I am so happy to have found a place where I can share some recent inter-linguistic observations I recently made. It seems that the very nature of language, with its origins and evolution is characteristic of its people's attitudes. With global merging luring upon us it is not yet too late to take note of these characteristics and accept them for what they are with a smile. Could language be the secret to finding a nation's deeply rooted identity?

One nice day, in the car, I began to sing and say silly things as you do, like: ‘I’m happy, oh so very happy’. I uttered these feelings in different languages while mimicking the enunciation of the words.

The English way of saying and feeling exhilarating happyness sounded like a cockerel exuding his morning tunes. Whereas in French the same words: ‘Je suis tellement heureuse’ sounded much more poetic, gentle. I tried to say the same words of happiness in German: ‘Ich bin so glücklich’ but here the words seemed too serious, too determined. Then I cried out loud the same words in Dutch: ‘I voel me zo lekker, ik ben zo gelukkig’ and I noticed that in the Dutch language, the tone and mood of the words sounded the most childlike and genuinely enthusiastic of the four languages.

Interesting, I thought. Would this be a valid linguistic phenomenon or my own personal interpretation of those four languages, meaning I must have been happiest when I lived in Holland? Probably a bit of both. The other interesting thing is that in German and Dutch the words for happiness: Glücklich and Gelukkig both contain the word ‘luck’. In other words, in Germany and in Holland you are lucky when you are happy. Or one could say that you are happy when you are lucky. Not so in French and English. In French: Bonheur (happiness) is “Good Hour”, implying that you can only be happy some of the time. How negative! I concluded that only the English words for Happy, and Happiness are truly independent words, conveying the emotion, of feeling very well, and very good by their sheer happy sound.

Anyway I am enchanted to have made the previous, to me, interesting discoveries. Again, if you look at the word Enchanted, Enchanté/e in French, are they related to Chanter / to Sing? In Spanish, the same: Encantado/a, Cantar (to sing). So the Latinos sing with joy when they meet you whereas the English are merely Delighted to meet you - they receive light? Or rather switch the spotlight from themselves to the venerable person they meet? Would this explain the famous English trait of politeness? Plausible but perhaps a little far fetched.

Another thing: it appears that the English always adopt French when, as Bon Vivants, they have a Déja Vu of a Laisser Faire attitude about a woman's Décolleté that caused an Affair over an Apéritife before an A la Carte Entrecote (an animal’s bit between the ribs – côte = rib) consumed with good Etiquette in an Après Ski Chalet before saying Adieu.

The unlucky animal that has been slaughtered for an English dinner table suddenly acquires a French name. Beef comes from Boeuf, a French ox. Mutton comes from the French animal Mouton who was an English sheep when still grazing in the field. And pork is just a pig. Also, the English never kill animals En Masse, no, they prefer to Cull them.

The English language has the largest vocabulary, yet can express itself with the fewest words. That is perhaps why it is becoming increasingly popular? Sorry, I’ll stop now, as multi-linguistic observations tend to lead one into a never-ending labyrinth of discoveries. But hey, aren’t we lucky to be able to divulge them to the international readership of hubpages?

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