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The magic of 'untranslatable' words

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Eva Stoppa
Eva Stoppa  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 07:47
English to German
+ ...
Interesting article on English language Jul 18, 2016

sh dates back to the migration of Germanic tribes to the British Isles around the 5th Century CE. Since then, it has enthusiastically embraced words from
diverse tongues, voraciously adding these to its ever-swelling lexicon. Credit:
Gra̤a Victoria/Thinkstock (MARS)
Frisson . What a strange word. It evokes that peculiar intermingling of excitement and fear that can attend momentous events. The spark of electricity when you
lock eyes with someone who is yet unknown ... See more
sh dates back to the migration of Germanic tribes to the British Isles around the 5th Century CE. Since then, it has enthusiastically embraced words from
diverse tongues, voraciously adding these to its ever-swelling lexicon. Credit:
Gra̤a Victoria/Thinkstock (MARS)
Frisson . What a strange word. It evokes that peculiar intermingling of excitement and fear that can attend momentous events. The spark of electricity when you
lock eyes with someone who is yet unknown to you, but who might just be ‘the one.’ The queasy sensation of anxious adrenaline when a big news story breaks. The
fearful joy as you plunge downhill on a vertiginous rollercoaster. The word ‘thrill’ perhaps comes close. But not quite. As such, realising that all
near-equivalents in English are imperfect, we gladly alight upon the French loanword. And as we do, our existence feels just a little richer and more nuanced.
Whenever people strive to describe the unique cultural dynamism of the United States, they often alight on the metaphor of a melting pot, evoking the nation’s
alchemical intermingling of people from all corners of the globe. Less commonly remarked upon is that English is likewise such a melting pot – assimilating
words from multiple languages, and being indubitably enhanced in the process. As a distinct branch of the Indo-European language tree, English dates back to
the migration of Germanic tribes to the British Isles around the 5th Century CE. Since then, it has enthusiastically embraced words from diverse tongues,
vora ▲ Collapse
 
Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 02:47
Portuguese to English
+ ...
Error Jul 19, 2016

Tried to access the article - got 'Page Not Found'. Why?
 
Angie Garbarino
Angie Garbarino  Identity Verified
Local time: 07:47
Member (2003)
French to Italian
+ ...
The link Jul 20, 2016

I found this link for the article
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-magic-of-untranslatable-words/

Hope it helps
 


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The magic of 'untranslatable' words







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