Quote:
Originally Posted by ficbot
I am wondering if anyone can think of good examples of situational words that are unique to a certain language. For example, in English there is snow, slush and ice but in some aboriginal languages, there are special words for specific types of snow. I am not sure if the old '40 words for snow' story is true of the Inuit language, but I do know there is more than one word. And there are not equivalents to these types of words in English.
I know some Hebrew words too that don't really have equivalents in English. Mitzvah is one. It's sort of a cross between a good deed, an honour and a commandment or obligation, but that is not quite right either as a description. But any Hebrew speaker will know exactly what I mean  |
Danish has a word "hyggelig" (which is pronounced something like "who'kerly" would be in English - if you can imagine that), which so far as I can tell has no equivalent in any language. The meaning of the word has something to do with atmosphere - it is often translated as cosy, but that's not quite right, it is broader than cosy. One can be hyggelig sitting with friends on a hot summer day drinking a few beers. One can also be hyggelig alone - imagine getting home on a dark cold winter evening, your house is warm, you make some hot chocolate, light some candles, wrap yourself up in a blanket, take out you liseuse and become pleasurably absorbed in reading - that's hyggelig. One can be hyggelig at a big party, or a small dinner. The pursuit of hyggelig, creating hyggelig, finding occasions for hyggelig seems to underpin much of life in Denmark.
I'm not sure if any of our Danish colleagues are contributing to this thread, but if they are maybe they have a go at defining it. Ultimately I think it is a word which, if you are Danish you know what it means, but if you are not Danish you will never really get it.