by The Nothing Man 25 Replies latest jw friends
Does anybody know of any words, which are spelt and pronounced the same, which are used in other languages but which mean completely different things?
As an example (which doesn't work I know) LOVE in English means affection, but LOVE in say, Spanish, means hate?
Dumb example I know, but do you catch my drift?
This might not be what you are looking for exactly , because allegedly, it's still the same 'language',.... but,
Online Etymology Dictionary -
''FANNY''
"buttocks," 1920, Amer.Eng., from earlier British meaning "vulva" (1879), perhaps from the name of John Cleland's heroine in the scandalous novel "Fanny Hill or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure" (1748). The fem. proper name is a dim. of Frances.
The genital sense is still the primary one outside U.S., but is not current in Amer.Eng., which can have consequences when U.S. TV programs and movies air in Britain.
The German word "Gift" means poison. I can't currently think of any other good examples.
funkyderek's example makes me think of the Greek word pharmakon, which means both "poison" and "cure". It seems that semantic problems manifest itself even within one and the same language.
German:
damit - with it
fahrt - to drive or travel
Chevy tried to introduce the Nova automobile to Latin America some years ago only to learn that "no va" meant, roughly, in Spanish, "it won't go."
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Stay alive 'til '75! ... ok, did that, now what?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fADhrAWTvuE
Dong
In Vietnam, it's the name of the National Currency
In the US, it's the thing that can cost a man a lot of currency if he uses it where he shouldn't...
Fancy a shag?
Paul
Sex in Swedish is six
OK, gotta ask: what prompted this question?
Because it just so happens, in my twisted private life, I've got a "list." I'm sure I'm gonna regret this in the morning.
kill (Arabic) friendly
buzz (Arabic) nipple
thumb (Albanian) teat
gush (Albanian) to hug each other around the neck
dad (Albanian) wet nurse or babysitter
mama (Georgian) father
bless (Icelandic) goodbye
sofa (Icelandic) sleep
punk (Japanese) flat tire
fart (Turkish) talking nonsense
arse (Turkish) violin bow
finger (Yiddish) toe
willing (Abowakal language, Australia) lips
song (Vietnamese) to live life
bash (Zulu) toe
And the list goes on and on -- but out of mercy, I'll stop here.
Ted
