Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Words That Don't Exist in the English Language

Pinned Image
via
                   

Language is fascinating, isn't it?  I am often times jealous of Non-Americans who are bilingual or trilingual from a very young age.  Sometimes it makes me sick how closed minded and self absorbed Americans are in general.  English is not by far the best language.  And yet everyone is flocking to learn it.  I think if I had more time I could spend hours just lost in the study of language. 

It's amazing how different each language is and how each one has it's own way of expressing something.  Being fluent in American Sign Language and now adding in Nepali Sign Language to the mix, I find myself using signs or words from the one that is easier to express what I mean at that moment.  Not one language is the same and sometimes one is better than the other for a specific thought or meaning trying to be conveyed and the brain subconsciously picks the right one.  Does this make any sense? 

Isn't that list great?  I wish I had words for all of those feelings.  How amazing it would be to know all these languages and be able to pull out these expressions when you needed them.  I love talking to friends who speak Spanish and how they say in Spanish we have this expression that means this, because there really just isn't an equivalent in English. 

Too bad learning languages is so challenging.  I gotta get on that. 

4 comments:

Autumn @ Autumn All Along said...

My husband and I always used the Bambi word "twitterpaited" for the feeling when you are falling in love :)

I love the "person who asks too many questions"...haha so applicable as I am a teacher.

Harley said...

this is really cool!

Shoko said...

Love "gigil" - I could probably use this word daily :)

Rachel Lowry said...

Hey, I stumbled upon your blog through a few diversions and I just have to say that I love this post and very much agree. The mechanics of language can be simultaneously limiting and broadening to our perspective of the world around us and our ability to express that.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...