[Lexicog] Sprachgefuhl

[Hayim Sheynin]

   Dear Fritz,
>
>
>
> In my dictionary Sprachgefühl is defined as 'feeling for correct idiom,
> feeling for a language',
>
> By the way, I defend Scott's question. I am concious of native speaker's
> feeling for correct language models, idioms, word order, usages, etc. Being
> native Russian speaker and learning a bunch of languages
>
> from Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, Romance, Slavic, Germanic to
> Semitic languages, I still feel that I know Russian the best, I feel what
> can be expressed this way and not the other way, what are correct and wrong
> usages, I easily detect regional and historical dialects, and particular
> styles of speakers. Despite lifelong study of my linguistic baggage (I feel
> that luggage is not good here), I still can't say the same about my feeling
> for some of linguistic details in my acquired languages, even I am probably
> capable to write a decent Latin letter to Marcus Tullius Cicero or a
> linguistically correct Hebrew letter to Moses, the biblical
>
> prophet. Pardon me for imagination.
>
>
>
> Also, I should tell that in some linguistic cultures the category of
> Sprachgefühl is more acceped than in others. I know that Russian and
> French speakers are more sensitive to the correctness of the speech than
> English and Spanish ones. This probably is due to existence of large
> varieties of the "Spanishes" and "Englishes". Roman writer Aulus Gellius (II
> cent. C.E.) in his *Attic Nights *examins correct usages and expresses his
> feelings about that comparing usages of the best Latin writers who lived
> before him. The purity and clarity of the language was propagated also in
> medieval Arabic culture, including correct use of right words.
>
>
>
> I hope this clear some obscurity of Sprachgefühl.
>
>
>
> However the question, whether Lexicography List is a right place for such a
> question as Scott asks, is
>
> completely different thing.  I believe that the better place would be a
> site devoted to English language and style.
>
>
>
> <<I also wonder why certain words are borrowed from other languages>> This
> must be treated in any lexicography book.
>
>
>
> Hayim Sheynin
>
>
>
> PS. Franz, a propos your question, how it is in English. I can tell that
> some terms are accepted in many languages with no translation. For example
> there is literary term Entfernung in Russian, words gentleman and lady, as
> well as dama are understandable to Russians,  not speaking about thousands
> of Greek and Latin terms, and after perestroika there are thousands of
> English terms entered Russian, as in the epoch of Peter the Great (first
> half of the XVIII century) many hundreds of German words.
>
>
>
>
> Scott,
>
>
>
> I wonder how you define "Sprachgefühl." That would help me to answer your
> question.
>
> I also wonder why certain words are borrowed from other languages. English
> has not
>
> borrowed  which exceptional players of games have where a ball plays a role
>
> (Diego Maradona, Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal). How would one say "Ballgefühl"
> in English?
>
>
>
> Fritz Goerling
>
> Is this the wrong list to ask whether, in your opinion or research,
> Sprachgefuhl varies most by class, region, or level of education?
>
> Scott Catledge
>
>
> 
>
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