How Language Shapes the Way We Relate to Our World

I was thinking of the German word Schadenfreude, the feeling of pleasure one gets at the misfortune of others, and searched out a few more that I like, and copied here

Toska

Russian – Vladmir Nabokov describes it best: “No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody or something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom.”

Litost

Czech – Milan Kundera, author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, remarked that, “As for the meaning of this word, I have looked in vain in other languages for an equivalent, though I find it difficult to imagine how anyone can understand the human soul without it.” The closest definition is a state of agony and torment created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery.

Tartle

Scottish – the act of hesitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name.  Since Americans are able to make a verb out of virtually everything, as Heitor often points out, I suppose we would say "While introducing Cynthia to Randy, I tartled."

Wabi-Sabi - a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay.

Tingo

Pascuense (Easter Island) – the act of taking objects one desires from the house of a friend by gradually borrowing all of them. This may be my favorite.

Saudade

Portuguese – the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost. You can feel (or have) saudade for people, for places, for situations etc. On one level it is equivalent to homesickness, but it can also express the feeling you have for a friend you haven´t seen recently.  There is a movie titled "Saudade for the Future," which gives a good sense of the difficulty of translating it.

Black-tracking

United States – “the act of changing one´s mind because President Obama has agreed with you.