TOK+Q3+Week+2+Commentaries

=TOK for Q3 Week 2=

1. Place your commentary at the top of this page (newest posts should always be on top) 2. Write your name, date and time on the line above your commentary. 3. Write an intelligent comment about the article. 4. Include a responce to another student's post on this article 5. Insert a divider (click the "insert horizontal rule" button in the menu bar above) below your post

NEWEST POST ON TOP\

Gabrielle Falco 1/25/13 8;12 This article was very interesting. I will find myself using the words Treppenwitz and Verschlimmbessern now. However, I do believe that in English we have words that are like these. We just aren't aware of it because we use them every single day. They are normal to us but if we were to translate them to another language, it would be hard; we wouldn't be able to find a word that exactly translates. The word "muffin top" may be one of them!! In every langueage, there are words created that can't be translated. @Anthea Rokop Exactly. I agree with you. You can spwak Hungarian? That's cool. Anyways, i agree with your point that somwtimes translations into other languages just won't work.

Anthea Rokop 1/25/13

This article was hilarious. I found it extremely interesting that these words even existed. What is also peculiar is the fact that words in one language could have a completely different meaning in another. The word "verschlimmbessern" probably applies to me the most. Instead of improving a situation I am alsways able to make it worse. Whether it be from clumsiness or me just putting my lousy old foot in it. It's quite funny actually. I find that sometimes when I attempt to speak Hungarian with my father or grandmother they always laugh because the things I say are actually inappropriate in Hungarian but translate to perfectly normal, everyday words in English.

@AnaRivas I agree 100%. The meaning of words depends on the language and even dialect. I think that pretty much every language has their own words and their own meanings. For example, there is this very funny saying in England known as "Gordon Bennett." Basically, it is an exclamation of suprise like "oh my gosh!" I highly doubt that people in other languages like Indonesian or Chinese walk around saying "Gordon Bennett!" Just a thought.

Ana Rivas 1/25/13 2;15 am

I found this article really interesting. I like the fact that there are words in some languages that have meanings that you can’t find in any other language. But sometimes you see a word and you see its meaning in one language and you could find another word in another language that means the same thing. It’s all on perspective. For example: the word //Kummerspeck//. It means the extra fat you gain and maybe there isn’t a word in English for it but in perspective, //Kummerspeck// could mean extra-fat. Also, there might not be a word for it in English but what about other languages? In Spanish there’s a word that describes __Kummerspeck__ perfectly and it’s //Rollitos// or //rollos//.

I think that all this also depends on what language you’re talking about and what dialect. I think that some of these words would be considered as slang words and that’s why they have other meaning that you could only find in that language. For example, the word //fremdschamen//. In the article it says that German is probably the only language that has a word that means to be ashamed for someone else. I can think a word on the top of my head that means the same thing in Spanish but it would definitely be slang “//Penajena”//

@Leila I definitely think that Treppenwitz is one of my favorite words out there. I can’t honestly think of a word that means the same thing and that can be used for that same cause. That’s why this article is really interesting. In every language you find words that mean something but doesn’t mean the same thing in another language.

Jean-Marc Ulysse 1/24/13 8:23pm

This article was a quick and surprisingly interesting to read. I couldn't help but laugh as I tried to pronounce some of the words and commit them to memory so I could use them with other members of my German class. Adopting these words would only add to the complexity of the English language, but it would make it that much more interesting. Such words such as Torschlusspanik is a word everyone in IB should become familiar with because I'm sure after our recent projects such as our poetry portfolio most IB students know the feel of panic as we have less time to do our project, only to realize we procrastinated most of the time.

Also the word Treppenwitz was a perfect substitute for "I lost my train of thought" or "Why didn't I think of that then!" This happens so often when you think of a great comeback or joke, but sadly the conversation is over or the people you were talking to had already left. And you know that the comeback you had would've been perfect, if only you had though of it before. The comedic writing of this article made it all the more interesting to read because as I was reading I couldn't but think of a scenario where each word would've been relevant. Lastly, we have the word Drachenfutter. This is perfect especially with Valentines day coming up soon. There will be a bunch of guys out there on the 13th or Feb. 14 in the morning looking for last second gifts which I guess could be seen as Drachenfutter.

@Leila

You are absolutely right! It always seem like when you need the right word you can't think of one because it doesn't exist. Now you have people creating words, but ones that are useless in sharing ideas or really communicating. You have such words such as swag and raw, which apparently are good adjectives?

@Camille

I must admit that I too skimmed over that word the second I saw how long it was. It was only more entertaining to see that you had already predicted that this would happen. It was also interesting because I was never aware of another language called Tagalong until I read your last paragraph. It really is interesting to hear just how many words the English language is missing.

Leila Becirevic 1/24/12 6:28 PM

I really enjoyed reading this article. It would be great if the English language adopted some of these words. My favorite word from this article would have to be "treppenwitz" because this happens to me all the time. You need a good comeback and as soon as you walk out of the room, you think of one, but by then it is too late. These words are helpful because it would so much easier to just have one word to describe different situations and feelings, rather than having to explain everything that happened. A lot of times, I find myself struggling to find the right words to use when describing a situation. Even though there are so many words in the English language, it still seems like when you need the right words, they don't exist!

@Camille

Your response to this article was just as good, if not better, than the article itself! I especially liked the really long word you included, but the best part of that was that I did exactly what you predicted. When I read the next line, I laughed because I just skimmed over the word and did not even try to read it! I liked the different words you included that weren't in the article. It was interesting to learn some new words that would be great to have in the English language.

Camille Lopez, 1/23/13 9:42 PM

I wish English had adapted something similar to some of the German words in the articles because they are extremely helpful. For instance, as an IB student I always feel like I don't have enough time for everything, homework, volunteering, and family time, and so I start panicking at times. In German this feeling is called TORSCHLUSSPANIK ("fear of decreasing opportunities"). It's usually used for older women who wants to have children and are running out of 'time', but I wonder if it can be applied to my situation (it'll make my life a lot easier). Another German word that's helpful is TREPPENWITZ because everyone had been in a situation where you wish you could've made a great comeback but didn't. So you later think of one when the argument's been done. The last German word I thought was helpful was DRACHENFUTTER. Whoever invented this word (probably a man) is a GENIUS! Does it include forgotten anniversaries as well?

Despite of some of the helpful German words, English didn't adapt a few of them because it doesn't make sense. For instance, Americans would not say QUERGEBÄUDE for the area across of their house. It's called your neighbor's house/lawn. I didn't see the purpose of QUERGEBÄUDE because English speakers would just say "That area over there" if they're pointing somewhere that's in front of them/across them. Another word that blew my mind straight out of the water was... wait for it... it might take a while to type/read.... be patient: RINDFLEISCHETIKETTIERUNGSÜBERWACHUNGSAUFGABENÜBERTRAGUNGSGESETZ!! I bet NONE of you read that, all of you skimmed it! This is the longest German word today with 63 letters compacted together. Holy baloney!! I don't even know if I spelled it correctly but it's in the 2nd article of the optional section. This word has seven German words together which can be translated to: 1. cattle 2. meat 3 labelling 4. supervision 5. duties 6. assignment and 7. law. English speakers would throw it away as soon they see how LONG it is.

As a bilingual, I do know words in Tagalog that can't be translated into English; it can be described but there's no exact word for it. For example, the word KILIG in Tagalog is often used by someone (usually women) who watches a romantic-comedy movie and gets this happy feeling because the scene is so sweet. Another word in Tagalog is MAARTE which is a word to describe someone who overreacts to everything. Lastly, this word is one of my favorites and its called BINATUKAN. It means to slap someone upside the head. It's often said by older people to a younger man because he's saying/acting stupid.

@Jean-Marc: You really need to know TREPPENWITZ because you just can't make ANY comeback. When I argue with my sister she always gets the last word, but I'm not as bad as you are.

@Ana: I like how you added ROLLITOS and ROLLOS because Tagalog has a word for KUMMERSPECK as well, it's called BILBIL. HAHAHAHAHA!! I can't even type and think about the word without laughing. :)

Ashley Vastag, 1/23/13, 8:47 I've seen articles like these before, comparing words found in other languages that do not exist in English, and I think they are very interesting(my favorite so far is Backpfeifengesicht). I think that some of the words, like Treppenwitz, are very useful, because the situation in which you think of a witty comeback after the argument happens very often. As for other words in the German language, some cultural differences keep them from being entirely necessary in English. Americans are not as strict with being on time as Germans are, and I feel as if dates and times can be changed more easily. This word, Verabredet, means that they are entirely commited, which is slightly different from our own culture.

@ Camille: I was a little confused about that word for across the house too. I can't find a reason for that word in the English language either, because it would be just as easy to say the house across from yours. I really like the Tagalog words as well.