my entries:

Realitätsfremd: German, "Removed from reality". Used when someone is so stupid you feel he lives in his own word.

Veur Bouft: Brussels dialect: meaning "I stuffed myself eating that and I really wish I had a spare stomach to eat more"" "je suis veur bouft"

Klette: Belgian French: a spineless, stupid sod. "Mais quelle klette ce peï!"

"Schiffezza": Italian, from schiffo, disgusting piece of crap: A small piece of crap "What the hell is that schiffezza in the shower?"
« Last Edit: March 31, 2014, 02:26:15 pm by Sheb »
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DJ

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #1 on: March 31, 2014, 04:38:03 pm »

Huy - just about anything :P
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Dutchling

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #2 on: March 31, 2014, 04:41:00 pm »

Apartheid: a fun Dutch word you can use to... oh... nevermind.
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Mesa

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #3 on: March 31, 2014, 04:53:57 pm »

Skurczybyk is a fun, Polish one.
Literally it means "shrink bull" (...VERY literally), but in practice it's used to refer to a man who induces lust, reluctance or admiration. (although it also seems to be used as a replacement for "bastard" and similar words (or their Polish equivalents, rather...Not like anybody actually bothers to give a damn about when to use it.).
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scrdest

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #4 on: March 31, 2014, 05:18:25 pm »

Skurczybyk is a fun, Polish one.
Literally it means "shrink bull" (...VERY literally), but in practice it's used to refer to a man who induces lust, reluctance or admiration. (although it also seems to be used as a replacement for "bastard" and similar words (or their Polish equivalents, rather...Not like anybody actually bothers to give a damn about when to use it.).

I'd say it could be translated as 'son of a gun'. Basically, an ersatz for a stronger swear (the Polish equivalent of 'son of a bitch' in this case).
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Zrk2

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #5 on: March 31, 2014, 05:56:21 pm »

Merde, because I always need more swear words. Also it's more versatile than any one swear word in English.
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LeoLeonardoIII

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #6 on: March 31, 2014, 06:00:47 pm »

I like some from The Meaning of Tingo. Some are great D&D character names, others just express things for which English has no word.

Kerala is the impression made on skin from tight cloth. I think we all encounter that, even if just from creases in the bedsheets when you wake up. It could also be wrangled into use to describe "keyboard face".
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Remuthra

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #7 on: March 31, 2014, 06:07:13 pm »

Mglw'nafh- to wait patiently Ex. Now, I can't get to fixing your bike today, Jimmy, so you'll just have to mglw'nafh.

olemars

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2014, 06:28:56 pm »

I'm going to use this opportunity to mention an actual loanword that has always baffled me: smorgasbord. It's swedish and literally means ''sandwich table''. I've jusr never understood why someone felt that english needed this word.
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LeoLeonardoIII

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #9 on: March 31, 2014, 06:30:57 pm »

Probably because we didn't have a word for a huge spread of food? Although "spread" actually works just fine. And "buffet" although that has a connotation (at least where I live) that you can keep going back for more food.
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LordBucket

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #10 on: March 31, 2014, 07:05:08 pm »

Ustedes (Spanish): polite plural of "you." Closest english equivalent is "ya'll" which is decidedly informal. This is a word I not infrequently in real life find it inconvenient that english lacks.

Arigata meiwaku (Japanese): "An act someone does for you that you didn’t want to have them do and tried to avoid having them do, but they went ahead anyway, determined to do you a favor, and then things went wrong and caused you a lot of trouble, yet in the end social conventions required you to express gratitude."

I'd also suggest schadenfreude, but I think that's fairly well acknowledged as a loanword already.


Merde, because I always need more swear words. Also it's more versatile than any one swear word in English.

Just use smurf: "What the smurf! This is so smurfing smurfy that I'm going to smurfing smurf a smurf down your smurf!"

People who swear sound like that to me.

Jopax

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #11 on: March 31, 2014, 07:08:21 pm »

Funnily enough, in croatian, the buffet is reffered to as the "Swedish table".

Ninja edit:

That Arigata meiwaku thing. Isn't it just easier to sarcastically say thanks?
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Itnetlolor

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #12 on: March 31, 2014, 08:36:33 pm »

I'm going to use this opportunity to mention an actual loanword that has always baffled me: smorgasbord. It's swedish and literally means ''sandwich table''. I've jusr never understood why someone felt that english needed this word.
I would assume it can be comparable more to the kinds of service tables in delis and such when they serve subs. In a sense, all the food on the table can serve as individual ingredients for a collective meal (in the most common case, a sandwich or sub), or as snacking foods.

That's my take on it, at least. It would compare well with buffet, seeing as some people make all kinds of crazy combos with those.

LordBucket

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #13 on: April 01, 2014, 04:21:05 am »

That Arigata meiwaku thing. Isn't it just easier to sarcastically say thanks?

Not if you're explaining the event after the fact to somebody entirely else. Arigata meiwaku isn't what you say when it happens. It's the thing that happens. Also, sarcastically saying thanks would be missing the point. If you're able to be sarcastic about it without violating social convention, it's probably not arigata meiwaku.

For example, let's say you're the mailboy at a large company. You work Thursday through Monday because you have classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The president of the company hears that his mailboys have to work weekends, and finds it tragic, so he announces that he's going to change your schedule to free up your weekend. You relay up the chain of command that no, you're perfectly happy with how things are, please don't change it. It would be inconvenient.

Then you show up at the company party the following week, the president asks you to come up while he's giving a speech, puts his arms around your shoulders and announces in front of the the entire company that he's heard of the terrible plight your department faces with such terrible hours, and in the kindness of his heart he has changed everyone's schedules to give you weekends off. Everyone cheers and he hands you the microphone.

Do you:

A) Sarcastically tell him thanks
B) Smile and thank him for what he's done

If you chose B, then what he did was arigata meiwaku.

Sheb

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Re: The Loanword Thread
« Reply #14 on: April 01, 2014, 04:24:47 am »

That's one cool word. Do you think I should just record the whole vocabulary in the OP?
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