Human thought and our life experiences are intrinsically linked to the words we have at our disposal. Following Joan Fuster's observation, dictionaries not only collect a language's lexicon but also indicate the limits and potentialities of the life we can live within that language. As Ludwig Wittgenstein stated, 'the limits of my language mean the limits of my world,' an idea underscoring how vocabulary defines our knowledge, imagination, and emotions.
Therefore, the author finds pleasure in exploring dictionaries of various languages, seeking words that conceptualize reality in alternative ways. This linguistic exploration allows for the discovery of new perspectives and the finding of terms that lack direct equivalents in other languages. These words, which coin unique concepts, are the focus of the article.
“"Cada matís —de color, de so, d’idea— demana una paraula pròpia, i els diccionaris no són tan generosos."
Examples of Japanese words are presented, such as komorebi (sunlight filtering through leaves), wabi-sabi (the appreciation of imperfect, transient beauty), tsundoku (the act of buying books and letting them pile up unread), ikigai (that which gives meaning to life), shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), or mottainai (regret over wasting something useful). These words illustrate how each culture develops its own lexicon to describe particular aspects of the human experience.
Faced with the difficulty of finding a suitable term for these unique cultural words, the author proposes the concept of 'lexical idiom.' This term, derived from the Greek idiōtismós, emphasizes the particularity and inherent character of a language, distinguishing it from other concepts like 'xenism' or 'idiom' (in the sense of a fixed expression).
The reflection on 'lexical idiom' is unexpectedly connected to an anecdote about statements made by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, regarding the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. This situation highlights the polysemy and potential for ambiguity in language, recalling Fuster's idea about the need for unique words for each nuance.
Ultimately, the author expresses a preference for the 'lexical idioms' of languages, like Japanese, which enrich our understanding of the world, over the ambiguous use of the term in contexts of diplomatic misunderstandings. The contemplation of light filtering through leaves, evoked by the word komorebi, becomes a symbol of the beauty and nostalgia that language can preserve.
