Le temps de rêvasser
Posted by: DJ Post date: November 23rd, 2009Aikaa haaveiluun
Time to day dream
The other day I was watching an interview with Jean-Marie Le Clezio, a nobel-laureate.
Half of what he said was in English and half of it was in French. He used one word, which struck me as a great word in French but for which the English word does not ring the same bell for me.
In French = rêvasser = also to think, to consider
In Finnish = haaveilla = day dream and also to dream or hope for x
In Finnish one can say: “Haaveilen uudesta asunnosta” “I dream of a new apartment”
In English = to day dream = similar to the Finnish meaning
In English one would NOT say: “I day dream of a new apartment”, but rather, “I dream of a new apartment”
The meanings are close but the usage is different. What Le Clezio was calling for was more time for day dreaming, pondering and considering – an experience for depth in one’s thinking rather than idleness often associated with the English word ‘to day dream’.
Languages are wonderful. The nuances of meaning in them is a source of constant amazement and confusion, from which one can discover beauty of variety in thought and culture.
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