| Stran v tématu: < [1 2 3 4 5 6] > | Poll: Do you have a favorite word in each of your languages? Please share! Autor vlákna: ProZ.com Staff
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Lisa Roberts 
Francie
Local time: 08:51
španělština -> angličtina
+ ...
Lisa Nottmeyer wrote: Lisa Roberts wrote:
I'm not a German speaker, but when I went to Berlin last year I was equally taken and amused by the word 'Choos' (Bye)...perhaps more to do with the intonation... I know from Spanish friends that the word definitely has some fascination for non-German-speakers ... but it´s spelled in a different way: I hope you don´t mind if I correct it ...  Tschüs ! Tschüß ! or Tschö ! Best Lisa [Edited at 2008-03-01 12:29]
Not at all...I feared I might have spelt it wrong
| | | | | SMOOTH - HARSH | Mar 1, 2008 |
A word I love in English is "smooth". It has a sound that really conveys its meaning (at least, for me).
On the contrary, "harsh" gives me the exact idea of its meaning.
| | | | Rebecca Garber
Local time: 02:51
Člen (2005)
němčina -> angličtina
+ ...
English: corrigble. I actually learned incorrigible first, but the idea of being corriged was too much fun.
German: doppeltgemoppelt, because it's fun
Middle High German: lîb and ûzerwelter degen, from the *Nibelungenlied*. Long story.
Latin: pulchera, because no word for beauty should sound that ugly...
| | | | JPW (X)
Local time: 07:51
španělština -> angličtina
+ ...
My favourite word has got to be the Irish word for buttermilk:
Bláthach
If any of you have ever drunk buttermilk, then spat it out instantly, saying 'blaaagh!!!' then you've pretty much got the pronunciation (and taste) down to a tee.
[Note: buttermilk is sour milk used for baking. There are idiots who drink the stuff in this country]
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English: Goodness gracious, delicious
Spanish: Me encanta
| | | | Nicole Schnell
Spojené státy americké
Local time: 23:51
angličtina -> němčina
+ ...
In memoriam | Labbeduddel (German regional dialect) and persnickety | Mar 1, 2008 |
"Labbeduddel" describes someone who has about the verve and the energy of a wet noodle. It sounds awfully cute in German and I guess I love this word because that's how my mom used to call our good old dog.
Persnickety simply sounds hilarious.
I love this poll!
| | | | | One more...Paideia | Mar 1, 2008 |
Nicole Schnell wrote: I love this poll!
I agree with Nicole, this is a great poll.
One more favorite word: "Paideia"
It may be greek in origin; I understand paideia as "learning" to be intuitive, as learning to grasp, apprehend. I understand it as a different dimension of learning.....
This is how the dictionary defines it:
paideia
n. education aimed at forming an enlightened, mature mind.
[Edited at 2008-03-01 18:36]
| | | | PoveyTrans (X)
Local time: 07:51
němčina -> angličtina
Russian: звукоподражательный, ощущать (love the double -sch sound), черепаха (as a young student of Russian for some reason I got this word stuck in my head as перечаха which used to cause my host family in Russia much amusement), толстый (the family dog's nickname)
Croatian: ćevapčići (love making the -čići sound)
German: Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften (as students of German, we used to trail through the di... See more Russian: звукоподражательный, ощущать (love the double -sch sound), черепаха (as a young student of Russian for some reason I got this word stuck in my head as перечаха which used to cause my host family in Russia much amusement), толстый (the family dog's nickname)
Croatian: ćevapčići (love making the -čići sound)
German: Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften (as students of German, we used to trail through the dictionaries looking for amusing words and nominate a word of the week which we had to try and use as often as possible, however obtuse the direction we would try to steer the conversation in to get the word in - this one sticks out as causing us great hilarity ... the others are more well known false friends which particularly appealed to younger minds for their double-entendre qualities but shouldn't be repeated here.)
French: la lotte, les rostbifs
Swedish: lek (meaning to play, only because we use it in Yorkshire dialect, a linguistic relic of Scandanavian settlers centuries ago)
[Edited at 2008-03-01 19:05] ▲ Collapse
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| Not so frequent? | Mar 1, 2008 |
English: snicket, caterwaul, curmudgeon... I think they tend to be words you don't get a chance to relish very often.
Castillian: alféizar, aljibe, alcuza, aljonjolí (love those Arabic origin words, I can spend hours trawling through the first pages of the physical DRAE), patizambo, murciélago, carámbano (I like the esdrújulas too, including esdrújula itself!), patidifuso...
Galego: luar
Enjoying everyone else's contributions - I shall be muttering th... See more English: snicket, caterwaul, curmudgeon... I think they tend to be words you don't get a chance to relish very often.
Castillian: alféizar, aljibe, alcuza, aljonjolí (love those Arabic origin words, I can spend hours trawling through the first pages of the physical DRAE), patizambo, murciélago, carámbano (I like the esdrújulas too, including esdrújula itself!), patidifuso...
Galego: luar
Enjoying everyone else's contributions - I shall be muttering them for days to come.
And, yes, maybe we should then have a words we hate thread! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Juliana Brown
Izrael
Local time: 02:51
Člen (2007)
španělština -> angličtina
+ ...
| Esdrújula in Spanish | Mar 1, 2008 |
as well. My kids think it's hysterical, and once drew a picture of a witch and named her that.
"Gur" in Hebrew, which means cub, or puppy, and sounds like a soft growl.
Also, mishmish- apricot (sounds like it's been left out in the sun too long, unlike the ones they sell in Toronto, which are hard and tasteless) and shesek- loquats (sounds juicy).
| | | | Nesrin
Velká Británie
Local time: 07:51
angličtina -> arabština
+ ...
| (Egyptian) Arabic: Toz | Mar 1, 2008 |
Ok, after a lot of thinking in order to come up with my favourite Arabic word, I've decided to nominate the Egyptian Arabic word "toz", which can be used in a variety of ways.
e.g: A says: "Don't you know who I am? I am the very important bla bla bla". B replies: "Toz." Which is a short way of saying "Whatever, doesn't mean anything to me. To hell with you" etc. It's much milder than the English "damn ..." or the f-word, yet it expresses more contempt than any English word I know. You can ... See more Ok, after a lot of thinking in order to come up with my favourite Arabic word, I've decided to nominate the Egyptian Arabic word "toz", which can be used in a variety of ways.
e.g: A says: "Don't you know who I am? I am the very important bla bla bla". B replies: "Toz." Which is a short way of saying "Whatever, doesn't mean anything to me. To hell with you" etc. It's much milder than the English "damn ..." or the f-word, yet it expresses more contempt than any English word I know. You can adopt a Toz attitude against anything and anyone to show your contempt.
The word originally comes from the Turkish word for "salt", which during Ottoman reign was the only commodity exempt from taxes, so when a salt trader passed, the tax people would dismiss him with the word "toz". ▲ Collapse
| | | | Özden Arıkan
Německo
Local time: 08:51
Člen
angličtina -> turečtina
+ ...
Nesrin wrote:
The word originally comes from the Turkish word for "salt", which during Ottoman reign was the only commodity exempt from taxes, so when a salt trader passed, the tax people would dismiss him with the word "toz".
We have so many words of Arabic origin that when I read your first lines, I thought, "aha, then this one comes from Arabic, too?" Because toz means "dust" in Turkish. And we have a rude expression used to dismiss someone in a not-so-friendly way: "Toz ol!" (Get lost! - "get blown away like dust"). Our version of "salt" is tuz, though.
Sorry for distracting - I love this poll, too
[Edited at 2008-03-02 00:19]
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Nikki Graham
Velká Británie
Local time: 07:51
španělština -> angličtina
I like "asco" In Spanish. It can translate as disgusting and, to me at least, it conjures that idea up so wonderfully.
I also like "friolero". It means you feel the cold more than you should, but there isn't really a good translation for this. I am "friolera" myself and my non-Spanish speaking English husband has just had to learn this word so that he can understand what I'm talking about.
Although I know very little Italian, there are Italians in my family and I love t... See more I like "asco" In Spanish. It can translate as disgusting and, to me at least, it conjures that idea up so wonderfully.
I also like "friolero". It means you feel the cold more than you should, but there isn't really a good translation for this. I am "friolera" myself and my non-Spanish speaking English husband has just had to learn this word so that he can understand what I'm talking about.
Although I know very little Italian, there are Italians in my family and I love the word "ciao". I only use it when I am speaking Spanish, invariably to end a phone call, even to clients (the ones I know well) because "hasta luego" for goodbye just doesn't work for me, as it doesn't have that same friendly ring to it...
In my own language, at the moment its "gorgeousness", my current favourite nickname for my daughter.
And from my time in Germany, I adore the sound (and connotations) of "Kaffee und Kuchen" (coffee and cake) and "Kaffee kochen" (making coffee). Don't know why, perhaps I've just got a thing about the letter "k", which is why I put two of them in my name! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Larry Salas
Spojené státy americké
Local time: 02:51
nizozemština -> angličtina
+ ...
| All the words of this classic poem - even though they don't exist | Mar 2, 2008 |
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought–
So rested he... See more 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought–
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came wiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe. ▲ Collapse
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Have you realized that "mama" is an almost universal word?
In my own language, the first sentence I ever wrote and read was "mi mamá me mima," and I made it a point of teaching it to my daughters very early in their lives, probably because I love my mama so much
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