To mutter – mopperen in Dutch
Category: Language
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On language #8
In devotion to the English language which shines so brilliant in her grammatical complexity that I only recently have come to know the difference between:
- We miss you – and –
- We have been missing you
Truly remarkable
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On language #7
The Arabic ahlan wa sahlan (اهلاً و سهلاً) and “welcome” are both used as greetings to guests but “ahlan wa sahlan” seems deeper and more meaningfull. The same holds for لا which is deeper than the British “no.”
Edit:
اهلاً و سهلاً literally means something like: “among family and in ease.”
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On language #6
Some things are easier said in English than in Dutch. If you want to say goodbye to the cashier at the groceries in Dutch you can choose between “doeg” (bye) or “tot ziens,” (…) but if you want to wish someone a good day it is either “fijne dag” (good day) or “fantastische/super (fijne) dag gewenst” which seems over the top.
However in English you can say “have a great day,” which fits very well between “fijne dag,” (boring) and “fantastische dag gewenst” (everybody stares at you).
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On language use (#5)
It might be the case that there is something to say about some languages being inherently better suited for expressing deeper emotional dispositions than other languages. Let us consider a simple example:
- In the Dutch language it might be possible to arive at a point in a conversation where one of the speakers might exclaim “subtle!” (“Subtiel!”) as a judgement on the lack of refinement of the interlocuters’ (use of) language.
Where in the British language it is not a stretch to imagine the following exchange:
- …
- “He made subtle use of …”
Where “subtle” is used as a noun on the Dutch language in English it can be used as a adjective. The adjective is also used in Dutch “een subtiele behandeling” (a subtle treatment) but it sounds a bit clunky in Dutch, whereas the Brit can choose between “subtle treatment,” “carefull treatment,” “… tentatively.”
So where a conversation in Duth has at its high point the exclamation “subtle!” in English it is more commonly just a adjective which makes English conversation more “smoothly flowing.”
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On the Arabic “kafara”
Kafara is the Arabic word describing “unbelief,” it is the noun form (form 1). It describes a state of mind of unreflectiveness and an unwillingness to take responsibility.
Serendipitously in the Dutch language you have a verb “kafferen” which has meanings of “to complain, to swear” which is interesting since Arabic is not one of the primary languages in Holland.
There are more cases like these and we will discuss them in time God-willing.