Aww, that's cool.  Reminds me of various other similar lists you sometimes see posted here and there about strange/interesting words, or that there even exists a word for so many specific emotions or intangible things that English often doesn't have.  Heck, just googling the idea brings up thousands of results! (wonder how many words we have vice versa like that?)   There's even a neat book on it full of illustrated examples I meant to look up called "Lost In Translation", by Ella Frances Sanders you word-lovers might like.

I like the idea of 'Kos'.    One of my other favorite such word I've come across is (the originally greek) petrichor.  Just the sound of it is cool.  And  "Mamihlapinatapai," a word in the indigenous Chilean language of Yanghan, as "the silent acknowledgment and understanding between two people, who are both wishing or thinking the same thing (and are both unwilling/reluctant to initiate)."  Then there's ones that make you shake your head, amused 'they have a word for that?'  "Pisan-zapra" is a wonderfully specific word from Malay, denoting the time necessary to eat a banana.  And another favorite to leave off with:  Tsundoku: punning from tsundeoku, to leave piled up, and doku, to read - the act of buying books and not reading them, leaving them to pile up unread  (*looks sheepishly at one section of bookcase, guilty*)  Have a word for it too.  Hoarding.      

A lot of interesting examples here! 

I also miss a good word in English for "samboer". When you are in a relationship with someone, you live with them, but you are not married. I've heard terms like "co-habittants" and "domestic partnership", but they all sound so... dry and formal. Like a business relationship.

Hehe. But live-in what? Live-in boyfriend? To me "boyfriend" is a term that sounds a bit... childish. Like a high school crush. When we've lived together for ten years and have bought an apartment together, he feels much more like a husband (even though we're not married) than a boyfriend. 
 

@Russel:I didn't read properly the first time and thought it meant "the necessity to eat a banana". That, he doesindeed have several times a day (though he is only allowed one per day).
Iam used to our way of glueing words together, so I was very surprised when I understood at school the in English, you need severalwords to translate one long German word. Like the famous "Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän"which means "the captain of the company that owns steamboats that drive on the Danube".

tonnaree wrote:

I wish I could hear all of you speaking in your native langueges. 

Easily arranged. This is a one minute long video where I show my dog Ozu finding a coin I've hidden in gravel (nosework). 

Title: 
Nosework:
Coin hidden underneath gravel

I say the following, translated to English:

"The coin is hidden underneath the gravel. *turns camera* Somewhere over there. I can't remember where anymore, so let's just hope Ozu can find it. 
Ozu? Come.
Coin! (his command for searching for the coin, creatively enough).
*Ozu searches for coin, stops and marks find by freezing with his nose on the coin*
There he thinks it is. *approaches Ozu*
Coin!
Coin! *said again to have him freeze and mark the spot again*
Is it here?
Can I have a look? *digs out coin*
THAT'S SO GOOD! GOOD DOG! (Well, not exactly, but just general praise that translates directly to "So good. That's so fine", or something like that)"




 

Last edited by Vhanja (April 6, 2015 7:36 pm)

Interesting!

This
7. Pålegg
seems to be something like the German "Aufschnitt", "to lie upon" - whatever you do on your sandwich.

And this
8. Tøffelhelt
must be the German "Pantoffelheld" 

I notice very often that Norwegian, Swedish and German have the same root. So when I was in Scandinavia it was possible for me to read the newspapers (well - the headlines... ).

No problem. ;-)

LOL, yes, I remember some Swedish people telling me that the Danish people talk as if they have a woolen blanket in their mouth. 
But I heard the same from the people living in the far north of Sweden talking about those in the south.

And I have a colleague in Sweden and some customers in Norway and when they meet they talk a lot - easily. 

Btw. "Aufschnitt" means more "cut and lie on the bread"  (auf - on, schnitt - cut.)
With "to lie upon" I was referring to your palegg. 

Vhanja wrote:

I had two years of German back at junior high. Not too hard a language for me to understand the basis of, I just hated the kasus as we don't really have that in our language. ;)

 
I know. It was quite easy for me to learn some Swedish in evening school.
But then, as I use English all the time, I forgot most of it again.
(I still can remember the numbers and some car parts.  )