Teach Us a Word From Your Language

[Edward Reiher]

Teach Us a Word From Your Language

One of the most fun ways to discover new languages is through individual words and expressions.

Every language has words that are funny, powerful, emotional, or difficult to translate directly. Sometimes a single word can reveal something interesting about a culture.

So here’s a simple challenge for the Guild:

Teach us a word or expression from a language you know.

You can include:

• The word
• The language it comes from
• What it means
• How it’s pronounced
• A sentence using it

I’ll start with one from Russian.

I’ll admit I’m the kind of person who repeats the same words and simple expressions a lot. Once something sticks in my brain, I end up saying it without even thinking about it.

I’ll never forget one moment at my day job when I was talking with a co-worker and responded “Da!” without even thinking about it. My English-speaking co-worker just stared at me for a second, and I realized:

Wow… my brain is really in Russian mode today.

My favorite expression from Russian right now is:

Ой — Oi

Meaning: an emotional exclamation, often used to express surprise or excitement.

I’ll be honest — I probably use it completely wrong because of the cultural context.

Sometimes I say:

Ой! — Oi! when I’m excited.

Sometimes I say:

Ой! — Oi! when I’m frustrated.

But from what I understand, it’s most often used to express surprise or excitement.

Still, it’s one of those expressions that just stuck in my brain.

Now it’s your turn.

Teach the Guild a word from a language you know.

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