Untranslatable Words

[zelda_pinwheel]

no, really, it can't. trust me. it'll spoil your dinner, and that will be the LEAST of your worries.

[tirsales]

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

Well ... let's see, from what we have learned of German words, and diminutives generally .... we arrive at:

zee-zee-goosie-goosie-cutieknees-chan

Or Zeezeegoosiegoosiecutiekneeschan.

Why not ... works for me.

Naa, in German it would be more on the lines of

zee-zee-lein or zee-zee-chen. Or even zee-zee-chelchen (which is a rarely used mixture of -chen and -lein used in some regions).

So we would get Zeezeegoosiegoosiecutiekneeschanleinchen or zee-zee-goosie-goosie-cutieknees-chan-chelchen

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by tirsales

Naa, in German it would be more on the lines of

zee-zee-lein or zee-zee-chen. Or even zee-zee-chelchen (which is a rarely used mixture of -chen and -lein used in some regions).

So we would get Zeezeegoosiegoosiecutiekneeschanleinchen or zee-zee-goosie-goosie-cutieknees-chan-chelchen

As they say ... Duh

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by tirsales

Naa, in German it would be more on the lines of

zee-zee-lein or zee-zee-chen. Or even zee-zee-chelchen (which is a rarely used mixture of -chen and -lein used in some regions).

So we would get Zeezeegoosiegoosiecutiekneeschanleinchen or zee-zee-goosie-goosie-cutieknees-chan-chelchen

Even better!!!

[pshrynk]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

just to be clear, i am not edible, whatever you call me.

Many parts are edible.

[pshrynk]

Or at least nibbleable.

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by pshrynk

Many parts are edible.

Exactly what I said.

[GeoffC]

Lets just leave it as 'kissable'...

[nekokami]

Originally Posted by tirsales

So we would get Zeezeegoosiegoosiecutiekneeschanleinchen or zee-zee-goosie-goosie-cutieknees-chan-chelchen

Oo-kay.

I'm sticking with Z-chan.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by nekokami

Oo-kay.

I'm sticking with Z-chan.

Not quite the same as Z-Cars (Oh doof, wrong thread... )

[zelda_pinwheel]

(and what *is* balok doing these days ? we haven't heard from him in months....)

do you speak verlan over there ?

"verlan" is a slang language formed by putting the word back to front, and the name is (in the ultimate example of self-reference) in fact "backwards" ([à]l'envers) verlanisé (backwardsed) : l'en-vers > verlan. so a demonstration of what it describes.

some examples of verlan (which is of course spelled phonetically, rather than simply re-arranging the letters of the original word, which would be boring) :
chien = ienche
chat = tache
femme = meuf
mec = keum
à pied = à iep
mère = reum
parents = ramps
noir = renoi
arabe = beur
blanc = kéblan

you get the idea.

in recent years some people have even started to verlaniser words that are already in verlan. so : femme > meuf > feuhmeu. arabe > beur > reubeu.

if you don't use verlan, do you have a similar slang language ? there is a long tradition of slang languages in french, like javanais, the "muche" one (which probably has a name, but i don't know it), verlan, etc. and i'm wondering whether this is a universal francophone thing, or more common in france métropolitaine.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

(and what *is* balok doing these days ? we haven't heard from him in months....)

do you speak verlan over there ?

"verlan" is a slang language formed by putting the word back to front, and the name is (in the ultimate example of self-reference) in fact "backwards" ([à]l'envers) verlanisé (backwardsed) : l'en-vers > verlan. so a demonstration of what it describes.

some examples of verlan (which is of course spelled phonetically, rather than simply re-arranging the letters of the original word, which would be boring) :
chien = ienche
chat = tache
femme = meuf
mec = keum
à pied = à iep
mère = reum
parents = ramps
noir = renoi
arabe = beur
blanc = kéblan

you get the idea.

in recent years some people have even started to verlaniser words that are already in verlan. so : femme > meuf > feuhmeu. arabe > beur > reubeu.

if you don't use verlan, do you have a similar slang language ? there is a long tradition of slang languages in french, like javanais, the "muche" one (which probably has a name, but i don't know it), verlan, etc. and i'm wondering whether this is a universal francophone thing, or more common in france métropolitaine.

There are several I can think of ... although I don't know what they are all called. The oldest I can remember was good old "Pig Latin" ... which was pretty simple really.

You just took the first letter of the word, and moved it to the back and then added "ay" at the end ... so ...

pig = igpay
woman = omanway

and on like that. Stupid ... but a lot of fun.

[RickyMaveety]

Up late again zchan?? I am going to take my Kindle and trundle off to bed with David Sedaris (well, his writing anyway ... and I don't think either one of us would be too keen on the alternative).

[mores]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

"verlan" is a slang language formed by putting the word back to front, and the name is (in the ultimate example of self-reference) in fact "backwards" ([à]l'envers) verlanisé (backwardsed) : l'en-vers > verlan. so a demonstration of what it describes.

I knew verlan existed, we were even "taught" the basics by our french teacher ("original" french), but I can't remember the francophones ever using it.

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

in recent years some people have even started to verlaniser words that are already in verlan. so : femme > meuf > feuhmeu. arabe > beur > reubeu.

Now this is hilarious
Reminds me of an episode in my life: there was a comedy show on late night tv a while back, and they had a skit called Kentucky Schreit Ficken*, with the Kentucky Fried Chicken Logo and everything. You could say it's a reversal of the first letters of the words. And they used this throughout the skit. Like Bappy Hirthday or Bod Gless You or Soodle Noup etc. Only they used it mostly to get nasty words out of ordinary word combos
Darf ich Sie an die Bheke Titten?
Das ist ein ficker Disch
Na das haben Sie aber gefickt eingeschädelt

Oh it was funny.

Anyhow, me and a few friends picked it up, and had fun creating new sentences. Until the sentences were so engraved in our brains, that we re-reversed the letters again, and wondered why it didn't sound funny anymore, hihi


*Kentucky Schreit Ficken means Kentucky screams f*ck

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

do you speak verlan over there ?

No we don't. We've been acquainted to it through cinema but it stops there.("Les Ripoux" comes to mind)

Most people here do not want to learn languagues. Living in a cultural island, although it is rapidly changing, they are just happy tolerating English.