Words that don't exist in English:

[LemonMeringueThreePointOneFour]

Alot
Eachother
Ect
Inbetween
Infront
Non
Thankyou
Que
Wether

Please feel free to add your own.

@Livingtothefull

Schadenfreude

Someone upthread said epicaricacy is an English equivalent.

The problem with "you" is an emerging issue.

At one point "thou" was second person singular and informal (like 'tu' in French). and "you" was second person singular and formal ('vous' in French). Thou started to drop from use as people found it safer to opt for the more respectful 'you' in all cases. Shakespeare famously reverted to 'thou' in an effort to create a more informal and intimate feel to his writing. Despite this 'you' remained the safer and more popular choice.

As I mentioned though, the overall use of 'you' is confusing and now becoming a problem again. Different solutions are arising, such as "youse" and "y'all".

I find it fascinating.

and "you" was second person singular and formal ('vous' in French).

Sorry for this and other mistakes, my tea is on the table and I am rushing. It should say second person plural and formal.

Yes but there is no evidence that this word has ever been actually used. And in any case it is just Greek instead of German.

The word is usually mistranslated btw as 'taking pleasure in others' misfortune' whereas Freude actually translates as 'joy' or 'delight' so goes beyond mere pleasure - malicious joy, or gloating, are probably closest.

@PinkSkiesAtNight

Agujetas: muscular pain that comes specifically from exercise. As in 'Tengo (I have) agujetas' From Spanish

This is called DOMS in English (delayed onset muscle soreness)

@Bathshebahardy

English uses the word gooseberry as a third, unwanted person on a date. French uses third candle, which I think sounds much better.

Chileans call this person “the violinist”. The idea is they are in the restaurant, sort of there, but sort of not.

Is there a word in English that defines my sister's husband to my husband?
In German, my sister's husband is my "Schwarger" (brother-in-law).
In German, for my husband, my sister's husband is his "Scwipsshwarger" which defines a relationship to a definite level!
I love the German language for its definitions and accuracy!

[quote Fillybuster]**@TranquilityofSolitude* & @JamieFrasersBigSwingingKilt* "Machatanim" is the plural relating to both of your child's parents-in-law. The one you are after is "machatanister" (yes, the ch as in loch) which specifically relates to your female counterpart; as in "let me introduce you to my machatenister Mary". Machuten is the male variant ("and this is my machuten Tom"). [/quote]
Thanks for putting me straight. I never knew that!

@Lockdownbear

My Granny used to say Lumbar room, meaning the big cupboard under the stairs. Anyone else heard that one?

Google tells me it's used in big houses to describe a room to store furniture.

Yes - though it's spelt 'lumber' rather than 'lumbar' (which relates to the lower back).

[quote NeonTetras]I'm very confused to see the word 'non' listed as it is the most basic of British words. dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/non[/quote]
Your link says that it's a prefix, so not a word in its own right. In English, do you ever see it on its own?

@DdraigGoch

Maybe a non event?

@WeAreTheHeroes

Haven't read the whole thread, but have we had "per say" yet? I've got a colleague who uses it because he thinks it makes him sound intelligent.

I used to work with someone who used big words inappropriately because he thought it would impress management. He once even congratulated himself in front of us for his own choice of word after using it over the radio. He was tedious to work with. I can't help but think that it would have impressed management more if he were actually competent at his job (he was eventually relieved of those duties after one too many cock-ups).

I used to work with someone who used big words inappropriately because he thought it would impress management.

I work with someone who uses myself and yourself instead of me and you every single time. So if she wants to say “can you do that for me” she says “can yourself do that for myself”. I think it’s because she thinks it makes her sound smarter but it is very bizarre.

Scots language has a few
Dreich - raw, cold, wet, depressing weather
Wabbit- off colour, slightly unwell, tired

Abbiocco- my Italian granny in law uses this, it means the sleepiness you feel after eating a big meal.

When I say colleague uses "per say", it's in every email I get from him.

I haven't read the whole thread but has anyone mentioned irregardless which makes me want to screech loudly?

I attempted to explain a while back (on another thread) that it was a made up word comprising a prefix and suffix within itself, thus cancelling itself out, but people just couldn't grasp it....

@SickAndTiredAgain

I used to work with someone who used big words inappropriately because he thought it would impress management.

I work with someone who uses myself and yourself instead of me and you every single time. So if she wants to say “can you do that for me” she says “can yourself do that for myself”. I think it’s because she thinks it makes her sound smarter but it is very bizarre.

I'd be telling her, I'll do it if you ask me properly!😂

I don't think I've ever come across irregardless written down but I've heard it a lot on radio interviews and fairly commonly in poltical interviews.

It did make me wonder what the root word meant - gard and yes it's obsolute but it suprised me it meant garden - which it probably shouldn't have.

regard - one of the older meaning is attention

less - suffix means without.

So obvioulsy regardless - without attention - so yes what is this irregardless which seems to be used the same way.

Then I thought perhaps it's because teaching about roots and pre and suffixes is patchy to non-existent - my children learnt a lot of them becuase they struggled with spelling but irregardless has been around for a long time.

irregardless is in the dictionaries - OED put it in in 1912 according to wikipedia - and is considered a non standard word that means same as regardless despite it's double negative.

There's speculation it's a portmanteau of irrespective and regardless - but now it's been pointed out I can see what an oddity it is if it's not a portmanteau .

@KaptainKaveman

I haven't read the whole thread but has anyone mentioned irregardless which makes me want to screech loudly?

I attempted to explain a while back (on another thread) that it was a made up word comprising a prefix and suffix within itself, thus cancelling itself out, but people just couldn't grasp it....

Someone did mention it, I think. I seem to be hearing it more and more these days.

It reminds me of the wonderful “unrelentless” I heard once. When “relentless” or “unrelenting” just weren’t negative enough!

[quote lovablequalities]@DdraigGoch

Maybe a non event?[/quote]
No, that should be hyphenated.

I think non is only used on it’s own in Latin phrases that are in common use, eg non sequitur, persona non grata. I don’t think you hyphenate those.

To arrive back seems to me to be superfluous when we already have "to return", but it's become common parlance.

@DysmalRadius

Are you suggesting that there's no such thing as a correct way to spell a word, or that the rules of grammar are irrelevant to communication?

No - I'm saying that expecting perfection in written English from people with varied backgrounds and education is pointless and a barrier to understanding. By all means, ask for clarification if you genuinely don't understand, but I rarely read something that I cannot get the gist of simply because a couple of words are misspelled or because someone used 'less' rather than 'fewer'. In the same way that I can understand people with different accents using regional words, I can understand those who spell phonetically or say 'we was' rather than 'we were'. I would hazard a guess that you wouldn't insist that quotes in Shakespearian or Chaucerian English be 'translated' , yet they are much harder to understand than the typical errors you see on social media.

Communication shouldn't be reserved for those with a specific level of education or skill in a language - we all understand the need to accommodate those who use sign language or read in braille, so why should other difficulties with language be considered any differently?

I don't mind taking a bit of extra time to read something that might require a little extra attention, in the same way that I don't mind waiting behind someone with mobility problems or helping someone on holiday with directions in my mangled French. I don't see the value in gatekeeping a language to prevent those who need it most from using it without fear of criticism or snarky comments.

Great post, I agree completely.

German has 'fremdschämen' (to be embarrassed for someone else)

And it has a (rather lovely) word for your BIL/SIL's sibling or spouse - Schwippschwager/Schwippschwägerin.

Ah, I see someone just posted Schwippschwager :)