feelings – Success Across Cultures

Does something got you feeling “some type of way,” but you can’t quite describe it?

Well, you might be able to find the exact word for your very specific feeling in a different language.

In a book, titled A Brief History of Intelligence, author Max Bennett highlights emotion words in different cultures that are untranslatable in other languages.

He writes,

“In German, there is a word, sehnsucht, that roughly translates to the emotion of wanting a different life; there is no direct English translation. In Persian, the word ænduh expresses the concepts of regret and grief simultaneously; in Dargwa, the word dard expresses the concepts of anxiety and grief simultaneously. In English we have separate words for each.”

Language is a window into the soul of a culture, offering insights into the unique perspectives, values, and emotions that shape its identity.

Across the globe, there exist words that defy easy translation, encapsulating complex sentiments and experiences that eclipse linguistic bounds.

Let’s take a look at a few of these words.

Litost & the Soul

Litost, a Czech term, embodies a profound sense of anguish and torment, an existential angst that permeates the soul.

It reflects the bittersweet realization of one’s own inadequacies and failures, tinged with a yearning for redemption and absolution.

Pena Ajena & Public Humiliation

Pena ajena, from Spanish-speaking cultures, captures the cringe-worthy sensation of vicarious embarrassment or shame experienced when witnessing someone else’s social blunder or misfortune.

It evokes a feeling of discomfort and awkwardness, tinged with empathy and a desire to alleviate the other person’s discomfort.

Hygge & A Warm Cup of Tea

Hygge, a Danish concept, celebrates the art of cozy contentment and simple pleasures.

It encompasses the warmth of shared moments with loved ones, the comfort of a crackling fire on a cold winter’s night, and the joy of savoring life’s small delights.

Inshallah & The Divine

Inshallah, an Arabic phrase, translates to “God willing” and embodies a profound acceptance of fate and divine providence.

It reflects a belief in the uncertainty of the future and the recognition that outcomes are ultimately in the hands of a higher power.

Koi No Yokan & True Love

Koi no yokan, a Japanese term, describes the premonition or intuition of love, the sense of knowing upon first meeting someone that a profound and meaningful connection will blossom between them.

It conveys a deep-seated belief in the power of destiny and the inevitability of love’s unfolding.

Each of these words/phrases offers a glimpse into a world of human experience, revealing how emotion, belief, and perception come together in language.

In exploring the cultural significance of these words, we gain a deeper appreciation for the diversity of human expression and the universal yearning for connection, understanding, and meaning.

Does the emotion word for happiness mean the same thing in all languages?

How about grief? Angst?

A scientific study looked at the semantic patterns in some 2,500 languages and discovered that emotion words may mean different things according to the language family from which they originate.

We’ve talked about emotion and culture over the past few weeks: how emotions are perceived differently and expressed differently.

Now, we learn that even the language of emotion is diverse.

Let’s take a look.

Universal Emotions

Some emotions, which English speakers might consider primary emotions – think happiness, sadness, anger, love, hate, etc. – are quite universal across world languages.

Most languages have words to describe the primary feelings shared by all humans.

However, just as cultures see color differently, even these primary emotions may be nuanced.

The primary emotion of anger blends into other feelings in different cultures.

Indo-European languages link anger to anxiety, while Austroasiatic languages link it to regret or grief.

Austronesian languages connect anger to pride and hate, while Nakh-Daghestanian languages connect it to envy.

This seems to indicate that cultures see even primary emotions in different shades.

But where culture and emotion become even more interesting is in the specificity of the language surrounding it.

German Specificity

Some languages, like German, have words expressing very specific feelings for which other languages have no equivalent vocabulary.

“Sehnsucht,” for instance, means to yearn deeply for another life, while “schadenfreude” means to feel pleasure from another’s misfortune.

There are no direct translations in English, and the nuance would be lost in describing these feelings in pretty much any other language but German.

You might consider that these feelings, therefore, are deeply rooted in German culture.

Papua Guinea’s Hospitality

The word, “awumbuk,” is another example of a feeling expressed with language that is deeply rooted in culture.

This word comes from the Baining people of Papua Guinea.

It expresses the feeling felt after guests leave following an overnight stay.

According to cognitive scientist, Asifa Majid, it describes a feeling of listlessness, like a “social hangover.”

The different experiences of emotion across cultures are emphasized in language.

As the study’s senior author, psychologist and neuroscientist, Kristen Lindquist, put it,

“We walk around assuming that everyone else’s experience is the same as ours because we name it with the same word, and this suggests that that might not be the case.”

Tag: feelings

Feeling “Some Type of Way”: Untranslatable Emotions Across Cultures

Emotion Words: How Different Languages Express Feelings