flyingturtle From Switzerland, joined Oct 2011, 1280 posts, RR: 2 Posted (6 months 3 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 1827 times:
Hiho,
I recently wondered about a word in German, "eigentlich". It means
actually, in fact, intrinsically, inherent, literal.
Not quite an easy word to translate. But the key words are "intrinsically" and "inherent". By "eigentlich", you mean an attribute that defines something and makes it stand out.
"Eigentlich bin ich ein netter Mensch" – I would translate it as "Being a nice human being is the core of my personality".
But in the everyday language, the word "eigentlich" is most often used as a fill word, just to stress a point that isn't there. You don't refer to any intrinsic value anymore.
Do you know of words we often use, but don't carry any meaning whatsoever?
David
Even a letdown, if it is thoroughly and final, is a step forward.
Darksnowynight From United States of America, joined Jan 2012, 980 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (6 months 2 weeks 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 1749 times:
Literally.
That one is like a steering wheel in a pirate's pants... Drives me Nuts.
Posting without Talent is simply Tolerated Vandalism... We are the Vandals.
Quokkas From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (6 months 2 weeks 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 1722 times:
"You know"
If I know, why are you bothering to tell me?
"You know" is liberally peppered in speech to mask the fact that the speaker is desperately thinking of what to say next, usually in response to an inane question. Most commonly used by people in the sport industry after the conclusion of a game of something.
Interviewer with microphone in hand: "Well Ben, it was a close contest. What swung the game around for you?"
Football player: "Well, you know, at half time we were three points behind, you know and you know we saw an opening, you know..."
Stratofish From Germany, joined Sep 2001, 1011 posts, RR: 6 Reply 4, posted (6 months 2 weeks 6 days 19 hours ago) and read 1673 times:
Quoting flyingturtle (Thread starter): "Eigentlich bin ich ein netter Mensch" – I would translate it as "Being a nice human being is the core of my personality".
In most parts of Germany that would translate into: "Normally / Actually I am a kind person."
You would probably only ever use it after you smacked the dumb intern, though. (I do NOT condone such behaviour )
Aesma From France, joined Nov 2009, 4787 posts, RR: 9 Reply 6, posted (6 months 2 weeks 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 1600 times:
Most insults/expletives have lost their original meaning.
For example "merde (shit) !" doesn't you make think about excrement when you hear it. "Putain !" (whore) doesn't make you think about a prostitute. Both would still be used as originally meant in the right context, though, so our brain has a really funny way of working.
Not sure if on topic but one that gets to me is "comment vas-tu ?" (how are you doing ?) in the morning at school/work. People ask this but don't want a straight answer, they always expect that you'll answer fine/good/well.
New Technology is the name we give to stuff that doesn't work yet. Douglas Adams
Hm, I use "like" honestly. If I do like something, then... I like it.
Quoting Quokkas (Reply 3): Football player: "Well, you know, at half time we were three points behind, you know and you know we saw an opening, you know..."
We all know that footballers aren't exactly bright...
Quoting Stratofish (Reply 4): after you smacked the dumb intern, though.
AeroWesty From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 18839 posts, RR: 64 Reply 8, posted (6 months 2 weeks 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 1535 times:
zippyjet From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 4724 posts, RR: 13 Reply 9, posted (6 months 2 weeks 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 1511 times:
Shut Up! overused by bimbo hipster girls and the mass unwashed male hipster population for Oh My God or whatever. Instead of being used in place of quiet, shut your pie hole. etc...
Although it nicely describes the life cycle of a youth slang term, it fails in some other aspects... for one, it fails to recognize that "fail" is a different word from "failure"... they are synonyms, at best...
Do agree that no socks in shoes is no good.
Quoting Quokkas (Reply 3): "You know" is liberally peppered in speech to mask the fact that the speaker is desperately thinking of what to say next, usually in response to an inane question. Most commonly used by people in the sport industry after the conclusion of a game of something.
We have a similar expression in Slovak, used very widely by hockey players, to the point of being a joke - "Tak určite", meaning something equivalent to "Well, sure". Used as an answer to you question, it would go something like,
"Well, sure, they were really good, but well, sure, we told we would try more and we did."
The light at the end of tunnel turn out to be a lighted sing saying NO EXIT
DocLightning From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 16819 posts, RR: 57 Reply 11, posted (6 months 2 weeks 5 days 12 hours ago) and read 1426 times:
Maverick623 From United States of America, joined Nov 2006, 4744 posts, RR: 6 Reply 12, posted (6 months 2 weeks 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 1389 times:
Quoting DocLightning (Reply 11): These are stalling words used when the speaker's mouth has, you know, gotten ahead of his brain. That's why they're, like, so common.
My girlfriend actually has a mild stutter, and she uses "you know" when she gets hung up on a word or thought. The funny thing is, I have a small stutter as well (not nearly as bad as hers, and almost unnoticeable), and her tic has rubbed off on me.
StuckInCA From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 1781 posts, RR: 1 Reply 13, posted (6 months 2 weeks 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 1338 times:
Hero.
Used to mean something. Now, not so much. It's liberal use is almost as bad as people talking about "giving it 110%."
3DoorsDown From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 368 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (6 months 2 weeks 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 1301 times:
"It is what it is" I take to be a phrase when you are to stupid to think of something useful to say you just blurt out that POC line.
I agree with "you know" Every time I hear that I think to myself "why would I be listening to this stupid interview if I knew".
In America, "like" doesn't mean "enjoy". It doesn't even invoke a simile. In 99% of cases, it just makes the speaker appear stupid.
Of course it doesn't mean 'enjoy' - because that word doesn't just mean 'enjoy' but also 'similar to' or 'as though'. That is why it is used in that irritating way, though it is certainly out of place and merely a filler for dullards to use - as the Doc said.
I use the "I could care less" phrase as a marker for bad education, muddled thinking and an illiterate reliance on phonetics to construct good sentences.
High on my list is also "excuse me" and "sorry". I hear them often, without actually carrying any meaning. Extra points if you use these words in conjunction with a justification: "I'm sorry, but you could have...", "Excuse me, but I had to...".
Myself, I feel sorry, I don't write "sorry".
David
Even a letdown, if it is thoroughly and final, is a step forward.
LostSound From Canada, joined May 2012, 161 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (6 months 2 weeks 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 1172 times:
Legit.
It's the latest buzz word it seems.
Everyone is using it in almost all of their sentences.
"I like, died! Legit!"
No... you did not...
[Edited 2012-11-07 09:53:16]
"Our hands are full, our lives are not"
25 nickh: There was another verbal faux pax, by local newscasters here in Houston, as well as state news personnel: A couple of years ago, here in Texas, when c
26 Airstud: I have a different viewpoint on this. I could say that "I couldn't care less about my nephew," because I do in fact care for him deeply, and am not c
27 csavel: A hero is nothing but a sandwich Here are three. Awesome - originally meant awe-insipiring w/o value judgement. Thus the A-bomb over Hiroshima was an
28 LostSound: "Gay" is another term that is used constantly with a very different motive then originally intended. Originally meaning "happy" and continuing on to a
29 zckls04: I'd add "legend" and "legendary" to that.
30 Quokkas: It always amuses me when I hear people lament the changed use of this word.Yet from as early as the seventeenth century it became associated with wan
31 Fabo: That is linguistically incorrect. As there is a hypothetical possibility that you could care less for him, say, for example, if he turned out a psych
32 zippyjet: I can't believe I forgot to mention this. I'm 56 years young and I totally forgot about: Five and Ten/Five and Dime! Even back in the 60's when I was
33 David L: "Decimate" - originally it meant killing one man in ten. Now it's generally used to mean something much more severe. It doesn't bother me one iota but
34 neutrino: I abhor this signage:- "Sorry for the inconvenice caused". My preferred version would be:- "Thank you for bearing with the inconvenience".
35 babybus: 'Cool' It means nothing and sounds very odd coming from middle aged people.
36 N243NW: That's true. People use these words and "apologize" when they haven't even done anything wrong. I almost bump into another person in the hallway beca
37 Geezer: I would most likely say, "it would be literally IMPOSSIBLE for me to "care" ANY less about what IS "is" Not to mention, it isn't what it isn't ! GOT
38 aero145: holiday holy + day nowadays, it means “vacation” one of the reasons I (almost) never use “holiday” is its original meaning, another reason wou
39 Quokkas: Easter Sunday is a day for stuffing one's face with chocolate eggs and going to the hardware shop to buy DIY gear. Or, as here in Australia it forms
40 AlnessW: Yep! On an unrelated note - I always find it funny when someone is talking about math and they say "timesed" instead of "multiplied." "Timesed" isn't
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