Unique words

A forum for translations, translation challenges etc. Good place to increase your conlang's vocabulary.
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hoeroathlo
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Unique words

Post by hoeroathlo »

what are some unique words to your conlang(s) that English may not have. I just thought of this and think it might be an interesting topic.

:con: Kehntra
kahtomaten: the feeling of profound nostalgia triggered by a smell, place, person, or object

nastahak: a word describing the feeling of time speeding up as you get older
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Ahzoh
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Re: Unique words

Post by Ahzoh »

Vrkhazhian mostly has unique words for various types of demonic creatures that plague them. They also have juṉlumḥud who are warriors specially trained to deal with them.
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Lao Kou
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Re: Unique words

Post by Lao Kou »

I have a cheat sheet of these for Géarthnuns, so I don't have to scramble around the dictionary looking for one if I don't remember the word but know I have the concept. Lined up together like that, though, and they look like a rather twee list of terms that only a (probably natively Anglophone) conlanger would come up with, so I am dissuaded from showcasing them.

Here's one:

knönazbans n. intuition that it is/has been snowing outside (you wake up in bed under your binky, you haven't seen the windows yet, and yet you know it is/has been snowing)
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Frislander
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Re: Unique words

Post by Frislander »

In Ätara there's a kind of cult-house type organisation called a "kumbek". It is sex-segregated, fulfilling ritual functions for men and women, as well as other more prosaic concerns: e.g. male hunting parties typically consist of men from the same cult-house, while female fishing-parties also follow cult-house lines. Membership of a given cult-house is determined by a ramage-like structure: a man chooses to join the cult-house of either their father or father-in-law, while a woman joins the cult-house of either their mother or mother-in-law.
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lsd
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Re: Unique words

Post by lsd »

A well-edited project of conlang which does not derive from nat languages, must result in that each of its words is unique and can not be translated into a single word of natural language ...

The use of a monolingual dictionary, rather than bilingual lexicons , allows to deepen this process ...

For me, I do not use any dictionary at all, but semantic primes whose assembly allows speech ... and in truth, the word construction step is dispensable, and each construction can not have a monotonous counterpart in a single word in a particular language ... A method which obliges the uniqueness of the meaning of each compounding situation...
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Void
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Re: Unique words

Post by Void »

Well, Sharans call their magicks tahom [ˈtɑxo̩m] lit. "depth." A practitioner of said magick is called tahmar juoril [ˈtɑxmɑr ˈjuo̯ril], lit. seeker in the depth.

Sharans also use ritualistic psychedelic mushrooms, called kyrket [ˈkyrkæt] (sing. kyrke [ˈkyrkæ]), in contrast with regular mushrooms, sokuot [ˈso̩kuo̯t] (sing. sokos [ˈso̩ko̩s]).

The primordial void of chaos in Sharan mythology is called duh [dux].

Don't really know if these can be called unique, though.
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Re: Unique words

Post by Iyionaku »

lsd wrote:A well-edited project of conlang which does not derive from nat languages, must result in that each of its words is unique and can not be translated into a single word of natural language ...
This is about true (there might be one to one correspondences though). But I guess hoeroathlo does not want to hear my definition of YEL ceravo just because it has more than one English meaning (sullen, discontented, disillusioned). Nor does he want the defintion of kuvaga that translates as three English words (to declare war).

I think that he (as in the other thread once) is more interested in words that resemble the actual culture and are therefore untranslatable, like German geborgen or Danish hyggelig. Vrkhazian's word juṉlumḥud fits perfectly in that pattern.

Lao Kou's knönazbans fits in a different category, one that hoeroathlo might also be interested in: words that have a pretty straightforward translation in English, but still will be incredibly hard for a professional translator to cope with and still cover all the information. A very famous natlang example is Tshiluba's ilunga. It translates as “a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time”. You see, pretty straightforward but still, deal with it in a normal sentence.

"That ilunga might spoil everything"!
"That person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time might spoil everything!"

You see the difficulty in that.
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Re: Unique words

Post by Iyionaku »

Yélian has many Type II words (as stated in my other posts), but I don't see any type I words. Examples are:

cenona [kɛˈnɔna] - to be ignorant about someones feelings.

"Julia just seems to cenona Mark."
"Julia doesn't seem to notice that Mark is in love with her."

nunak [ˈnunak] - a sudden, horrible thought that makes you feel scared of yourself.

"What's wrong Paul?" - "I just had another of those nunakan about my dog."
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Lao Kou
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Re: Unique words

Post by Lao Kou »

Iyionaku wrote:I think that he (as in the other thread once) is more interested in words that resemble the actual culture and are therefore untranslatable, like German geborgen or Danish hyggelig. Vrkhazian's word juṉlumḥud fits perfectly in that pattern.

Lao Kou's knönazbans fits in a different category, one that hoeroathlo might also be interested in: words that have a pretty straightforward translation in English, but still will be incredibly hard for a professional translator to cope with and still cover all the information. A very famous natlang example is Tshiluba's ilunga. It translates as “a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time”. You see, pretty straightforward but still, deal with it in a normal sentence.
I doubt the categories you've outlined are so neatly drawn as that. The "untranslatables" aren't untranslatable per se:

geborgen - safe, secure
hygge - coziness, comfort
saudade - nostalgic yearning
wabisabi - aesthetic sense emphasizing quiet simplicity and subdued refinement
litost - grief, misery

it's that you can't possibly easily and concisely translate in all the visceral connotative goo that these words embody. As such, it's very easy to wave away any translation with a "Unless you're German/Danish/Portuguese/Japanese/Czech, you will never fully understand the true meaning of these words." (certain languages are more or less forgiving to those who have clocked in rather some time living in the culture). As such, one could infuse knönazbans with so much connotative goo and individual episodic memory as to say, "Unless you're a Géarthçins, you will never fully understand the true meaning of knönazbans. We tried to come close, but it's really untranslatable."

Meanwhile, I would suggest that "person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time" for ilunga is a definition or an explanation (and a bit pat and tidy at that), not a translation. So juṉlumḥud can be explained as "warriors specially trained to deal with various types of Vrkhazhian demonic creatures". Sure, in translation, carting around explanatory sentences or even paragraphs every time one of these words pops up is hardly convenient. In which case, use the native word and add an explanatory footnote the first time you use it. With increased exposure, these words can be no more untranslatable than pierogi, obi, or samurai. Unwieldy to one-to-one translation (if that's what one means by "untranslatable"), yes; "untranslatable" (with the mysterious aura of exotica that word can conjure), no.
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Re: Unique words

Post by masako »

Kala has several, but my favorite is nipa (stretch back while extending legs).
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Re: Unique words

Post by alynnidalar »

Given that it is spoken by non-humans with supernatural abilities, Tirina has a number of words that have no equivalent in natural languages, because they're for stuff that doesn't exist in the real world. For example, amati sort of means magic, but refers specifically to the specific natural force that the dalar can sense and manipulate. Sarda is the word for the head of state/government of the nation of Sanmra, and would not be adequately translated as "president" or "monarch" (and definitely not as "prime minister"). A kadeda is a human living among the dalar. All of these are quite conworld-specific words.

But I do have a few words that, while not conworld-specific, we still don't have a good equivalent for in English. One is an'asen, which is a (usually sudden) change for the worse in your life that actually turns out to be good in the long run. For example, you get fired, only to find a much better job. Or you break up with your boyfriend, but run into your soulmate at the store while buying sad break-up ice cream.
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Re: Unique words

Post by lsd »

Iyionaku wrote:words that have a pretty straightforward translation in English, but still will be incredibly hard for a professional translator to cope with and still cover all the information. A very famous natlang example is Tshiluba's ilunga. It translates as “a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time”. You see, pretty straightforward but still, deal with it in a normal sentence.
"That ilunga might spoil everything"!
"That person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time might spoil everything!"
You see the difficulty in that.
The second sentence seems a direct translation from philosophical tuskheejlusav...
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All4Ɇn
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Re: Unique words

Post by All4Ɇn »

I'm quite a fan of making words like this in Thrinn. Here's a few of my favorites

Assassin- Any religiously motivated killer. Also refers to the ancient Muslim militant group but never means assassin
Awemkomen- To show up in a crowded area seemingly out of nowhere. Can be used literally but also figuratively, giving the sense that you saw something out of nowhere
Bekälding- Simply means a cold (as in the illness) but can also refer to a short (but possibly serious) bout of depression
Endbannen- Lift a ban
Erbannen- Loosen laws or regulations
Früktërjer- Seafood restaurant employee
Janbreken- Separate for political/religious reasons from a person, organization, etc.
Terärten- Commit an act of war
Umblagen- Put on a necktie/scarf/etc. on one's neck
Úndervall- A large painting commissioned by someone with least somewhat political/religious authority. Rembrandt's Night Watch is considered to be one of the definitive úndervalls..
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Ahzoh
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Re: Unique words

Post by Ahzoh »

Ah, I forgot, Vrkhazhian has two verbs for giving and receiving, each denoting a degree of closeness or distance.
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All4Ɇn
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Re: Unique words

Post by All4Ɇn »

Ahzoh wrote:Ah, I forgot, Vrkhazhian has two verbs for giving and receiving, each denoting a degree of closeness or distance.
Similar to Japanese's?
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Ahzoh
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Re: Unique words

Post by Ahzoh »

All4Ɇn wrote:
Ahzoh wrote:Ah, I forgot, Vrkhazhian has two verbs for giving and receiving, each denoting a degree of closeness or distance.
Similar to Japanese's?
Yes, but giving and receiving with one hand, and giving and receiving with both hands.
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Re: Unique words

Post by Imralu »

Wena doesn't have a lot ... not yet anyway. Most of the words are extremely general rather than specific. They can be general in strangely specific ways though. A hwi is any flying animal. A mbi is any large land animal. A nya is any small land-dwelling animal. The border between a mbi and a nya is judged as being about the size of a fist, so a gecko will be a nya but a monitor lizard will be a mbi. A butterfly is a hye but a chicken, classed as non-flying, is a mbi and a king quail, classed as non-flying (even though they fly pretty well) and being sufficiently small, is classed as a nya

Looking for is distinguished by whether the person intends to hold and use the thing they're looking for or not.
  • nggevwe = one who looks for something in order to see it or know where it is
    nggeza = one who looks for something in order to touch it or use it
And then there's this word, that's travelled through several of my languages and changed forms. It's the only word I really struggle to gloss briefly.
  • dwi = one who disgracefully contravenes gender taboos by being [what follows]
What constitutes gender taboos varies a little bit but one solid theme is that women are forbidden from doing anything even approaching violence. Dwi is also a strongly pejorative word. They're not allowed to touch anything categorised as a weapon.

So, in order to bring these examples all together, the following sentences exist.
  • De i nggevwe zyi nggyo.
    "He/She looks for the spear (to know where it is or see what it looks like)."

    De i nggeza zyi nggyo.
    "He looks for the spear (with the intent to hold it)."

    De i dwi nggeza zyi nggyo.
    "She looks for the spear (with the disgraceful intent to hold it).
Glossing Abbreviations: COMP = comparative, C = complementiser, ACS / ICS = accessible / inaccessible, GDV = gerundive, SPEC / NSPC = specific / non-specific, AG = agent, E = entity (person, animal, thing)
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Aurremerion
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Re: Unique words

Post by Aurremerion »

Here are some words from my conlang Kveyr.

Medeleor - the feeling of melting in your lover's arms. (derived from medir - hug, vor - warmth and dweyulmeth - to melt, to dissolve) Mainly used in poetry and love letters, the word isn't so publicly accustomed.

Klæ! - Go away and never come back! (double usage: either it is an extremely strong word - an example of usage would be the departure of former lovers or sth like that, and one had hurt the other one severely. The other possible usage is in joke, when best friends say goodbye.)
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Re: Unique words

Post by elemtilas »

hoeroathlo wrote:what are some unique words to your conlang(s) that English may not have. I just thought of this and think it might be an interesting topic.
For Queranaran, you can kind of put all the words in a cap, reach in and chances are good you'll pull something out that has no direct or quick English equivalent.

vilmarayesicasapayein --- count the spangles on a butterfly's wing; enumerate the grooves in a tree's bark; do anything just for doing it sake; do something for mere pleasure

timtammguryein --- to catch fireflies in the hand and let them go again

uwashutays --- mind your left wing!

riresueldein --- of cool breezes, to blow enough to ruffle one's feathers; of gentle fingers, to tousle the hair; of gently running streams, to dishevel the watergrass

drumruyvuin --- tip the left shoulder & wing, just a bit, in an alluringly provocative manner, indicating neither 'yes' nor 'no' nor 'maybe so' but perhaps more of 'why don't you try and find out' but also 'be very careful what you wish for, because you'll likely get more than you can handle'; tip the left shoulder & wing, just a bit more, in a gracefully elegant manner, indicating a cheerful willingness to accommodate a request

Ah, how many stories revolve around a boy misconstruing a girl's drumruyvehers!

Gotta love Daine body language!
:con: Kehntra
kahtomaten: the feeling of profound nostalgia triggered by a smell, place, person, or object

nastahak: a word describing the feeling of time speeding up as you get older
Both of these are wonderful and brilliant!

Queranaran has longsayanuin; remember fondly; recollect with nostalgia or longing.

Daine don't age the way Men do, so no nastahacking for them!
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Re: Unique words

Post by Iyionaku »

I just coined the word degi in Yélian to describe the specific feeling I had yesterday. It was some weird mix of disappointment, faciliation, confusion, desultoriness and pride. When several people asked me how I felt after a job interview I noticed that I just couldn't describe it in German.

This aroused my conlanger instict [:)]
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