Alrighty, here we go. More untranslatable words. They're a lot of fun to research and read about.
These are, more specifically, words that a lot of people can relate to, like Utepils, Pretoogjes, Koyaanisqati, and Pana Po'o.
Utepils: (Norwegian)
Finally, another word that will someday pertain to me. Possibly even this summer in Germany... I'm sure most adults have had utepils at least once in their lives, certainly more for a lot of people.
This Norwegian word is a compound word, coming from "Ute-," meaning Outside and "Pils." Pils is actually just short for Pilsner, a common beer in Norway. So while this word literally means "Beer Outside," the common meaning behind utepils has become something along the lines of "Drinking a cold beer outside on a hot day." So have fun this summer, and have your utepils!
Pretoogjes: (Dutch)
Alright. Raise your hand if you were a mischievous child. (See, now I have to type with one hand raised...) Okay, now squint your eyes if you know what this word means...
Pretoogjes is a great word which I now adore. Whenever kids start plotting something, they start chuckling, and they get a squint and a glint in their eyes. These squinting/glinting eyes are what Pretoogjes are.
Luckily, it's almost a direct translation. In Dutch, what we call Eyes are known as Oogjes. And how we would say Fun, Dutch would say that it is Pret. Pret + Oogjes = Pretoogjes, also known as Fun Eyes
Koyaanisqatsi: (Hopi)
I've never done a Native American word on this blog before, so this is a first! Hmm. Maybe I should change that by experiencing a Koyaanisqatsi...
Simply put, Koyaanisqatsi is the Hopi word for an English phrase that is felt much too often by teenagers. It represents a state of life that pleads for another way of living.
Other words similar to it include:
Powaqqatsi- Life in Transition, Parasitic way of life
Nagoyqatsi- Life as War, Culturized Violence, or even "A life of killing each other."
Notice anything about those words? They all contain the letters "-Qatsi," which means Life in the Hopi Language. These three words are all part of a symphonic movie trilogy about the destruction of people, germs, and life in industrial counties.
Pana Po'o: (Hawaiian)
Everyone definitely has felt this one. You walk into a room, and you forget why you went in. So you start scratching your head to try and rattle your brain. Thanks to Hawaii, we have a word for that!
Pana Po'o means, literally, "To Snap/Tap (Pana) the Head (Po'o)", although it has taken the connotation of "Trying to remember what you went in to a room for."
Who knows what I'll do next week. I may do more untranslatable words. I dunno.
These are, more specifically, words that a lot of people can relate to, like Utepils, Pretoogjes, Koyaanisqati, and Pana Po'o.
Utepils: (Norwegian)
Finally, another word that will someday pertain to me. Possibly even this summer in Germany... I'm sure most adults have had utepils at least once in their lives, certainly more for a lot of people.
This Norwegian word is a compound word, coming from "Ute-," meaning Outside and "Pils." Pils is actually just short for Pilsner, a common beer in Norway. So while this word literally means "Beer Outside," the common meaning behind utepils has become something along the lines of "Drinking a cold beer outside on a hot day." So have fun this summer, and have your utepils!
Pretoogjes: (Dutch)
Alright. Raise your hand if you were a mischievous child. (See, now I have to type with one hand raised...) Okay, now squint your eyes if you know what this word means...Pretoogjes is a great word which I now adore. Whenever kids start plotting something, they start chuckling, and they get a squint and a glint in their eyes. These squinting/glinting eyes are what Pretoogjes are.
Luckily, it's almost a direct translation. In Dutch, what we call Eyes are known as Oogjes. And how we would say Fun, Dutch would say that it is Pret. Pret + Oogjes = Pretoogjes, also known as Fun Eyes
Koyaanisqatsi: (Hopi)
I've never done a Native American word on this blog before, so this is a first! Hmm. Maybe I should change that by experiencing a Koyaanisqatsi...
Simply put, Koyaanisqatsi is the Hopi word for an English phrase that is felt much too often by teenagers. It represents a state of life that pleads for another way of living.
Other words similar to it include:
Powaqqatsi- Life in Transition, Parasitic way of life
Nagoyqatsi- Life as War, Culturized Violence, or even "A life of killing each other."
Notice anything about those words? They all contain the letters "-Qatsi," which means Life in the Hopi Language. These three words are all part of a symphonic movie trilogy about the destruction of people, germs, and life in industrial counties.
Pana Po'o: (Hawaiian)
Everyone definitely has felt this one. You walk into a room, and you forget why you went in. So you start scratching your head to try and rattle your brain. Thanks to Hawaii, we have a word for that!
Pana Po'o means, literally, "To Snap/Tap (Pana) the Head (Po'o)", although it has taken the connotation of "Trying to remember what you went in to a room for."
Who knows what I'll do next week. I may do more untranslatable words. I dunno.
Have you seen the three movies in the series (featuring the Hopi words you named)? Amazing.
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