Re: One Word?


Donna Richoux wrote:
the Omrud <usenet.omrud@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Seán O'Leathlóbhair <jwlawler@xxxxxxxxx> had it:


the Omrud wrote:
ray o'hara <roh@xxxxxxxxxxx> had it:

Why do so many posters want to reduce things to one word?

Perhaps they are trying to translate a single word from their own
language and assume that there must be a single English word to which
it corresponds.

I have also often wondered about the: "Is there a word that means (3000
word phrase)?" threads. I wonder why people want and expect such
words. Also, if they don't know the word, will anyone else understand
it anyway?

Some may be from non-native speakers who have such a word in their own
languages but often the requester appears to be a native English
speaker. I sometimes feel that they want the word to sound clever.
For example, "ennui" is much more impressive than boredom.

I didn't realised we were allowed to offer French words. That might
make it more interesting.

As they say, "the French have a word for it."


For the record, MWCD11 gives for "ennui" the date of first attribution
in English as 1732.

Now, as a formula for reacting to someone sneezing,
"Gesundheit!"--which MWCD11 dates in English to 1914--beats the French
formula of "à tes souhaits"/"à vos souhaits" (an idiom which
translates literally as "to your wishes").


--
Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com

.

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