One of the Danish words I personally prefer as an example of how terrifyingly contextual our language is, is the word "bakke" (sometimes spelled "bagge" based on context and tradition): 1) A serving plate for food, cookies or the like. 2) A local elevation in the landscape. 3) The reverse movement of a vehicle. 4) Rejecting from a formerly imposed argument. 5) The sound of smoking a pipe of tobacco. ... and probably more examples I don't know ;-)
Dont know about the fifth one. Haven't ever heard that. The only thing i can think of is "bappe" which is almost imitation of the sound of putting your mouth on and off of something repeatedly, like a tobacco pipe. And at least in Copenhagen none would be spelled "bagge" all would be "bakke". Also 3 and 4 are actually the exact same. We use metaphors all the time. So we would actually say to "reverse out from the argument". So it's a tray of any sort, a hill or slope and reverse motion physically or metaphorically... And also its a special type of cutting tool to make threads on metal or other solid material Stubs. A "snit bakke". *No disrespect
Interestingly, look at mermaid and sjöjungfru, this reveals that “maid” and “young fru” have the same meaning just a few hundred years ago. If you ever read the Bible and wonder why all young women are called virgins, it’s because the words actually used to be synonymous. The word fru in early Norse used to just mean woman, and a married woman/wife was specifically called a husfru-housewife. So maid and maiden are synonymous, they mean an unmarried virgin woman. It really says a lot about our culture today that just within the last 400 years, the word for a young unmarried woman and a virgin were the same word, but nowadays it’s impossible to take that assumption for granted. It may as well be the other way around
Married and poison are the same word in Swedish too. Marriage is a little different from the Danish but similarly the noun is far from the verb. Äktenskap is etymologically rooted from “authentic (äkta) creation”, and hence the cupboard definition makes more sense upon reflection.
And in Swedish, “skatt” means tax or treasure (hence the Danish drift into “darling” makes etymological sense). I think historically it was probably the word for a hoard of gold and jewels and the government taking your gold was taking your skatt and so the word for the verb eventually morphed into a noun. Whereas in English the term tax means to exhaust or make weary. So by taxing you they’re breaking you down. Interesting to me how the meaning of the words reflects the cultural attitudes toward the idea of taxation at the time the languages became standardized
![Conrad Molden on Go' Morgen Danmark [Conrad Edit]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SNgVwKnSl1M/mqdefault.jpg)
![Conrad Molden on Go' Morgen Danmark [Conrad Edit]](/img/tr.png)
One of the Danish words I personally prefer as an example of how terrifyingly contextual our language is, is the word "bakke" (sometimes spelled "bagge" based on context and tradition):
1) A serving plate for food, cookies or the like.
2) A local elevation in the landscape.
3) The reverse movement of a vehicle.
4) Rejecting from a formerly imposed argument.
5) The sound of smoking a pipe of tobacco.
... and probably more examples I don't know ;-)
Dont know about the fifth one. Haven't ever heard that. The only thing i can think of is "bappe" which is almost imitation of the sound of putting your mouth on and off of something repeatedly, like a tobacco pipe. And at least in Copenhagen none would be spelled "bagge" all would be "bakke".
Also 3 and 4 are actually the exact same. We use metaphors all the time. So we would actually say to "reverse out from the argument".
So it's a tray of any sort, a hill or slope and reverse motion physically or metaphorically... And also its a special type of cutting tool to make threads on metal or other solid material Stubs. A "snit bakke".
*No disrespect
Well, i had to Google that, because i could not mention any thing spelled 'bagge' But it turns out it is a mudmachine (dont know what that is?)
Interestingly, look at mermaid and sjöjungfru, this reveals that “maid” and “young fru” have the same meaning just a few hundred years ago. If you ever read the Bible and wonder why all young women are called virgins, it’s because the words actually used to be synonymous. The word fru in early Norse used to just mean woman, and a married woman/wife was specifically called a husfru-housewife. So maid and maiden are synonymous, they mean an unmarried virgin woman. It really says a lot about our culture today that just within the last 400 years, the word for a young unmarried woman and a virgin were the same word, but nowadays it’s impossible to take that assumption for granted. It may as well be the other way around
Married and poison are the same word in Swedish too. Marriage is a little different from the Danish but similarly the noun is far from the verb. Äktenskap is etymologically rooted from “authentic (äkta) creation”, and hence the cupboard definition makes more sense upon reflection.
Same for norwegians
I’m from Denmark 🇩🇰
Me too
And in Swedish, “skatt” means tax or treasure (hence the Danish drift into “darling” makes etymological sense). I think historically it was probably the word for a hoard of gold and jewels and the government taking your gold was taking your skatt and so the word for the verb eventually morphed into a noun. Whereas in English the term tax means to exhaust or make weary. So by taxing you they’re breaking you down. Interesting to me how the meaning of the words reflects the cultural attitudes toward the idea of taxation at the time the languages became standardized
It translates in to treasure as well in danish.
Skat has three meaning in Danish.
Taxes
Darling
Treasure
A card game
@@Noah-hu5xpactually it is also a card game.
@@ArneWiddinghm, never heard of it. Although I am probably not the person to talk to about different card games.
Skat Can also mean treasure
Skat: darling, treasure or tax
Gift is the same meaning. Poison and marriage? synonyms!