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Glossary entry

Swedish term or phrase:

fikonspråk

English translation:

a secret language, a style that uses a lot of complicated expressions that are meant to be intelligible only to a select circle

Added to glossary by Charlesp
Dec 15, 2005 11:02
18 yrs ago
Swedish term

fikonspråk

Swedish to English Bus/Financial Advertising / Public Relations
Proposed translations (English)
5 +1 secret language
5 +1 jargon
5 esoteric language
3 +1 gibberish
4 gibberish

Discussion

Michele Fauble Dec 16, 2005:
Could you provide some feed-back for the benefit of future askers? For example, provide the term you used if you found the answer elsewhere.
Lars Jelking Dec 15, 2005:
A post-mortem: 'lingo'.

Proposed translations

+1
2 hrs
Selected

secret language

In the 1930's, there was a fad of invented "secret" languages that only the speaker and the listener were supposed to understand. One of these was "fikonspråket", where you split a word inte two parts, reverse the parts and then put "fi" at the beginning and "kon" at the end. A cigarette butt, "stump", became "fimpstukon" or "fimp" for short, and coffee, "kaffe", ended up as "fika". These, I think, were the only two Swedish words that survived the "secret language" fad. And the name itself, "fikonspråk", now denotes a style that uses a lot of complicated expressions and wordings that are meant to be intelligible only to a select circle of connoisseurs.
Reference:

http://susning.nu/Fikonspr%E5k

Peer comment(s):
agree Christine Andersen : Thanks asptech - I really learnt something there!
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "all the interesting things one can learn here..."
+1
7 mins
Swedish term (edited): fikonspr�k

gibberish

Gibberish
I don't know if that fits?

(You should see the job I'm trying to deliver ASAP ... ;-) )
Peer comment(s):
disagree E2efour (X) : jargon is only gibberish to those who don't understand it See comment in. http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diskussion:Fikonspråket
4 hrs
I didn't know fikonspråk was jargon ... but I don't specialise in Swedish.
agree Roald Toskedal : We've seen 'em all, sister! ;)
4 hrs
Thanks, I know. Now I'm doing a regular job where the client can actually write... same old chit-chat every time, but it's well thought out - quite a different challenge! :-) Neither jargon nor gibberish...
agree EKM : Thanks for the history lesson. I didn't know the origins of 'fikonspråk' personally, and I am certain 90% of the Swedish population are equally ignorant. In modern Swedish, 'fikonspråk' *IS* gibberish or gobbledygook.
16 hrs
Something went wrong...
7 mins
Swedish term (edited): fikonspr�k

gibberish

kanske låter lite bättre?
Se t.ex.:
http://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/200511/avoid_web_jargo...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2005-12-15 11:13:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Synonymer från Websters Dictionary: babble, blabber, bunk, claptrap, drivel, fudge, gabble, gobbledygook (also gobbledegook), hogwash, jabber, jabberwocky, jazz, moonshine, mumbo jumbo, nonsense, piffle, prattle, rigmarole, rot
Related Words abracadabra; chatter, clatter, gab, gibber, prate, tattle, twaddle; double-talk, hocus-pocus, jive; gas, hot air, wind
Something went wrong...
+1
30 mins
Swedish term (edited): fikonspr�k

jargon

Probably what you are looking for.
Peer comment(s):
agree E2efour (X)
20 mins
Thank you Barry.
Something went wrong...
13 hrs
Swedish term (edited): fikonspr�k

esoteric language

Each of those fields has its esoteric language, which has emerged over time to ...
cgi.gjhost.com/~cgi/mt/netweaverarchive/000014.html

... a technical or esoteric language used by workers in a particular ...
www.safetycenter.navy.mil/media/english101/files/19Jargon.d...

Highly technical or esoteric language. ...
www.kiffinsblog.com/archives/words_ad_infinitum/

Highly technical or esoteric language. ... Nonsense, gibberish; jargon, jabber, mere words, hocus-pocus, fustian, rant, bombast, balderdash, palaver, ...
www.cyber-gish.com/Blogger/archives/000195.html

All too frequently, doctors are too absorbed in the esoteric language of medicine to
... My wife has taught me about the proper jargon to use in the school ...
www.mundanebehavior.org/issues/v1n2/maddux.htm

... into narrow specialties defined by technical, jargon-filled writing. ... does to couch them in such esoteric language that none but fellow specialists ...
www.neh.gov/whoweare/speeches/05032002.html

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