Wordplay

If “a picture says a thousand words”, is a single word less significant?  Quite the contrary, argues Justin Chan, who playfully ponders the hidden meanings in Swedish vocabulary.   

It doesn’t take a linguist to illuminate what language reveals about the people who speak it. The following three words are among my favorites for their frequent usage, and the curiosity they spark about Swedish culture.

Jobbig (adjective): “difficult, hard, pain-in-the-ass”

Look closely at this word. The base, “jobb”, looks a lot like its English equivalent, “job”, and yes, they mean the same thing. With the “ig” at the end, “jobbig” roughly translates to “job-ish”.

“Jobbig” is an incredibly useful word. Anything in life which causes the most minor irritation earns the title of “jobbig”, whether that be waiting in line at VGs, making soufflé, or learning Finnish.

But what does it say about a society which equates anything unpleasant with being at work? Perhaps the five paid weeks of vacation and abundant holidays Swedes enjoy should tell us something…

Mysa (verb): “cuddle, cozy up”

A culture which loves a word like this is a culture worth getting to know. “Ska vi mysa?” (shall we cozy up?) would not be an unusual proposition from one Swedish friend to another. Swedes enjoy their “mys” (cuddle time), and go crazy over anything that is “mysig” (cozy) like candles and baking bread.

Perhaps in the olden days, the only thing keeping Swedes motivated to hunt for elk through the harsh winter was the thought of sliding up next to their loved ones by the fire.

They might be frosty towards strangers, but with close friends, Swedes are downright cuddle-bunnies.

Eller (conjunction): “or”

Even you new arrivals taking Swedish 101 should know this one. But maybe you haven’t heard it used in the way which makes it fascinating. Swedes often drop “eller?” (or?) at the end of a statement, giving the impression that they are willing to be corrected.

Granted, a society unafraid to admit when it’s unsure deserves only respect. But when a person utters something like, “rain is wet, eller?”, one can’t help thinking how welcome a little more conviction would be.

Eller?