I am sometimes required to teach about words that are vague or ambiguous. Usually, I am asked to come up with examples. In order to convey the meaning of “vague” and “ambiguous,” I am also asked to come up with Japanese examples. Fun. There are duplicitous words in common use, though. They’re not that hard to find, actually. 「やばい」 (yabai is really prevalent in the popular modern parlance. And you’ll often hear it used in both positive and negative context. If a student discovers a test that they have forgotten to prepare for, it becomes an expletive that conveys the feeling “I am so, so, so screwed.” Conversely, when eating in a restaurant frequented by youth, you’ll hear that things are 「やばい美味しい」. In this case, it means “amazingly delicious.” If you use the rikaichan plug-in (which you really, really should), you’ll see the word defined thusly: やばい – dangerous, risky, awful, terrible, crap, terrific, amazing, cool.
Now that is a versatile word. And if you can use it naturally, it’s a very good thing. Another word, when you take its slang usage into account, has nearly opposite meanings. That is 全然 (zenzen). The proper usage was originally for negative sentences only, where adding it meant something like “totally.” So if you said 「全然できない」, you’d be saying “I absolutely cannot do (it).” But lately, it has been re-appropriated for positive uses. It’s not uncommon to hear 「全然大丈夫」 or 「全然いい」. That would be close to “it’s quite alright” and “perfectly fine.” Rikaichan will pop up this definition: 全然 – not at all (with a negative verb), wholly, entirely, completely.
I dislike words that are used with the intent to clarify, but which require further clarification when used. They are counterproductive, which renders them totally useless in my opinion. For instance, the word “biweekly.” Twice a week, or once every two weeks? It means both. It’s unlikely that you’ll glean the appropriate cues from context. So…why is this word still in use? No idea.
Of course, there are also other goofy English things. Food is pretty classic. Misleading language is rather commonplace in culinary speak. I’ve known that French fries are not French for as long as I can remember. I figured it was part of a vichyssoise / Häagen-Dazs foreign branding marketing strategy. Dunno. But I only recently read a thing recently that said English muffins weren’t created in England. Who knew that was a misnomer? And I learned only a year or two ago that refried beans are not twice fried. That one is a goof-up between languages. The Spanish frijoles refritos means “fried beans” – the “re” part is just a Mexican habitual marker for emphasis (according to some guy who edited Wikipedia, anyway). So a better translation might be “well fried beans.”
Um, I’m not sure how I got here. But I think it’s time to stop. I’ll finish with a fun fact that has been on my mind lately. It’s looking like I’m going to have to give Brunei a miss in favor of Singapore, which is cheaper and easier to negotiate. But I still enjoyed reading some Brunei related news recently, partially for the schadenfreude, but partially because I learned Prince Jefri’s full name. See if you can say it in less than 5 seconds. Ready? His full, legal name is…
Prince Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Digadong Sahibul Mal Pengiran Muda Haji Jefri Bolkiah
My favorite part is the “Digadong” followed by the repeat of “Pengiran.” Awesome.
Deas Customary Drivel, Unsolicited Commentary
