Sunday, November 8, 2009
Mamihlapinatapai
Mamihlapinatapai is a word from the Yaghan language of Tierra del Fuego, listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as the “most succinct word”, and is considered one of the hardest words to translate. It describes “a look shared by two people with each wishing that the other will initiate something that both desire but which neither one wants to start.” (via Martin)
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this blows me away, and is right on point for the topic that is currently preoccupying my thoughts (philosophy of language).
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