Foreign Words We Ne Need To Steal

All English-using writers have occasionally experienced the frustration of reaching for a word that isn't there. The writer knows precisely the action, mood or feeling he wants to convey, but there is no single, clear-cut word in the language with which to describe it. He can make up a phrase, but it often comes off clunky and awkward. He can beat the thesaurus like a pinata, but nothing really useful falls out. And this feeling of frustration – for which, ironically, English also seems to have no word – is hardly unique to writers. Ordinary people feel it every day when trying to convey an idea, only to discover there is no vehicle for doing so. This discovery, coupled with a reluctance that English-speakers possess for studying the vocabulary they actually do have available to them, leads to a great increase in the usage of slang; but slang words, like politicians' promises, have very short shelf lives. They only temporarily fill the linguistic gap, they are often vulgar in expression, and it often happens that when they expire, the following generation does not replace them. I recently watched a documentary about the 60s, and what struck me was how little of the slang from that day was still in use now -- or even in the 1980s, when its originators were still quite young. The same thing has happened to the slang of "my" 1980s; with a couple of notable exceptions ("dope," for example) it has disappeared so completely from use that encountering it on TV re-runs is a little jarring, like stepping into a time machine.

In these circumstances, it is often necessary for English-users to appropriate foreign words to express their thoughts and circumstances accurately. American English is positively riddled with French, Latin, and German words which are unchanged from their original form except in pronunciation, but it seems to me that Americans are becoming more, rather than less reluctant to do this as time goes on, and are relying more heavily than ever on brunch words, slang, and idiom to communicate ideas. This jury-rigging of our language is a dubious thing at best, especially when there are so many delightful foreign words just waiting to be stolen and Americanized. I have decided therefore to make a list of some of my favorites. (Please note: Because the only language I studied in depth is German, I have included more German words than others.)

Opinionswille: This is an archaic and very complex German term which literally translates to “opinion of the will.” (Some attribute its invention to Adolf Hitler, but never mind that.) It presupposes the idea that one's will can have its own opinion, perhaps independent of the rational mind. In practical terms it means when a person expresses an attitude which rests in his or her desire to do something, or to avoid it. “I know I ought to lose weight, but it is my opinionswille that I eat this jelly donut.”

Shitaka-na-gi: A common expression in Japan, shitaka-na-gi is roughly equivalent to the French “c'est la vie,” and is generally used to express the stoic acceptance of something that really sucks about life. In broader terms it can be called an acceptance of the unfairness and harshness of life, the inability of humans to do anything but endure in the face of misfortune. The literal translation is said to be, “Nothing can be done about it” or, less commonly, “What can you do?” It differs from such phrases as "that's life" or "life's a bitch" in that there is no element of bitterness, merely philosophical acceptance.

Treppenwitz: A German word with two equally good meanings. You know when somebody devastates you at noon with a smart-ass remark, and you think of the perfect comeback at three in the morning? That's treppenwitz. But it can also mean a joke which might have been funny when it was uttered but later seems in bad taste. When Reagan-era functionary James Watt heard a reporter's assertion that the president's cabinet was essentially just a gang of old white men, he replied, “Not true. We've got a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple.” The assembled journalists erupted in laughter...then crucified Watt for his tastelessness the next day. But if you watch the clip, you'll notice they are all laughing at the time he said it. This "laugh now, cringe later" sort of behavior is treppenwitz at its finest.

Eomchina: In the movie CLOCKWATCHERS, the unhappy character played by Parker Posey bitterly references a meal during which she had to endure, “hours of listening to my parents talking about my sisters...my perfect sisters.” The sneering yet despairing emphasis she puts on the word “perfect” would be called in Korean “eomchina,” a reference to a person whose perfection drives you fucking crazy. When your mom screams, “Why can't you be more like your brother?” that means your brother is an eomchina.

Dafka: There is a scene in GOOD WILL HUNTING which defines this word clearly:

Will: My father used to just put a belt, a stick, and a wrench on the kitchen table and say, ‘Choose.’
Sean: Well, I gotta go with the belt there.
Will: I used to go with the wrench.
Sean: Why?
Will: ’Cause fuck him. That’s why.

In other words, Will Hunting chose the wrench “dafka.” It is an ultra-flexible Hebrew term, which the novelist Herman Wouk defined as meaning “necessary, for that very reason, perversely, defiantly, in spite of everything.” One should note the use of the word “necessary” in Wouk's definition. It is not literal but perceived necessity, in this case the "necessity" of pride. I remember repeatedly taunting an older bully on my seventh-grade schoolbus, knowing he would punch me in the arm for it, but also knowing my defiance would eat in his guts like a worm all day long. I did this "dafka."

Weltschmertz: On the television show THREE'S COMPANY, the character of Janet would always stuff herself with french fries when put under great stress. Being an actress, she never gained any weight, but in America, the weight we gain from such stress-induced binge-eating is called “weltschmertz.” Given the present shape of America, I'm surprised this German word isn't as popular as “kindergarten.”

Dépayser: In English we use the clunky phrase “out of the comfort zone” to describe when a new activity, or movement outside the routine, brings us emotional discomfort in the form of anxiety and uncertainty. We lack a phrase which describes the reverse, a positive feeling triggered by travel or change. Dépayser is this word. People who travel for pleasure, and thus constantly place themselves in strange and unfamiliar locations by choice, do so in part for the feeling of dépayser. This year, when I was at a low point financially, emotionally and physically, I traveled to London and Paris. My health improved immediately, I began to write again, and I returned to Los Angeles feeling very much renewed. Thus dépayser.

"Torschlusspanik" describes a feeling of dread or anxiety produced by the awareness – sudden or creeping – that life is short, the fuse is burning, and we have only a limited amount of time remaining to do all the things we wanted to do with our lives. We would probably refer to it as a “mid-life crisis,” though the “panik” in “torschlusspanik” is not necessarily triggered by age. I experienced this sensation for the first time when I was twenty-nine years old, and began to grasp had chosen the wrong career -- law enforcement. Within a year I had left my profession, moved to a new state and returned to school. Thus, "torschlusspanik" can be a healthy thing, too.

Vorfreude: We appropriated “schadenfreude” (shameful or malicious joy) from the Germans long ago, but for some reason left its cousin Vorfreude behind in the Fatherland. This is a shame, because it is an extraordinarily useful word, covering not an emotion but the feelings which precede the arrival of a particular emotion. In particular, vorfreude is “the anticipation of joy,” i.e. the peculiar feeling of excitement, happiness and pleasure we get when we are expecting a joyous experience -- sex, food, Christmas morning. As Major Winchester said in an episode of M*A*S*H, in regards to preparing himself for a delicious meal, "Anticipation is in itself a sensory delight."

Belarus'ka: This is a Russian word that translates into “someone who doesn't want to get their hands dirty.” A person that gives you an ugly task, such as firing a co-worker, and then leaves the office early and turns off their cell phone, is definitely a belarus'ka. Since we're on the subject, it has a rough equivalent in German, called “Handschuhschneeballwerfer,” which means “a coward who criticizes from far away." When I was a kid we called these people "telephone tough guys," and the modern generation calls them "keyboard warriors." But "belarus'ka" is more precise. These are not necessarily physical cowards, people who prefer to be elsewhere when the consequences of their actions manifest themselves. Many of our politicians are belarus'ka.

Yaourter: This is one of the all-time great French words, which means literally “to yogurt.” Most commonly, a person “yogurts” when they attempt to fake their way through song lyrics they do not know, also known as “The Pearl Jam Effect.” This is such a common experience in America I can't believe we don't have our own word for it, but this one will more than do.
Incidentally, “Yaourter” can also be applied to people faking their way through a foreign language with a bunch of nonsensical gibberish, or even those just generally faking their way through a situation. (When I try to speak German to Germans, I am a "pulling a yogurt.")

Dab-jung-nuh: This is a terrific Korean word that means to be forced to say what someone else wants to hear, often in response to a question from someone else. When your girlfriend asks you, “Does this dress make me look fat?”, your response is almost certainly going to be a “dab-jung-nuh.” (If you don't employ a dab-jung-nuh, expect to sleep on the couch.)

Reichfreudeikit: Yet another archaic German word,
this is best translated into English as "joy in the kingdom," i.e. a sense of universal happiness felt by every last citizen, usually precipitated by some great national triumph. Examples of this in my own lifetime are rare, but would probably include when the American hostages returned from Iran in 1981, and when the Gulf War ended in 1991. America used to experience Reichfreudeikit a lot more than it does today, probably because there is so little sense of national unity.

Of course, I know the English language employs a quarter of a million words, and the ordinary American doesn't use more than a few percent of them. Doubtless if I opened the foot-thick dictionary I have on my desk, I could find many English equivalents to those I have listed here. But sometimes, damn it, it's more fun to steal.