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What's your favorite foreign-language word that has no English equivalent (but should)? One of my new favorites is "milyunanochesco," a Spanish adjective meaning "thousand-and-one-nights-esque." I encountered the word in an excerpt from something that Jorge Luis Borges wrote about Antoine Galland, the first European translator of The Arabian Nights, that was quoted in the Wikipedia entry for Galland.
Hoooeee, I had an unforunate moment there where I glanced at the word "milyunanochesco" and wasn't dividing it correctly . . .
Anyway, great word. Thanks for sharing it, EF.
I remember reading Howard Rheingold's book on such words and liking "wabi," a Japanese word that supposedly can mean something like "an imperfection in the process of making something that gives it unique beauty" (like a crack or irregularity in a clay pot). I never have discussed it with Japanese speakers, so I'd be delighted to hear from some about whether this author got it right.
In order to prevent anyone else from having an “unfortunate moment,†here are the components of the word separated by spaces:
mil y una noches co
Does anyone know the origin of this word? Was Borges (who was keenly interested in The Arabian Nights) the first person to use it or was it someone else? I think it's neat that Spanish speakers can use one word to describe something reminiscent of The Arabian Nights instead of having to string several words together.
I've been dipping into Sir Richard Burton's famous translation of the Arabian Nights recently, and parts of it are…pretty surprising for someone like me who was familiar with the Arabian Nights mainly through animated movies (anyone who thinks of the Nights only as children's literature is in for a shock). I think that anyone who is any kind of writer really needs to read at least a little bit of the Arabian Nights (some might prefer the well-regarded Husain Haddawy translation). As Robert Irwin says in the book Companion to the Arabian Nights, anyone who is interested in expanding their vocabulary should really sample the Burton translation (I used to think that Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian was the ne plus ultra when it came to the use of obscure words, but now I'm starting to think that it's Burton's Arabian Nights).
An interesting word that has become quite popular is schadenfreude, perhaps because people have become more polarized? I've seen it used in psychology, politics, and comedy, and there are even some knock-off words based on it, such as Spitzenfreude (for the unfortunate Eliot Spitzer). We all recall how Wall Street openly gloated their collective schadenfreude over the decline and fall of Spitzer, but my-oh-my how the worm has turned!
But if we're all in a financial world of hurt, who's left to feel schadenfreude? How about a knock-off word, shopenfreude, to describe people who are financially fortunate enough to take advantage of so-called "distressed prices," such as the buying of repossessed cars and foreclosed properties at ridiculously low prices? And then, going back to the election, in recognition of gotcha politics, we could have gotchafreude. Even in bad times, or maybe especially in bad times, there is plenty of schadenfreude to go around.
Martha, you asked about the Japanese word "wabi." My brother's wife is Japanese. The word, or expression, is usually "wabi-sabi," and it is indeed related to the concept of the acceptance and appreciation of what Westerners might call "imperfections." Actually, as you might expect, there is an extensive philosophy and aesthetic associated with wabi-sabi, and there are many books on the subject. Wabi-sabi is as central to Japanese aesthetics as the Greek ideals of beauty (and perfection) are to Western aesthetics. Have you ever wondered why authentic Japanese bowls and tea cups were a bit uneven? Lousy craftsmanship? No! That's wabi-sabi! Vive la difference!
I will admit to my own wabi-sabi fetish: I have never liked the appearance of perfectly straight teeth, and I find naturally crooked teeth very attractive. As my teeth are fairly straight themselves, and my parents also have straight teeth, I do not know why I have this penchant. Could it be a strange variant of schadenfreude - pleasure at the misfortune of someone's crooked teeth - dentifreude?
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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