The word is derived from the
Yaghan language
Yahgan or Yagán (also spelled Yaghan, Jagan, Iakan, and also known as Yámana, Háusi Kúta, or Yágankuta) is an extinct language that is one of the indigenous languages of Tierra del Fuego, spoken by the Yahgan people. It is regarded as a la ...
of
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South America, South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan.
The archipelago consists of the main is ...
, listed in ''
The Guinness Book of World Records'' as the "most succinct word", and is considered one of the
hardest words to translate. It has been translated as "a look that without words is shared by two people who want to initiate something, but that neither will start" or "looking at each other hoping that the other will offer to do something which both parties desire but are unwilling to do".
A romantic interpretation of the meaning has also been given, as "that look across the table when two people are sharing an unspoken but private moment. When each knows the other understands and is in agreement with what is being expressed. An expressive and meaningful silence."
A literal translation could be "to make each other feel awkward".
Morphology
The word consists of the
reflexive/
passive
Passive may refer to:
* Passive voice, a grammatical voice common in many languages, see also Pseudopassive
* Passive language, a language from which an interpreter works
* Passivity (behavior), the condition of submitting to the influence of ...
prefix (''mam-'' before a vowel), the root (pronounced ), which means "to be at a loss as what to do next", the
stative suffix , an achievement suffix and the
dual suffix , which in composition with the reflexive has a reciprocal sense.
Usage
The term is cited in books and articles on
game theory
Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions. It has applications in many fields of social science, and is used extensively in economics, logic, systems science and computer science. Initially, game theory addressed ...
associated with the
volunteer's dilemma.
It is also referenced in ''Defining the World'' in a discussion of the difficulties facing
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
in trying to arrive at succinct, yet accurate, definitions of words.
See also
*
Ithkuil
Ithkuil is an experimental language, experimental constructed language created by John Quijada. It is designed to express more profound levels of human cognition briefly yet overtly and clearly, particularly about human categorization. It is a cr ...
References
{{reflist
Yaghan words and phrases
Words and phrases with no direct English translation
Language comparison