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japanese and german share a lexical pattern the more syllables in a word then the fewer definitions it has it is interesting to me that the author chose these

japanese and german share a lexical pattern the more syllables in a word then the fewer definitions it has it is interesting to me that the author chose these 'types' of words to highlight their highly specialised nature makes them far more translatable than the Japanese words i find most beautiful my favourite japanese word is 間,ma (o) it is difficult to translate because it simultaneously carries multiple meanings: "gap", "space", "pause" or "the space between two structural parts"(i); it can refer to any existence of negatives space, be it temporal, physical or metaphysical the kanji is a combination of the characters for: gate(ii) and sun(iii); two of the most important symbols in japanese iconography, and the question of whether the sun is setting or rising between the gate is up to interpretation as well (o) https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%96%93 https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%96%93 (i) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_(negative_space) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_(negative_space) (ii) https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%96%80 https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%96%80 (iii) https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%97%A5 https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%97%A5

jcranmer 10y ago
Polysemy is fairly common in languages. In my French-English dictionary, working out how to translate the simple word "get" takes up over two pages--and most of that is not dealing with the English proclivity for coining idiomatic verb phrases (e.g., "to put up" is completely different from any connotation of "to put" with the preposition "up"). The verbs "go", "set", and "put" also have impressively long definition lists if you consider these derivative verb phrases.
- justifier 10y ago
  Sure, nearly every dictionary entry lists multiple definitions Partially why I used the word 'multiple meanings' stead 'multiple defintions' ma's charm is in its single definition: negative space; having its own many meanings: temporal, physical,metaphysical Similarly latin's animus(o):mind, soul,conciousness,heart; multiple meanings all trying to define a single concept Look at a first kiss In the moments before a kiss ma is present temporally as the negative space between the decision to act and the action, physically as the material distance between sets of lips, and metaphysically as the distance between the animus of the individuals about to experience a post first kiss existence (o) https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/animus https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/animus
- justifier 10y ago
  > with the English proclivity for coining idiomatic verb phrases English does love idioms, and though they can be frustrating, the time to learn them in any language always pays off..an idiom Idioms are a huge factor in changing a language and keeping it new, and often are born of rebellion and subversion Idioms and puns used to feel insular to me so I began collecting international versions of them Nomihodai is a Japanese idiom that means 'all you can eat', but speak it aloud to a Spanish speaker and now you are using the Spanish idiom 'no me jodas' meaning 'don't fuck with me' English's biggest annoyance, or strength?, is it's abundance of propositions.. look up the French word 'de'(o) in you fr-en dictionary (o) https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/de#French https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/de#French
  - jcranmer 10y ago
    I did look it up. de wasn't nearly so bad, managing only a few inches of space. «faire» was the worst of the French words I could think up, squeezing out around a page. The problem with English prepositions is that much of their usage isn't really analyzable as prepositions. "to put", "to put up", and "to put up with" are all effectively three different verbs, and those prepositions are usually better analyzed as particles. However, grade school English grammar tends to be derived from attempts to analyze English according to traditional Greek grammar, which turns out to work poorly in practice (and hence, everything you learned in English class is probably wrong).

jcranmer 10y ago

Polysemy is fairly common in languages. In my French-English dictionary, working out how to translate the simple word "get" takes up over two pages--and most of that is not dealing with the English proclivity for coining idiomatic verb phrases (e.g., "to put up" is completely different from any connotation of "to put" with the preposition "up"). The verbs "go", "set", and "put" also have impressively long definition lists if you consider these derivative verb phrases.

justifier 10y ago
Sure, nearly every dictionary entry lists multiple definitions Partially why I used the word 'multiple meanings' stead 'multiple defintions' ma's charm is in its single definition: negative space; having its own many meanings: temporal, physical,metaphysical Similarly latin's animus(o):mind, soul,conciousness,heart; multiple meanings all trying to define a single concept Look at a first kiss In the moments before a kiss ma is present temporally as the negative space between the decision to act and the action, physically as the material distance between sets of lips, and metaphysically as the distance between the animus of the individuals about to experience a post first kiss existence (o) https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/animus https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/animus
justifier 10y ago
> with the English proclivity for coining idiomatic verb phrases English does love idioms, and though they can be frustrating, the time to learn them in any language always pays off..an idiom Idioms are a huge factor in changing a language and keeping it new, and often are born of rebellion and subversion Idioms and puns used to feel insular to me so I began collecting international versions of them Nomihodai is a Japanese idiom that means 'all you can eat', but speak it aloud to a Spanish speaker and now you are using the Spanish idiom 'no me jodas' meaning 'don't fuck with me' English's biggest annoyance, or strength?, is it's abundance of propositions.. look up the French word 'de'(o) in you fr-en dictionary (o) https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/de#French https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/de#French
- jcranmer 10y ago
  I did look it up. de wasn't nearly so bad, managing only a few inches of space. «faire» was the worst of the French words I could think up, squeezing out around a page. The problem with English prepositions is that much of their usage isn't really analyzable as prepositions. "to put", "to put up", and "to put up with" are all effectively three different verbs, and those prepositions are usually better analyzed as particles. However, grade school English grammar tends to be derived from attempts to analyze English according to traditional Greek grammar, which turns out to work poorly in practice (and hence, everything you learned in English class is probably wrong).