Re: Mix-masters (was: various infotaining natlang tidbits)

> From: Kristian Jensen
>
> Many languages genuinely borrow words and coin new ones from
> these borrowed words. Japanese does this a lot with English
> loans. E.g. "sutoobu" exclusively designates a room heater, or
> "manshon" apparently means apartment block, or "bakkumiraa"
> when English speakers would say a car's rear-view mirror. Many
> English loans in Japanese are hilarious to the ears of English
> speakers because the loans may be recognizable, but not the way
> they are used.
I am reminded of an incident when a Japanese friend of mine suddenly
discovered that the Japanese word for western style dress, wanpisu, was an
English borrowing from "one piece suit".  Although she was fluent in
English, she had never made the connection until this epiphany.

David

David E. Bell
The Gray Wizard
    dbell@graywizard.net
    www.graywizard.net

"Wisdom begins in wonder." - Socrates