Lost for words… Lost words…

As a writer I’m fascinated by language, and the origins of the language which I speak and in which I write; as a teacher of English as a second language it often strikes me how different languages have particular words for a thing or a concept which can only be explained by many words in other languages.

For example, I came across a list of English words for which there seems to be no exact translation into other languages… this is only a selection:

pimp – as in ‘pimp my ride’
trade-off
spam
kitsch (although a loan word from German it has taken on a completely different meaning)
gobbledygook
serendipity
googly

… and here is a selection of words from other languages which take several phrases to explain:

fernweh (German) – feeling homesick for a place you’ve never been to
komorebi (Japanese) the scattered, dappled effect of sunshine through trees
pochemuchka (Russian) – a person who asks too many questions
gökotta (Swedish) to wake up early just to go outside to hear the dawn chorus
shlimazl (Yiddish) – a chronically unlucky person
waldeinsamkeit (German) – the feeling of being alone in the woods
iktsuarpok (Inuit) – the frustration of waiting for someone to turn up
papakata (Cook Islands Maori) – to have one leg shorter than the other
friolero (Spanish) – someone who is really sensitive to the cold
utepils (Norwegian) – to sit outside enjoying a beer on a sunny day
culaccino (Italian) – the mark left on a table by a damp glass
age-otori (Japanese) – to look worse after a haircut than before
tokka (Finnish) – a large herd of reindeer
won (Korean) – the reluctance of someone to let go of an illusion

There are also many Old English words which have long since disappeared, which have been forgotten or replaced, but which I think could make a great come-back… I am going back to the language known to the Anglo-Saxons which was actually very, very different from the language we speak today had a rich array of inventive and intriguing words, many of which have either long since dropped out of use or were replaced.

Paul Anthony Jones offered a great list, and here is a selection:

attercoppe – this literally means ‘poison head’ and means ‘spider’; apparently it or a very similar word is still used in some dialects
breóst-hord – it is easy to see that this means ‘breast-treasure’, and means what is dearest to us in our hearts
candeltreow – a candle tree… therefore what we would call a candlestick!
cumfeorm – cumer = comer, someone who comes and visits, and cumfeorm means hospitality to the comer!
eaxl-gestealla – eaxle meant shoulder or underarm and an eaxl-gestealle is someone you put your arm round, your best and dearest friend
eorþæppla – earth apples… actually cucumbers!
gesibsumnes – the peace and happiness felt between a group of friends or relatives – this definitely sums up my family
gléo-dreám – dreám here doesn’t mean a dream, but joy or pleasure – the gléo part is glee… and glee-joy is what you feel listening to music – I can really understand that!!
hleahtor-smiþ – a ‘laughter-smith’! (þ = ‘th’)
hleów-feðer – literally a shelter-feather, but actually someone who shelters or protects you
meolcliðe – means ‘milk-soft,’ – we might say a milk-sop!
on-cýðig – this actually means ‘un-known’, but it doesn’t mean it as something we are ignorant of or don’t know… it probably means ‘know’ in a face to face sense, so when someone is no longer with you they are ‘unknown’, and the feelings of sadness and loss are associated with this word… I’m sure we have all felt like that about someone, something, or somewhere!
sæflod – the incoming tide, the sea-flood
unweder – weder – weather is good, un-weder – is un-weather, bad weather or a storm!