"Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
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"Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Like the book etymology thread, but looking at various words for "imagination" in different languages.
Can't find the etymology, but following the wiktionary links I found this:
PIE: *aim-, *aiem-, *iem- (“similarity, resemblance”)
Latin: imāgō (“a copy, likeness, image”)
Can't find the etymology, but following the wiktionary links I found this:
PIE: *aim-, *aiem-, *iem- (“similarity, resemblance”)
Latin: imāgō (“a copy, likeness, image”)
Last edited by ol bofosh on Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
It was about time I changed this.
Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Hebrew dimyon, and the derived verb ledamyen 'imagine', is from the root d-m-y whose meaning is approximately appearance, looks; similarity, likeness.
Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Japanese 想像 sōzō: 想 sō "thought; idea; concept" and 像 zō "image; picture; figure"
Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Finnish: mielikuvitus (mind illumination), from mieli (mind) and kuva (picture). In Swedish it's fantasi, but you'll have to search for the etymology yourself. :/
EDIT: The verb imagine is föreställa sig in Swedish, literally fore-stand/put oneself. But its noun form föreställning means preconception (or show if the verb is non-reflexive).
EDIT: The verb imagine is föreställa sig in Swedish, literally fore-stand/put oneself. But its noun form föreställning means preconception (or show if the verb is non-reflexive).
Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Isn't Swedish/Norwegian fantasi obviously from Eng. fantasy (fantasia, fantastic, phantasm...) or some other way from Greek phain- "appearance, manifestation" [cf. phenotype], or it's just a look-alike?
more accurately:
more accurately:
From Old French fantasie (“fantasy”), from Latin phantasia (“imagination”), from Ancient Greek φαντασία (phantasia, “apparition”), from φαντάζω (phantazō, “to show at the eye or the mind”), from φαίνω (phainō, “to show in light”), from the same root as ϕῶς (phôs, “light”).
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Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
I would warn that "imagination" may be quite a culture-specific concept, so a proper 'translation' of the word into other languages may be lacking.
Even in English, aiui, the word used to meant visual mental representation - all the other stuff about having pictures of things that don't exist, let alone non-pictorial uses for suspicions, believes, flights of fancy etc, let alone the broader meanings of intellectual creativity and innovation, are later additions.
Even in English, aiui, the word used to meant visual mental representation - all the other stuff about having pictures of things that don't exist, let alone non-pictorial uses for suspicions, believes, flights of fancy etc, let alone the broader meanings of intellectual creativity and innovation, are later additions.
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But the river tripped on her by and by, lapping
as though her heart was brook: Why, why, why! Weh, O weh
I'se so silly to be flowing but I no canna stay!
But the river tripped on her by and by, lapping
as though her heart was brook: Why, why, why! Weh, O weh
I'se so silly to be flowing but I no canna stay!
Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
The Yoruba word is ìrò; the root rò itself means 'to plague, to bother'.
Do you guys think this is going to be a big enough trend to make a thread for all of these etymology q's?
Do you guys think this is going to be a big enough trend to make a thread for all of these etymology q's?
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Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Georgian has წარმოსახვა c̣armosaxva, which is also a verbal noun that means "depicting, depiction". The morpheme break down:
- წარ- c̣ar- — the archaic version of the preverb წა c̣a, which in directional contexts means 'setting off'
მო- mo- — another preverb; indicates direction towards the speaker
სახ sax — the root; truncated from სახე saxe 'face, form, image'
-[ა]ვ -[a]v — the theme suffix; the vowel syncopates because of the following suffix
-ა -a — verbal noun suffix
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Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
We ought to have one dedicated thread for these. I'm surprised one doesn't exist already.
EDIT: Ninja'd by Vuvuzuela!
EDIT: Ninja'd by Vuvuzuela!
퇎
Ο ορανς τα ανα̨ριθομον ϝερρον εͱεν ανθροποτροφον.
Το̨ ανθροπς αυ̨τ εκψον επ αθο̨ οραναμο̨ϝον.
Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν.
Ο ορανς τα ανα̨ριθομον ϝερρον εͱεν ανθροποτροφον.
Το̨ ανθροπς αυ̨τ εκψον επ αθο̨ οραναμο̨ϝον.
Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν.
Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Dutch: verbeelding
beeld: image, statue
ver- : verbal prefix indicating a change in state
verbeelden: verb meaning "to imagine, depict, portray"
-ing: nominalising suffix (exactly like in English)
verbeelding: imagination, portrayal
beeld: image, statue
ver- : verbal prefix indicating a change in state
verbeelden: verb meaning "to imagine, depict, portray"
-ing: nominalising suffix (exactly like in English)
verbeelding: imagination, portrayal
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Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Polish
· wyobraźnia (imagination), wyobrażać (sobie) (imagine) ← wy- (out), obraz (image) ← iirc. obraz (appr. what is cut around) ← ob- (around), raz (strike, cut)
· wyobraźnia (imagination), wyobrażać (sobie) (imagine) ← wy- (out), obraz (image) ← iirc. obraz (appr. what is cut around) ← ob- (around), raz (strike, cut)
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Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
The 'sig' in föreställa sig is an indirect object, btw. Important distinction.Qwynegold wrote:Finnish: mielikuvitus (mind illumination), from mieli (mind) and kuva (picture). In Swedish it's fantasi, but you'll have to search for the etymology yourself. :/
EDIT: The verb imagine is föreställa sig in Swedish, literally fore-stand/put oneself. But its noun form föreställning means preconception (or show if the verb is non-reflexive).
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Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Yes, that semantic extension suddenly makes more sense to me.
Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Swedish is probably a calque of German sich vorstellen "imagine (and also "introduce oneself"); the noun Vorstellung can mean "imagination", but mostly means the imagined object ("idea") and also "presentation, performance". "Imagination" is rendered by Vorstellungskraft (lit."imagining power") or Fantasie (obviously the Greek loanword).Qwynegold wrote:EDIT: The verb imagine is föreställa sig in Swedish, literally fore-stand/put oneself. But its noun form föreställning means preconception (or show if the verb is non-reflexive).
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Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
(Schopenhauer's Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung was early on translated 'The world as will and idea', but is now more commonly found as 'the world as will and representation'. This may be complicated by the way that Schopenhauer tries to distinguish 'Vorstellung' from 'Idee')hwhatting wrote:Swedish is probably a calque of German sich vorstellen "imagine (and also "introduce oneself"); the noun Vorstellung can mean "imagination", but mostly means the imagined object ("idea") and also "presentation, performance". "Imagination" is rendered by Vorstellungskraft (lit."imagining power") or Fantasie (obviously the Greek loanword).Qwynegold wrote:EDIT: The verb imagine is föreställa sig in Swedish, literally fore-stand/put oneself. But its noun form föreställning means preconception (or show if the verb is non-reflexive).
Blog: [url]http://vacuouswastrel.wordpress.com/[/url]
But the river tripped on her by and by, lapping
as though her heart was brook: Why, why, why! Weh, O weh
I'se so silly to be flowing but I no canna stay!
But the river tripped on her by and by, lapping
as though her heart was brook: Why, why, why! Weh, O weh
I'se so silly to be flowing but I no canna stay!
Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Well, it's obviously a cognate to fantasy, but I don't know which way it got into Swedish.Thry wrote:Isn't Swedish/Norwegian fantasi obviously from Eng. fantasy (fantasia, fantastic, phantasm...) or some other way from Greek phain- "appearance, manifestation" [cf. phenotype], or it's just a look-alike?
more accurately:From Old French fantasie (“fantasy”), from Latin phantasia (“imagination”), from Ancient Greek φαντασία (phantasia, “apparition”), from φαντάζω (phantazō, “to show at the eye or the mind”), from φαίνω (phainō, “to show in light”), from the same root as ϕῶς (phôs, “light”).
Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Arabic takhayyul is the masdar of the wazn V form of khāla (kh-y-l). According to the online dictionary Al-Maany, khāla translates as 'deem, consider, believe' and takhayyala 'sway, strut, praise oneself'. The adjective 'imaginary' is derived from the fi3āl wazn and the nisba suffix: khiyāliyy
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Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Turkish makes use of the same root (probably via Persian خیال). Hayal can mean both "imagined thing" and "imagination" more generally (e.g. hayal mahsulü "figment of the imagination", hayale kapılmak "let one's imagination run wild"). "Imagination" in the sense of "imaginative power" is also expressed hayal gücü. (Güç means "force" or "power".)Arzena wrote:Arabic takhayyul is the masdar of the wazn V form of khāla (kh-y-l). According to the online dictionary Al-Maany, khāla translates as 'deem, consider, believe' and takhayyala 'sway, strut, praise oneself'. The adjective 'imaginary' is derived from the fi3āl wazn and the nisba suffix: khiyāliyy
Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
Okinawan has:
かんげー【考げー】 kangee
"thought; idea; conception; hope; resolution; imagination; etc."
[nominal form of the verb kangeein "to think; to consider; etc."]
ちむうみー【肝思みー・心思みー】 chimu'umii
"imagination; fancy"
[compound of liver/heart + thought]
Which I suppose are relatively close to Japanese かんがえ【考え】 kangae and おもい【思い】omoi , which can also bear the meaning of "imagination" (among other things).
French uses the same word as English: "imagination".
Plains Cree has ᒫᒥᑐᓀᔨᐦᑕᒧᐃᐧᐣ mâmitoneyihtamowin "imagination; the act of thinking"
(roughly: mâmitoneyihta - "to think; to ponder", mowin - nominalizer)
かんげー【考げー】 kangee
"thought; idea; conception; hope; resolution; imagination; etc."
[nominal form of the verb kangeein "to think; to consider; etc."]
ちむうみー【肝思みー・心思みー】 chimu'umii
"imagination; fancy"
[compound of liver/heart + thought]
Which I suppose are relatively close to Japanese かんがえ【考え】 kangae and おもい【思い】omoi , which can also bear the meaning of "imagination" (among other things).
French uses the same word as English: "imagination".
Plains Cree has ᒫᒥᑐᓀᔨᐦᑕᒧᐃᐧᐣ mâmitoneyihtamowin "imagination; the act of thinking"
(roughly: mâmitoneyihta - "to think; to ponder", mowin - nominalizer)
Chances are it's Ryukyuan (Resources).
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Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
You could try using somewhat more pan-linguistic terminology instead of downright jargon from Arabic linguistics, since not all of us know something about Arabic linguistics. Hell, you could even call the verbal noun a "gerund"...Arzena wrote:Arabic takhayyul is themasdarverbal noun of thewaznderivational transfix V form of khāla (kh-y-l). According to the online dictionary Al-Maany, khāla translates as 'deem, consider, believe' and takhayyala 'sway, strut, praise oneself'. The adjective 'imaginary' is derived from the fi3ālwazntransfix and thenisba suffix-iyy suffix that (among other things) very productively derives adjectives from nouns: khiyāliyy
Re: "Imagination" Etymology in Different Languages
(s)he(????) also missed out on خيال xayāl which is a very common word for 'imagination', and which is where خيالي xayālī is derived from in the first place. It looks like xayāl originally meant 'spectre, ghost' and from there 'thing imagined'. تخيّل taxayyul is the gerund of taxayyala 'to imagine; to appear as the object of an imagination, to seem'. This lines up nicely with another expression خُيّل إلى xuyyila ʾilā, which means 'imagine, seem' and is the passive of a verb meaning 'make someone think that'. tafaʿʿala) is often a reciprocal/middle voice version of faʿʿala (the ablaut exhibited by xuyyila ʾilā), which makes sense given that passive and middle voice often overlap enormously.
كان يا ما كان / يا صمت العشية / قمري هاجر في الصبح بعيدا / في العيون العسلية
tà yi póbo tsùtsùr ciivà dè!
short texts in Cuhbi
Risha Cuhbi grammar
tà yi póbo tsùtsùr ciivà dè!
short texts in Cuhbi
Risha Cuhbi grammar