On Saturday, while folding laundry, I had a play with words, as you
do....
I found myself wondering:” Is there a word in English that conveys exactly the meaning of the Dutch word ‘belevingswereld’ in all its nuances?
|
Suggestions.......? |
I couldn’t think of one.
I asked the native English speaker at hand.
He couldn’t think of one, despite my explanation on what it is for some time, on
what ‘belevingswereld’ is.
(Estimates on ‘some time’ vary between a
couple of minutes on Saturday and the last 2,5 year)
.
The dictionary says: the
experiences.
That is something like saying that snow is precipitation.
True, but not very descriptive of how, when, why.....
You need ‘voorstellingsvermogen’ to explore and re-create a ‘
belevingswereld’.
Voorstellingsvermogen translates to ‘imagination’.
It is like saying you need very cold water to create snow.
True, but quite far from the whole story on the creation , shapes and sizes of
the ‘ belevingswereld’.
Have I set myself a challenge to explain belevingswereld to
native English speakers?
It is like explaining snow to the Saoudis..... better experienced first hand
than talked about.
Complicating factor..... snow is tangible in various areas
of the world. You can organise trips to those interested in working/playing
with it.
Belevingswereld is everywhere, here and now.
But how to organise a trip to it......?
Never thought I would be active in tourism.... ha, ha.
May I asked anybody who feels offended thinking that this blogpost could be stemming from considering the Dutch to be better then English native speakers...... to ask themselves if Eskimos are intrisically better people than Saoudis, for having more nuance in their words for snow?
PS.
Words I've tasted, but don't convey the same as the Dutch word:
- inner world ( to much intro-spective, it needs more connection with the outside world)
- belief system ( to much emphasis on standing ( in the past developed) beliefs, routines, opinions, not enough on real-time, here and now ever in motion emotions and the use/application of values therein)
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