Give examples of words that English is missing

Travis   Fri Aug 12, 2005 11:46 pm GMT
You can imply a difference, though, with "they met someone in a bar" versus "they met up with someone in a bar", even though the latter also implies that the meeting aspect as preplanned to extent or another.
Travis   Sat Aug 13, 2005 1:10 am GMT
One could also say "they met with someone in a bar", which has less of an aspect of being potentially preplanned.
SpaceFlight   Sat Aug 13, 2005 1:53 am GMT
English lacks a scientific or formal word for ''dried nasal mucus''. In informal or slang usage, it's ''booger''. There's no formal or scientific word for it.
american nic   Sat Aug 13, 2005 2:43 am GMT
Or snot.
Sander   Sat Aug 13, 2005 6:11 am GMT
Ha, 'snot' is the official word here :) , pronounced differently though.
Paul   Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:21 am GMT
English lacks a (distinct) second person plural. Y'all is a contraction of "You all" and it's use is frowned upon in formal speech.

There are some objects that do not have a single name in English, but use two words to describe them.

Unfortunaltely, I canno't think of any off hand. :/
Travis   Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:36 am GMT
Paul, one note though is that in at least most of English-speaking North America, informal speech is used the vast majority of the time anyways. Furthermore, part of the reason why "y'all" is frowned upon is not a matter of formal versus informal speech, but rather because it is associated with certain regions of the US which not all people in the US think particularly highly of, especially here in the Upper Midwest, specifically the South and Texas. As for things not having a "single name", often those "two words" or like used to refer to such are simply a single compound word in practice. Remember that what English often writes using separate words *orthographically* are very often written out as single words in the orthographies off most other Germanic languages. Hence, it would probably be best to consider such to be single words, even as much as they happen to be broken up by spaces orthographically.
Rick Johnson   Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:39 am GMT
It is odd that Anglo-Saxon words have been shunned by the medical profession in favour of latin words, e.g. vomit instead of spew, excrement instead of shit and dried mucus instead of snot- I would love to hear doctors speak normally!!
Damian in Edinburgh   Sat Aug 13, 2005 10:07 am GMT
**I would love to hear doctors speak normally!! **

Or write legibly. I've had to have two doctor's prescriptions so far and I'm amazed how the dispensing chemists are able to decipher what the doctor's written on them...to me it's just a meaningless scrawl and does not even look like any Language. I could recognise 2.5mg but that's all. I had to wait to get the drug and see it stated in print otherwise I hadn't a clue what I was taking.
The Swede   Sat Aug 13, 2005 10:08 am GMT
Have someone ever wondered about what our God's name is? I mean we have names for Zeus and other gods but we only use a general name for our own one. I will be suprise if there are a language who has a special name for our God.
Damian in Edinburgh   Sat Aug 13, 2005 10:12 am GMT
A doctor signed me off lectures once for a few days and on the note he wrote something really impressive that made me think I was suffering from a rare disease.....coryza. I looked it up and all it said was "the common cold" or "inflammation of the mucous membrane". A wee bit deflating but I suppose the snot we're talking about here (yuk) was a clue.
Paul   Sat Aug 13, 2005 10:19 am GMT
"Have someone ever wondered about what our God's name is? I mean we have names for Zeus and other gods but we only use a general name for our own one. I will be suprise if there are a language who has a special name for our God."

His name is Allah in Islam. Theoretically it's the same God, since Christianity and Islam are both monothesic (one God) religions. (i'm not trying to offend anyone here, so I hope nobody takes that statement the wrong way)
Damian in Edinburgh   Sat Aug 13, 2005 10:25 am GMT
GOD: Supreme Being; Divine Being; Alpha and Omega; The Infinite; The Eternal; The All-Wise; The All Merciful; The Almighty; The Most High; The All Holy; The Ruler of Heaven and Earth; The Judge of All Men (and women presumably); The Maker of All Things; The Creator; The Preserver; Lord of Hosts; God of Our Fathers; The Father; Our Father; Great Spirit in the Sky; Holy Trinity; Hypostatic Union; Demiurge.

Elohim; Allah; Yahweh; Jehovah; Adonai; Brahma; Siva; Vishnu; Triad; Krishna; Manitou; Ahura Mazda; Ormuzd.
Paul   Sat Aug 13, 2005 10:29 am GMT
In addition to the above -
I've actually heard mixed things on the subject of the word "Allah" and wether it is God's name or a word meaning God. I certainly can see the word Allah being used in general speech as God is in English. I highly doubt that mythological Roman or Greek 'Gods" are referred to "Allahs" in Arabic. The word "Allah" seems to be more specific than the English "God"
The Swede   Sat Aug 13, 2005 10:37 am GMT
I can agree with Paul's reasoning that Alah is his name for the muslims but I think all Christian folk miss that word/name.
Damian, yes Vishnu is the real name for that god, but for example "The Creator" is only a kind of a nickname for our god.