While there are many things that make up the walls of our Prison, language is one of the most important and difficult to overcome (or even see). The language that we're born with (and the languages we learn over time) dictate the terms of our internal monologue. The nuances of meaning and association flavor our perceptions, and even if they do not completely limit our experience to that which they have named, they still have a profound affect on how we interact with our environment and create the narrative of ourselves.
Obviously, we can't really function without language. Nor can we each operate in our own, personal language that exactly describes our own experiences and feelings (unless we're willing to abandon the ability to communicate with everyone else, which is another matter). We can, however, look outside of our own languages to identify important vocabulary that better encompasses the ideas we want to communicate. By identifying a small number of key words at first, we can slowly integrate them (or translated versions) into the vocabulary of our friends and colleagues, and eventually watch the usage expand to a much broader community.
Here's some of my personal favorites, feel free to add your own:
Griefbacon: (from the German Kummerspeck) The weight you put on eating because of depression
Dragonfood: (from the German Drachenfutter) A small present you get for your woman on the way home after doing something that will piss her off
Friendshame: (from the German Fremdscham) The feeling of embarrassment you have on behalf of someone else who's too stupid or ignorant to know they should be embarrassed
Bedmurmur: (from the Greek Krevatomourmoura) The incessant yammering of someone when you are trying to get to sleep in the same room
Layogenic: (Tagalog) Someone who's only pretty from a distance
Tingo: (Pascuense) To borrow things one by one from a neighbor's house until there is nothing left
Schadenfreude: you all know this one already
sources: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/last-mar06.html, http://betterthanenglish.com
I like this one:
QuoteÉpater les bourgeois (French)
To deliberately shock people who have conventional values. Literally "to amaze the middle class".
eta:
Pilkunnussija (Finnish) - a pedant. Literal translation: comma fucker.
Commafucker is pretty awesome. The wit of the staircase is another one that really should see more usage.
Quote from: Golden Applesauce on March 10, 2012, 08:55:12 PM
I like this one:
QuoteÉpater les bourgeois (French)
To deliberately shock people who have conventional values. Literally "to amaze the middle class".
eta:
Pilkunnussija (Finnish) - a pedant. Literal translation: comma fucker.
Freaking the mundanes, in other words.
A longing for something that could (should?) have happened. Almost like backwards nostalgia, because it's mourning the passing of something that never got the chance to come into existence in the first place.
Louyrn (v)
I was thinking about this feeling (though not the word) when I drew this last weekend.
(http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1id72LYaX1qdrjnqo1_500.jpg)
Quote from: movemovemovemove on March 27, 2012, 05:11:53 AM
A longing for something that could (should?) have happened. Almost like backwards nostalgia, because it's mourning the passing of something that never got the chance to come into existence in the first place.
Louyrn (v)
I was thinking about this feeling (though not the word) when I drew this last weekend.
(http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1id72LYaX1qdrjnqo1_500.jpg)
Oooohhhh
I think I might like your thinking, new person.
May I repost your art? And if yes, what attribution?
Quote from: Nigel on March 27, 2012, 07:52:54 AM
May I repost your art? And if yes, what attribution?
As long as it's not for commercial purposes you can use it for whatever you like. If you feel inclined to you can attribute it to my account here. I'm glad you like it!
Quote from: movemovemovemove on March 27, 2012, 01:32:16 PM
Quote from: Nigel on March 27, 2012, 07:52:54 AM
May I repost your art? And if yes, what attribution?
As long as it's not for commercial purposes you can use it for whatever you like. If you feel inclined to you can attribute it to my account here. I'm glad you like it!
Thanks! :D