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OP I saw this posted on Lore Sjoberg's website today and couldn't help thinking about how much you all would enjoy the concept:
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Another Potentially-Useful Term I Just Made Up
A "passport word" is a word that means something general in another language, but which is imported into English to mean something specifically from a country or area where that language is used.
For example, "salsa." In Spanish, it just means "sauce," but in English it means a Mexican sauce. Similarly, "chai" is Hindi for "tea," but in English it refers to a specific type of Indian tea.
A passport word is similar to a loan word like "patio" or "soprano," but rather than retaining the same meaning it takes on a more specific meaning related to the area the word comes from. It is a subcategory of "false friend" -- a word which looks or sounds the same as a word in another language, but which means something different, like the Spanish word "embarazado" which means "pregnant" but sounds like "embarrassed."
Some examples of passport words:
* sombrero
* chorizo
* biscotti
* sensei
* anime
from http://slumbering.lungfish.com
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Can you think of others? I might suggest "angst" - German for "fear", but in English it has sort of foreboding, gothic, dare I say Germanic overtones.
PS. Hi everyone! I wish I had time to get back up to speed, but almost 3000 new posts in Miscellany alone! I miss you guys, and I'll try to check in more often.
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted Passport Words Flatlander 02/08/05 03:41 AM Re: Passport Words maverick 02/08/05 09:44 AM SWOOSH plutarch 02/08/05 10:53 AM Re: SWOOSH Wordwind 02/09/05 12:10 AM Re: SWOOSH tsuwm 02/09/05 03:29 AM moon over twincities tsuwm 02/09/05 03:40 AM Re: Nike Athena Wordwind 02/09/05 03:33 PM Re: Nike Athena plutarch 02/09/05 04:03 PM
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