A blog is not a book :-)

This blog is written in International English, the fluid ever evolving dialect of people in the Western World who are broadening their mental horizons, exploring different ways of being beyond their own cultural programming.


One request to all readers, but especially the native English speakers: please assess the quality and usability of the texts on this blog using the dictionary and grammar book of your soul.


I write on this blog what I feel inspired to write, when I feel inspired to write it, in no particular order. I hope you'll enjoy the fuzzy logic behind it too.


16 Aug 2015

Quest for finding ‘belevingswereld’

On Saturday, while folding laundry, I had a play with words, as you do....

I found myself wondering:” Is there a word in English that conveys exactly the meaning of the Dutch word ‘belevingswereld’ in all its nuances?
Suggestions.......?


I couldn’t think of one.
I asked the native English speaker at hand.
He couldn’t think of one, despite my explanation on what it is for some time, on what ‘belevingswereld’ is.
 (Estimates on ‘some time’ vary between a couple of minutes on Saturday and  the last 2,5 year) .

The dictionary says:  the experiences.
That is something like saying that snow is precipitation. True, but not very descriptive of how, when, why.....

You need ‘voorstellingsvermogen’ to explore and re-create a ‘ belevingswereld’.
Voorstellingsvermogen translates to ‘imagination’.
It is like saying you need very cold water to create snow. True, but quite far from the whole story on the creation , shapes and sizes of the ‘ belevingswereld’.

Have I set myself a challenge to explain belevingswereld to native English speakers?
It is like explaining snow to the Saoudis..... better experienced first hand than talked about.
Complicating factor..... snow is tangible in various areas of the world. You can organise trips to those interested in working/playing with it.
Belevingswereld is everywhere, here and now.
But how to organise a trip to it......?

Never thought I would be active in tourism.... ha, ha.

May I asked anybody who feels offended thinking that this blogpost could be stemming from considering the Dutch to be better then English native speakers...... to ask themselves if Eskimos are intrisically better people than Saoudis, for having more nuance in their words for snow?

PS. 
Words I've tasted, but don't convey the same as the Dutch word:

- inner world ( to much intro-spective, it needs more connection with the outside world)
- belief system ( to much emphasis on standing ( in the past developed) beliefs, routines, opinions, not enough on real-time, here and now ever in motion emotions and the use/application of values therein)



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