Sep

10 Words to Borrow from Different Cultures

by Janine Boylan on September 16, 2013

Two men standing on opposite cliffs with overlapping speech balloons sharing borrowed words from different cultures. (Image © Thinkstock)

Pardon me. Can I borrow that word?

Better Than Translation

Language makes us who we are. It’s how we share opinions, feelings, directions, knowledge. The complex spoken language that we have is uniquely human.

UC San Diego Professor Jeff Elman told NPR, “The Earth would not be the way it is if humankind didn’t have the ability to communicate, to organize itself, to pass knowledge down from generation to generation.”

It’s also the way we pass ideas into different cultures.

In fact, sometimes a word in one language is so perfect, people speaking another language have that “Oh, I see” moment and incorporate the word, as is, into their language.

Here are some great words from different cultures that are worth borrowing.

Two people huddled together on a sofa to get warm to illustrate the use of "friolero," a Spanish word that should become a borrowed word in other languages and used across different cultures. (Image © Thinkstock)

Brrrrr.

1. friolero

(free-oh-le-roh) someone who gets cold easily; caluroso (ca-loo-roh-soh) someone who gets hot easily (Spanish)

Possible use: I am a friolero so I’ve learned to always wear lots of layers—and still pack an extra jacket.

2. tocayo

(toh-kay-yo) a person who has the same name as you (Spanish)

Possible use: I have a friend with the same name as mine. He’s my tocayo.

3. fare il ponte

(fa-ray eel pon-tay) taking a Monday or Friday off when a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday so that you have a four day weekend. Literally means “make a bridge.” (Italian) Also fenstertag (fen-stur-tog) is the Monday or Friday between a holiday and a weekend (German)

Possible use: I’m planning to fare il ponte next fourth of July since it falls on a Thursday. I’ll sleep the entire fenstertag.

4. schilderwald

(shee-der-vald) a massive amount of traffic signs (German)

Possible use: The street had such a schilderwald that I didn’t see the “no parking” sign, and I got a ticket.

Two teens greeting each other to illustrate the meaning of "tartle," a Scottish word that should become a borrowed word and used across different cultures. (Image © Thinkstock)

If only I could remember your name…

5. tartle

(tar-tl) hesitation when introducing someone because you have forgotten his or her name (Scottish)

Possible use: Sorry for my tartle! or I tartled for a moment there. This is my friend, Sasha.

6. treppenwitz

(tre-pen-vits) the clever comeback you think of after you’ve left an argument that you lost. Literally means “staircase joke.” (German)

Possible use: Now I have my treppenwitz! If I had only said . . .

7. tsundoku

(tsoon-doh-koo) the habit of buying a book and then not reading it (Japanese)

Possible use: My tsundoku has gotten so out of control that I had to move books from on top of my nightstand to the floor. Now the pile is nearly as high as the nightstand!

8. verschlimmbesserung

(fair-shleem-bess-er-oonk) an improvement that makes things worse (German)

Possible use: The app update is a verschlimmbesserung! It’s full of bugs.

9. yaourter

(ya-or-tay) speaking or singing in a language that you don’t know very well by adding nonsensical sounds or words that you think are correct, but aren’t (French)

Possible use: At the restaurant in Mexico, I yaourtered in Spanish, but they still managed to understand me.

10. yoisho

(yo-ee-sho) the expression you say while or after doing something difficult, such as lifting or pulling something heavy (Japanese)

Possible use (as you collapse in a chair after a long day of work): Yoisho! That was a tough day!

Oh, I see!

So many great words out there ready to borrow from different cultures!

Pronunciations via Forvo. Images courtesy of Thinkstock.

Comment on this post below.

Janine Boylan 4 Comments

Crossing Cultures/Language & Culture/Worldwide Sites

Aug

Art Goes Across Cultures in “Tribute to Mandela”

by Sheron Long on August 15, 2013

How is it that a Belgian emerging artist, working with Chinese seals, honors South African activist and former President Nelson Mandela with a monumental portrait in the streets of Shanghai?

The inspiration that comes from going across cultures is, at least, part of the answer. In this video, seal artist Phil Akashi, shows his creative process.

If the video does not play, watch it here.

Mandela, An International Hero

Nelson Mandela (1918– ) celebrated his 95th birthday on July 18, 2013.

Nelson Mandela, subject of Phil Akashi's "Tribute to Mandela," a portrait created with Chinese seals and illustrating the art of going across cultures

Nelson Mandela, 2008
© South Africa The Good News

His vision of equal rights for the citizens of South Africa led to resistance against apartheid policies and to his imprisonment for 27 years.

After his 1990 release, he and President FW de Klerk negotiated an end to apartheid for which they won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

At age 77, Mandela voted for the first time in the 1994 elections, in which he became South Africa’s first democratically elected President.

Sheron Long 2 Comments

China/Crossing Cultures/South Africa/The World's Art & Design

May

Crossing Cultures: To France with a Sheltie

by Sheron Long on May 16, 2013

A Sheltie in the markets of Provence prompts aha moments while crossing cultures

Chula the Sheltie loves the windy Wednesday market in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
© Sheron Long

Aha Moments in the Markets of Provence

Our Sheltie, Chula Wula D’Augue, has never been inside a grocery store in her home state of California. She’s not allowed on the grounds that dogs and food do not mix.

But every year when we take her with us to France, the cultural differences work in her favor. Crossing cultures means she can stay in hotels, from simple to chic, and go with us to restaurants, where the kind waiters bring her water and sometimes an amuse-bouche.

And she can make her favorite foray into the big outdoor food markets where dogs and food DO mix. Here in villages across Provence amid the chatter of buying and selling and the tasting of everything from cheese to paella, is where Chula and I have one aha moment after another.

In fact, I’m pretty sure of this one revelation:

Everything I need to know about life I’ve learned from my dog in the markets of Provence .

After crossing cultures to France, a Sheltie steps out her gate and heads to the markets of Provence.

To market! To market!
© Sheron Long

Such as, you ask? Here are my top 6.

1. Follow Your Passion

In our village of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, we live only a short block from the market. From the time we step out of our gate, Chula strains at the leash, trotting left then right then left again to the sausage table by the centuries old church. She knows the way because, you see, sausage is her passion.

After crossing cultures to France, a Sheltie finds tasty morsels under the sausage table in the markets of Provence.

And Oh, I see too: Once you find your passion, go for it. The reward is immense.

2. Respect Everyone

Chula looked down her long Sheltie snout into the flat face of this Boxer and said, “Bonjour!” With his short fur, he must have wondered how Chula stood the heat of a Provençal summer. But they found common ground here by the flower stand and shared their secrets on which vendors give treats to canine friends.

After crossing cultures to France, an American Sheltie bridges cultural differences and makes friends with a French Boxer in the markets of Provence.

Oh, I see. Bridging differences can enrich your life.

3. Sniff Out Opportunities

Not much gets by Chula. Like other dogs with long, wide snouts, she has about 225 million scent receptors. Compare that to the human who has 5 million, and you get a sense of her talented nose, which she uses to interpret her world.

This day, Chula sensed an opportunity and stuck her neck out. She didn’t get the roast chicken inside the sack, but she did get a great scratch and those welcome words joli chien (pretty dog). Befitting words, too, since her name Chula means “pretty” in Spanish.

After crossing cultures, a Sheltie sniffs out food in the markets of Provence and provides an aha moment.

Oh, I see when you know your talents and put them to work, unexpected good comes your way.

4. Own Up to Your Mistakes

No matter how talented, every dog comes a-cropper from time to time. Chula’s downfall is tomatoes. She loves to steal them out of kitchen gardens, from market crates, off plates left unattended. When she lifted a tomato from this vendor and got caught, she looked up at him with soulful eyes and pledged a reparation. I handed over a euro, and knew she’d do it all over again.

After crossing cultures to France, a Sheltie steals a tomato in the markets of Provence and has an aha moment.

Oh, I see. It’s one thing to say you’re sorry and another to mean it.

5. Live Life with Friends

Chula knows the value of friendship. Good friends help each other put their best paw forward, they watch each other’s back, and they show each other the way. On this sunny market day, two dog friends savored the moment, trotting through the crowd on their way to the paella skillets.

After crossing cultures to France, a Sheltie strolls through the markets of Provence and has an aha moment.

Oh, I see. Time with friends puts a smile on your face.

6. Keep an Open Heart

Chula paused in front of the lovely linens on sale at every market in Provence, perhaps to show that she thinks about things other than food. I like to think she was making a statement about her love of France, her joie de vivre at living life in a different culture, the pleasure of the time away with us.

After crossing cultures to France, a Sheltie admires the linens in the markets of Provence.

Who can ever know for sure what a dog is thinking, whether at home or crossing cultures? But no one can doubt the shared love and adventures that transpire when you keep an open heart. Oh, I see!

Visit AngloINFO Provence for a schedule of market days in the different villages.

Sheron Long and Chula Wula D’Augue are authors of Dog Trots Globe—To Paris and Provence, a visual account of their adventures through France, including a chapter and video on the markets of Provence. Chula shares her dog’s-eye view of Provence in these postcards, which she offers to you as a free gift.

Sheron Long 4 Comments

Crossing Cultures/France/Secrets to Life

World Views:

Topics

Category Archives: Crossing Cultures