Why Germans Need One Word While Slavic Languages Need Five
Language Thinking Lab | Family Words That Don't Translate "Languages do not simply name relatives. They decide which relationships are important enough to deserve their own words." After learning your first foreign language, it is easy to assume that every family relationship has a direct translation. It doesn't. One of the clearest examples appears when we compare German with Slavic languages. One German Word Imagine introducing your wife's brother. In English you would probably say: brother-in-law In German: Schwager Now imagine introducing your husband's brother. German? Still: Schwager. What about your sister's husband? Again: Schwager. One word. Three completely different relationships. Five Different Words Many Slavic languages chose a different path. Instead of one general word, they created separate names. For example: Shurin — wife's brother. Dever — husband's brother. Zolovka — husband's sister. Svoyac...