joinwords
Connecting through translating & copywriting
In the Dutch language we tend to join many words together, and in that way create long – sometimes unpronounceable – words. The same happens in German. For instance in Dutch we use one single word to say ‘negotiations to seize fire’, which is Wapenstilstandsonderhandelingen. You will easily spot this word in a Dutch newspaper.
Wapen = weapon (in the English counterpart referred to as ‘fire’)
Stilstand = to stop (in the English counterpart referred to as ‘seize’)
Onderhandelingen = negotiations.
Admittedly, the word Wapenstilstandsonderhandelingen contains even for the Dutch languages many characters – 31 to be exact. However, it is not the longest word that makes its appearance in the Dutch speech. According to the Dutch number 1 dictionary (Dikke van Dale) the longest word has 37 characters, but is for the majority of Dutch native speakers incomprehensible in both pronounciation and meaning. (For the Dutch readers it is: Zandzeepsodemineraalwatersteenstralen, which basically means something in the lines of ‘get lost’). Supposedly a long word should be easily made understandable by splitting it in the separate word sections. In this way the etymology of a word becomes apparent.
In English there are some interesting long words, but these are mainly highly technical terms, such as radioimmunoelectrophoresis and psychophysicotherapeutics and not easy to find in the daily use of language. Also, these words almost always originate to other languages, such as Latin or Greek. They do not really count, as the spelling check on your computer will mark these words as misspelled and will not suggest a different writing…meaning that for many spelling checks these words are basically non-existent.
joinwords is however delighted to find some words in English which are a valid combination of a few words joined as one. A good example is etymology. Although it is a Greek word it has solidly positioned itself in the English language. In Greek ‘etymon’ is ‘true sense’ and ‘logos’ is ‘words’. Joined together it means ‘the true sense of words’.
Many linguists love to understand the etymology of joined words or various sayings which appear to be just some ‘put together words’. In this light, don’t you think it is fascinating that the word ‘etymology’ itself contains quite an interesting etymology that not many of us are aware of?
joinwords suggests that more words should be joined to create new ones. Not just for the fun of it, but to keep a language evolving and alive. As the structure of their language allows it the Dutch and Germans have a lot of experience in word innovation. For example quite recent additions to the Dutch languages are ‘camerafoon’ – combi of camera and telephone - and enveloppenangst – which combines the words envelop and fear, to label a growing number of people who are afraid to open their post as they do not know whether it will contain a bill or so….
Joined words like the examples mentioned above have a fascinating and rich etymology.
