Words

[karohemd]

The regional variation memes that are going around at the moment just got me thinking. Many languages seem to have a few words they borrow from elsewhere (other than English which only has borrowed words :oP), even the rather purisitic French has "le week-end" for example.

The object that struck me for German was Sofa (which has Arabic roots). A common synonym is the English Couch. Older people seem to favour French words (Kanapee and propably regional to my area, Chaise-longe which my maternal grandparents used).

Comments

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

I say Erdapfel (from pomme de terre, obv) and Palatschinke, among other things, FWIW - my family's mostly concentrated around the Ossiachersee, currently, but there's been a general westward drift over the generations, hence my ending up here...

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

I think this comment was meant for the other post. ;o)

Do you know the etymology of Palatschinken? It's always confused whenever I visited Austria. It can't have anything to do with Schinken because it's made from eggs, milk and flower and it's mostly served sweet.

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

I think this comment was meant for the other post. ;o)

Well, maybe - except that you're talking about loan words, which answers your next question...

Do you know the etymology of Palatschinken?

It's the Czech-Slovenian-etc word for the things. :) Actually, Wikipedia auf Deutsch hat etwas mehr nuetzliches dazu zu sagen, but I shouldn't switch into German mid-sentence because it probably leaves my grammar even more fucked than it normally is...

[von-geisterhand.livejournal.com]

Ach, nonsense, it is great fun, sowas zu machen, even though die Gefahr, sich da doch zu verfransen is obviously gegeben. :-D

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

# Oh Herr, bitte gib mir meine language back...

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

LOL! Genial. ;o)

[mr-malk.livejournal.com]

We didn't borrow them, they were ours in the first place. Other cultures were just keeping them warm for us until we needed them.

Y'know, as a courtesy gesture.

;-)

P.S. We always called it a settee in our family, but I very rarely hear the word "couch". Not sure why. Maybe I just don't move in the right circles.

[rirekon.livejournal.com]

Slightly related but thought you'd appreciate it;

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary." - James. D. Nicoll

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

I've seen that quote before, it's brilliant. ;o)

[echo-echo.livejournal.com]

I do get annoyed when other languages invent a word for something that is actually English.

It would be like the English inventing a new word for croissant for example. No, we are happy to call it a croissant. But the French, no they have to call English things a French word. Like email. Apparently they call it something else. And from what I gather they hate le weekend however much it is coming into common parlance.

I remember at university, because it was in Wales and the university was officially bi-lingual, we had to translate all the documents of the computer society into Welsh. We gave them a rather thick Unix manual. They gave it back to us and decided that we were exempt. :)

It's this concept though that if an item or process comes from another culture, a local language alternative should be invented. I dislike it when people do the same to cities. Koln, Munchen, Londres etc. If the place has a name, why change it? It's terribly arrogant if you ask me.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

I agree partly reservedly and wholeheartedly with your points.
I agree that proper names (cities, monarchs etc.) should remain in their original language. Oddly, nobody seems to mind that countries' names change.

I disagree that common objects should not have local names.
Take your example of "croissant". The general German name is "Butterhörnchen" (little butter horn) and for some reason in my region "Bamberger" (assumedly because they were first made in Bamberg) and I'm sure there are others in other regions of Germany.

Computer/IT terminology is a bit different here because a lot of the terminology was specifically invented and named rather than having evolved so in German you have servers, clients, routers etc. The French are more arrogant and will try to come up with a translation for everything.

A UNIX manual in Welsh would be awesome, though. ;o)

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

It's not borrowing if we never intend to give them back! :)