[Lexicog] Words that are absent in particular languages

[Dr. Hayim Y. Sheynin]

I think beside political reasons and religious taboo, there are
something deep in national or tribal identity (or mind) of ethnic groups
that prompt creation of certain words that other group do not create. If
you try to translate a literary or abstract (let say philosophical) text
from one language (language A) to another (language B) you will
frequently stumble that there is no an equivalent In language B. So you
would solve this problem by one of the following ways: 1. create the
equivalent (this is called neologism) or 2. translate the word or a
sentence paraphrasing it. Sometimes a word is missing, because the
speakers of a particular language are not familiar with a realia which
is common in other milieu.
 
As a joke I can exemplify my words with a translation of the word
tramway in one of German-Latin dictionaries - "carus communis"
English 'omnibus' is also a sample of similar creation. Latin word
'omnibus' means 'for all, or for every body', but there was already word
"autobus" and 'omnibus' was understood as 'big autobus, two story bus.'
 
This topic has interesting link to over creative mind. Look for example
in some languages there are doubles for many concepts or realia.
Exemple, in German: TV and Fernsee, Radio and Telefunken or something
similar. In Russian almost every illness has double name: one scholarly,
another folk or popular (hepatit - zheltukha, epilepsis - paduchaja;
tuberculjoz - chakhotka, etc., etc)       
 
Best wishes,
Hayim
 
============
Dr. Hayim Y. Sheynin
Adjunct Professor of Jewish Literature
Gratz College
7605 Old York Rd.
Melrose Park, PA 19027
 
Tel.: 215 635-7300 x 161
Fax: 215 635-7320
email: hsheynin at gratz.edu
 
________________________________

From: lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com
[mailto:lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Fritz Goerling
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2006 4:35 PM
To: lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Lexicog] Words that are absent in particular languages
 
There can be political reasons. The French resist the Americanization of
their
language far more than the Germans. At the time of Frederick the Great
it was
chic in Germany to speak FRENCH. In certain domains the influence
is obvious: in fashion and gastronomy (words from French), banking and
technology (from
English).
 
Fritz
 
Bill Poser wrote: 
What to me is perhaps more interesting is why it is that languages
create words for some new items and not for others. Why, for example,
does Carrier have no term other than "TV" for television, which
has been around for several decades, but a native formation (meaning
"that by which things are warmed quickly") for "microwave oven", a more
recent introduction?

Bill


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