Toujours Tingo-Adam Jacot de Boinod
Book review by Isobelle Hodgson (Homewood School Sixth Form)
Chapter 3 of ‘Toujours Tingo’ provides a poignant, yet at times humourous, perception of human emotion through emotion words from various languages.
Several emotional states are documented using these words; a wide spectrum is discussed, from intense happiness to dismal despair. The use of certain phrases, such as ‘dastehen wie ein begossener Pudel’ (German), or ‘to stand there like a soaked poodle’ serve to entertain, creating a light-hearted, funny tone even in light of depressive emotions. Somewhat ironically, the Russian phrase ‘nye kartoshka’ can be translated as ‘no joking matter’, but its literal meaning is ‘no potato’, making the phrase for the unamused comical. This good-humoured tone is uplifting and refreshing, providing an insight into the zanier side of foreign vocabulary.
Contrastingly, however, the presence of some more profound words showcases the less cheerful aspects of modern language. Feelings that are undefinable in English are translated with painful accuracy. One example is the word ‘lalew’ (Manobo, Philippines), meaning ‘to grieve over something to the extent that one doesn’t eat’. In terms of feelings of fear or anxiety, there is another phrase- ‘Jera’ (Indonesian), ‘so scared by a past experience that one will never want to do it again’. Through defining these emotions, the true power of language is revealed. Whilst the comedic value of some words highlights the differences between the idioms of different cultures, the poignancy of these more serious words serves the opposite purpose; it shows that, despite language and cultural barriers, the experience of emotion is integral to any person’s life.
This chapter proves that any feeling, no matter how obscure it seems, is totally definable, whether that’s in German, Russian or Indonesian. It’s fairly touching for the reader to learn this, yet the chapter retains its lighthearted tone by making the reader laugh.
With thanks to Rhea R
