"[Language] becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts. The point is that the process is reversible."
"But, when it comes to changing the language, I think they [feminists] make some good points, because we do think in language and so the quality of our thoughts and ideas could only be as good as the quality of our language."
—George Carlin, Doin' It Again/Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics
Vimes: (to the D'regs) So you think you're fighting for your freedom?
Carrot: (trying to translate) That's a rather difficult question for a D'reg, sir. You see, their word for "freedom" is the same as their word for "fighting".
— Jingo
Astonishing, said Death. Really astonishing. Let me put forward another suggestion: that you are nothing more than a lucky species of ape that is trying to understand the complexities of creation via a language that evolved in order to tell one another where the ripe fruit was?
Fighting for breath, the philosopher managed to say: "Don't be silly."
The remark was not intended as derogatory, said Death. Under the circumstances, you have achieved a great deal.
Fighting for breath, the philosopher managed to say: "Don't be silly."
The remark was not intended as derogatory, said Death. Under the circumstances, you have achieved a great deal.
At bottom, every ideal of style dictates not only how we should say things but what sort of things we may say.
It is unknown why tribbles and Klingons find each other so distasteful, but a clue can be found in the fact that the words 'cute' and 'cuddly' are not listed in the Official Klingon Dictionary.
— A footnote on the subject of Tribbles
In the Cabal legend, a hero seeks to possess the sun. He succeeds. Then, he becomes Emperor. The Cabal… are not a subtle people. (...) I must also note here that, while linguistic analysis of the Cabal language and its many dialects is incomplete, they do not appear to have a word for the concept of “hubris.”
—Legend of Acrius, Destiny 2
Again, I have absolutely no experience with the actual source material, so I don't actually know how the Dothraki are portrayed in the story they're from. Despite that, the fact that I was able to get any sense at all about what they're like, just from reading about their language, is a huge testament to to how well DJP was able to con this lang.
"We don't have a word for hero. Being prepared to die for your family and friends, or what you hold dear, is a basic requirement for a [Mandalorian], so it's not worth a separate word. It's only cowards we had to find a special name for."
— Baltan Carid, Star Wars: Legacy of the Force — Revelation
Throughout the country, pork is an almost default ingredient. Dim Sum, dumplings, rice, noodles, soup, even, sometimes, dessert, contains pork, whether it’s listed on the menu or not. The Chinese word for meat, “ròu” literally means pork. All other types of meat have to be specified. Cows, for example, are “niú”, so beef is “niú ròu”. Fish, “Yú”, becomes “Yú ròu”. And so on. The Chinese character for family or home, “Jiā” is composed of two elements, or radicals - the character for roof underneath the character for pig. All of this is to say: pork is more than just a meal in China - it’s ingrained in the culture.
People often get very excited about the idea that (e.g.) “Martians have no word for war”, forgetting that a lexical gap this easy to fill with a paraphrase or loanword is unlikely to tell us much about their familiarity with the idea. After all, until the twentieth century Terrans had no word for genocide.
Manta Fishgirl: No you don't understand, [cotton candy is] nothing like fish. the land-men call the taste... "sweet".
Piranha Fishgirl: What the [untranslated fishgirl text]note does "sweet" mean?
Piranha Fishgirl: What the [untranslated fishgirl text]note does "sweet" mean?
Ennui GO!, "Cotton Candy"
And then, as all these old memories were dredged up from him, despite himself, he began speaking in proxy English for the first time in several years (for how else to discuss the matter without the word “love?”). In his thoughts, indeed, he had never stopped using it. “I am changed, Mother. The very structure of my thoughts has changed. I think verbally, symbolically, algebraically. It’s not natural, and I cannot shut it off. I can’t make the words in my head stop.”
Dwight said, in proxy-English, “It’s all right. Use words, Paul.”
Paul projected, “Inquiry?”
“You need to sort your thoughts,” she said, “and human words, in their finiteness, are good for that. Words and wordish thinking are what separates Earth’s men from Earth’s animals. In their own eyes, it makes men greater than the animals. And I suppose it does. But it limits them, even as it elevates them.”
“Yet, words have been a problem for me,” Paul said. It felt so strange to speak words to another Jan, let alone to her. “I don’t feel like one of my own people any more. My very thoughts are filled not with images, but with words. I returned home to escape all of that, and yet...” He trailed off.
Dwight said, in proxy-English, “It’s all right. Use words, Paul.”
Paul projected, “Inquiry?”
“You need to sort your thoughts,” she said, “and human words, in their finiteness, are good for that. Words and wordish thinking are what separates Earth’s men from Earth’s animals. In their own eyes, it makes men greater than the animals. And I suppose it does. But it limits them, even as it elevates them.”
“Yet, words have been a problem for me,” Paul said. It felt so strange to speak words to another Jan, let alone to her. “I don’t feel like one of my own people any more. My very thoughts are filled not with images, but with words. I returned home to escape all of that, and yet...” He trailed off.
