# Expanding the English Lexicon



## Samloyal23 (Jul 2, 2014)

I have had loanwords on my mind. English is mostly loanwords, very little is left of actual Anglo-Saxon. This is why English is so flexible and expressive. So I want to do something to contribute to the English language. I want to find foreign words and expressions that should added to English. If you know a foreign language and can think of something that is easier to say in that language than in English, let us add that to our lexicon. I want to make a list and spread it around. Spanish, Italian, French, and German already have added a lot to English, so we will skip those. Go straight for the exotic, send me words from Farsi, Japanese, Swahili, or other foreign tongues. Artificial language is are fine, too, whether it is Esperanto or Klingon. Just make it a meaningful and useful addition to English that will be easy for people raised in America to pronounce and remember...


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## Hussar (Jul 2, 2014)

The problem is, for these words to be true cognates, the meaning should be the same. But many of the words you are asking for are culturally based and don't translate worth a damn. 

For example, shikataganai in Japanese translates to something along the lines "that there is nothing to be done about it".

But the fatalism inherent in that statement is seen as very negative by most Westerners. But it is not meant in a negative sense at all.


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## Olgar Shiverstone (Jul 2, 2014)

Those aren't loans; they're outright theft.  English killed Latin and took its stuff.


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## delericho (Jul 2, 2014)

English grows best when it grows organically. Trying to forcefully import words to the language makes me double plus sad.

(Although it occurs to me that Orwell missed a trick with Newspeak - there's no need for "double plus", since "plus plus" does it just as well. But that's an aside.)


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## Scrivener of Doom (Jul 3, 2014)

delericho said:


> English grows best when it grows organically. Trying to forcefully import words to the language makes me double plus sad.
> 
> (Although it occurs to me that Orwell missed a trick with Newspeak - there's no need for "double plus", since "plus plus" does it just as well. But that's an aside.)




"Plus plus" sounds like you are stuttering.


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## Samloyal23 (Jul 3, 2014)

Well, this is an experiment, mostly for fun. Neomots get invented and added to English all of the time, this is nothing new. I want to aim for more exotic fair than most people are used to. If I can make a list of 20-30 interesting new terms, I will blog the whole list at a few locations online and ask people to share...


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## delericho (Jul 3, 2014)

Scrivener of Doom said:


> "Plus plus" sounds like you are stuttering.




Well yes. But since the purpose of Newspeak was to reduce the number of words and thus reduce the range of ideas that could be expressed (with no concern for aesthetics), that would seem to be a lesser concern.


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## Hand of Evil (Jul 3, 2014)

American English - we pick slang an other word way too much.


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## Scrivener of Doom (Jul 3, 2014)

Hand of Evil said:


> American English - we pick slang an other word way too much.




American English also has fewer words than real English for another reason: American English does not use adverbs.


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## Morrus (Jul 3, 2014)

Scrivener of Doom said:


> American English also has fewer words than real English for another reason: American English does not use adverbs.




Do what, now?


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## Dioltach (Jul 3, 2014)

Instead of joining the discussion, I'll do what the OP asked and put forward a suggestion: _sobra dje_. This is a phrase in Papiementu which means something like "not only, but also". For example: "_Sobra dje_ you're already broke, now you want to buy a new phone too?"


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## Samloyal23 (Jul 4, 2014)

Dioltach said:


> Instead of joining the discussion, I'll do what the OP asked and put forward a suggestion: _sobra dje_. This is a phrase in Papiementu which means something like "not only, but also". For example: "_Sobra dje_ you're already broke, now you want to buy a new phone too?"




Interesting. How do you pronounce the dj combination? Is it like Jar, Jour, or Madge? Well, one word and counting...


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## Samloyal23 (Jul 13, 2014)

Come on now, you are a creative, educated lot, there has to be a few more good ideas in the room...


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## Dioltach (Jul 14, 2014)

Samloyal23 said:


> Interesting. How do you pronounce the dj combination? Is it like Jar, Jour, or Madge? Well, one word and counting...




Like Madge.


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## Janx (Jul 15, 2014)

Samloyal23 said:


> Come on now, you are a creative, educated lot, there has to be a few more good ideas in the room...




this sounds like a lot of academitry and work.

I prefer to simply use words or phrases as I intend their meaning and people adopt them.

XbOne : short for X-Box One. I'm not the only one to coin it, but it has gotten some traction.

Ding-Free Parking Space : that isolated parking spot where nobody can park next to you

Sleepitrons : the invisible particles a sleeping dog emits that makes you sleepy as well (Jim Butcher's latest work introduced Sleepeons as the same meaning, but my usage predates his book by many years).

There's been a few more I've gotten at least local people to adopt, but my brain is tired and can't remember.


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## Mishihari Lord (Jul 15, 2014)

From Tagalog:  "daw," pronounced "Dow" as in "Dow Jones."  It just indicates that you're repeating something someone else said.  "Darating siya sandali, daw" = "He said he'll be here in just a minute.  I was a missionary in the Philippines from 1990 to 1992, and this one is so useful that I still accidentally use it once in a while 20+ years later.  I mostly just get funny looks from Americans, though.  I know there were a few others, I'll see if I can remember ...

Edit:

Got another one, "kita", phonetically kee-tah, meaning both I subjective and you objective.  "Mahal kita" means "I love you".  This is another one I used to use accidentally in English.


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## Samloyal23 (Sep 8, 2014)

This is getting interesting. I like "daw", that is a good one. How do you turn that into "that's what she daid"? Hmm...


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## Fast Learner (Sep 9, 2014)

There are a few great words in other languages that we don't have in English. _From articles I've seen around the web_, here are some I'd love to have as part of common parlance:

*Forelsket* (Norwegian): The euphoria you experience when you are first falling in love.

*Meraki* (pronounced may-rah-kee; Greek): Doing something with soul, creativity, or love. It’s when you put something of yourself into what you’re doing.

*Mamihlapinatapai* (Yaghan language of Tierra del Fuego): This word captures that special look shared between two people, when both are wishing that the other would do something that they both want, but neither want to do.

*Zeg* (Georgian): It means “the day after tomorrow.” OK, we do have "overmorrow" in English, but when was the last time someone used that?


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## Rabulias (Sep 10, 2014)

Samloyal23 said:


> This is getting interesting. I like "daw", that is a good one. How do you turn that into "that's what she daid"? Hmm...




Some friends and I have taken to saying "Twiss!" as a shorthand for "That's what she said."


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## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 10, 2014)

Personally, I prefer neologisms, puns and clever turns of phrases over loan words...unless they're REALLY good.

Like...if you render someone speechless or verbally incoherent, you've "hit them in the gliblets."

In our group, we refer to someone who has a gift for cleverly insulting others as a Master of Tongue-Fu.  If you're really good at doing so turning someone's words against them, you know Chewdo.  And if you have mastered the art of witty & devastating repartee of multiple kinds, you have a Black Belt in Jeet Kune D'oh.


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## Kaodi (Sep 10, 2014)

I think shinigami is ready to make the leap to English.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 10, 2014)

Well...shikataganai.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 10, 2014)

Also, as an Army Brat, I grew up with and developed a love of Acronyms.

My favorites include all the military classics- SNAFU, FUBAR, SUSFU, SUIFU- as well as literary greats like TANSTAAFL.

Mom likes them too- she's been using IDGAS for a couple of years, now.


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## Samloyal23 (Sep 10, 2014)

Fast Learner said:


> *Forelsket* (Norwegian): The euphoria you experience when you are first falling in love.
> 
> *Meraki* (pronounced may-rah-kee; Greek): Doing something with soul, creativity, or love. It’s when you put something of yourself into what you’re doing.
> 
> ...




Mamihlapinatapai does not exactly roll off of the tongue for an English speaker, it is just too long.  The other words are short and not too hard to pronounce. These are the type of things I am looking for...


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## Samloyal23 (Sep 10, 2014)

> I think shinigami is ready to make the leap to English.






Dannyalcatraz said:


> Well...shikataganai.




Huh? What?


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## Hussar (Sep 12, 2014)

Samloyal23 said:


> Huh? What?




Shikataganai is Japanese for "There's nothing that can be done about it".  Although, it doesn't translate so well because of cultural issues.  For most Western English speakers, that would be a pretty negative thing to say, but, it Japanese, it's not.  Maybe a better translation would be, "Well, damn."


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## Samloyal23 (Sep 20, 2014)

Hussar said:


> Shikataganai is Japanese for "There's nothing that can be done about it".  Although, it doesn't translate so well because of cultural issues.  For most Western English speakers, that would be a pretty negative thing to say, but, it Japanese, it's not.  Maybe a better translation would be, "Well, damn."




Nice, but too long to get picked up by most English speakers...


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## Elven (Sep 20, 2014)

Olgar Shiverstone said:


> Those aren't loans; they're outright theft.  English killed Latin and took its stuff.




Thats not true, latin was (mostly) dead when english found him,


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## Elven (Sep 20, 2014)

Hussar said:


> Shikataganai is Japanese for "There's nothing that can be done about it".  Although, it doesn't translate so well because of cultural issues.  For most Western English speakers, that would be a pretty negative thing to say, but, it Japanese, it's not.  Maybe a better translation would be, "Well, damn."




Or the more common phrase "Thats Life" would be more fitting the sentiment


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## Elven (Sep 20, 2014)

Janx said:


> this sounds like a lot of academitry and work.
> 
> I prefer to simply use words or phrases as I intend their meaning and people adopt them.
> 
> ...




They are not new words or terms, 
(Shouldn't count if its on sites such as Urbandictionary, but if it did i'd use the term Spasmosis (AKA Spazmosis)
Where you soak up the stupid of people you've been around,) 

What you need is a new term to indicate a new concept, not already in english


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## Mishihari Lord (Sep 24, 2014)

Scrivener of Doom said:


> American English also has fewer words than real English for another reason: American English does not use adverbs.




Really?!  <-- adverb


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## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 24, 2014)

Scrivener of Doom said:


> American English also has fewer words than real English for another reason: American English does not use adverbs.




That seems amazingly inaccurate.


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## Janx (Sep 25, 2014)

Elven said:


> They are not new words or terms,
> (Shouldn't count if its on sites such as Urbandictionary, but if it did i'd use the term Spasmosis (AKA Spazmosis)
> Where you soak up the stupid of people you've been around,)
> 
> What you need is a new term to indicate a new concept, not already in english




They new words or phrases if I coined them before they ever showed up on Urbandictionary.

Given that I deliberately made those up outside of other influences in order to craft new words (XbOne and Sleepitrons specifically), I call that success that they show up in usage.


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## Samloyal23 (Sep 30, 2014)

Scrivener of Doom said:


> American English also has fewer words than real English for another reason: American English does not use adverbs.





Well, there are really only two forms of the English language, British and Wrong.


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## Scrivener of Doom (Sep 30, 2014)

Samloyal23 said:


> Well, there are really only two forms of the English language, British and Wrong.




Agreed.

Real English and Pidgin.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 30, 2014)

Ha!

We broke free of your empire*, iced your tea, mutated cricket into something watchable, invented a new form of football- while calling the old version of it by a name the English coined- make huge cars (that actually work) and rule the waves....

'Merica!





* with help from _the French_!


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## Samloyal23 (Oct 12, 2014)

Okay, how about some foreign Adverbs for English? Any contributions?


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