In our daily lives, we use various foreign languages. You can easily see foreign languages in our conversations and in store signs right now. But we don’t know those are foreign languages and use them more often. Let’s find out what words we use that turned out to be a foreign term................................................................................. Ed
The new year 2023 has been bright. In the New Year, people make a bucket list of things they want to accomplish for that year. One of many people’s New Year’s goals is probably language study. Studying conversational English? Studying French? Or studying Spanish? British linguistics psychologist Frank Smith says, “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.” Language is more than just a means for human communication. Also, language occupies a large part of our daily lives. What are some foreign languages that have come into our daily lives without even knowing them.
First, French is in our daily lives. The name of the Monami ballpoint pen, known to anyone who has ever used a writing instrument, is French. Mon is a masculine singular possessive adjective, and means ‘my’. Ami means ‘friend’. Monami means ‘my friend’. Also, there are many French cosmetics brands. Among them, Mamonde is also French. Ma is a singular possessive adjective, and means ‘my’. Monde means the world. Mamonde means ‘my world’. Enfant, the yogurt we ate as children, is also French. It means ‘child’. In the summer, the parasol used at the beach is also French. Para is a prefix meaning to block, and sol is a word that blocks the sun. Parasol is interpreted as meaning to block the sun. The Enquete used in news and broadcast programs is also French. Enquete means opinion poll or survey in French. Finally, film Noir, which is used to indicate crime action movies, is also French. It means ‘black’ in French.
Second, German is in our daily lives. Did you know that the word Arbeit is from the German language? Arbeit is used for a part-time job in Korea, but in Germany, it basically means the labor itself, or a regular full-time job. A part-time job in Germany is called a Teilzeitarbeit or, in English, a part-time job. We called a person who looks exactly like a clone a Doppelgänger. Did you know that the word is also from the German language? Doppel means two in German. Gänger means pedestrian/walker. By the way, Allergies, which are chronic symptoms of a person to a particular food or substance, are also German. Allergie is a noun from the German language, and is also used in German to mean allergy/hypersensitivity. Do you know Code Kunst, a member of the Korean variety show, ‘I Live Alone’? The word Kunst is German. That’s what art is all about. That’s why the name Code Kunst means ‘making a code of art’. Fanta, a soda, is also German. Fanta is the first letter of the German word Fantastisch, which means ‘fantastic.’ Think of it as a drink with a fantastic taste. By the way, Gabe, which, at least once, we did it when we were young, is also German. It is a noun derived from the verb Geban, which means ‘to give.’ So Gabe means ‘a gift or talent from God.’
Third, Spanish is in our daily lives. Churros, the food you eat at amusement parks, is Spanish. Churros is also a traditional Spanish food. In science, the term La Niña, the phenomenon you learned in science class, is also Spanish. La Niña is a phenomenon that occurs when low water temperature occurs for more than five months. It means girl in Spanish. El Niño, a phenomenon in which the water temperature rises, is also Spanish. Contrary to La Niña, El Niño means a boy. And it usually occurs around the end of December. So, it also has the meaning of baby Jesus in connection with Christmas. Las Vegas in the United States is Spanish. Las Vegas means wilderness/plains. Finally, the Bolero jacket and cardigan, which were fashion items last summer, are also Spanish. Bolero means short jacket or cardigan in Spanish.
The various foreign languages are immersed in our daily lives without our knowledge. Looking at the foreign languages in our daily lives, do French, German, and Spanish seem more familiar than before? As Frank Smith at the beginning said, how about studying a language to open all the windows in the corridor of our lives?
Jun Eun-jin (ST Reporter)
eunjin0823@soongsil.ac.kr
