Brett from nomoreincumbents.org left an interesting comment on my last post: You might ask yourself why you are communicating in English? In the 17th century scientists initiated a new more logical and descriptive language. It does not utilize forms of the verb ‘be’ for example. It has not really taken off despite its logic and […]
Category: Language
Odd things about words an meanings
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Language: hell
When you say “It looks like hell outside”, it is not the same as a German saying “Es ist hell draussen”. The “hell” you are talking about is “Hölle” in German (hope you can see the Umlaut-O). The German word “hell” has a much lighter meaning – exactly that: light, bright. Unless he tells you […]
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Language: Gift
While it is a nice thing to bring someone “a gift” in America, a German might not be too happy when you want to give him “ein Gift”. “Gift” is the German word for “poison”. The English “gift” translates to “Geschenk” in German. A “present” on the other hand is simply “ein Präsent” (a small […]