Le mie parole

As a passionate student of many languages, linguistic anthropology, or the study of how language can shape our views of society and influence our social experiences, has always been something of much interest to me. I’ve frequently said that I feel that learning another language is like acquiring a new soul, and although I unfortunately cannot claim this idea to be my own, I think it accurately describes what learning a new language does to a human being. For me, learning languages isn’t about bragging that I can speak “X” amount of languages (although I do love the admiration I get when I do, hehe.) Nor is it about the generous paycheck I expect to receive someday as a result of my arduous studies. Learning languages is about being able to communicate effectively with more and more people. Many times people don’t realize the tremendous value that we humans can serve to one another: we can be a source of inspiration, a source of knowledge, a source of pain, love, etc. Being able to communicate with people of different backgrounds in their native language is something that fascinates and inspires me to keep studying languages (despite how hard the task may seem at times!)

This is a post that I’ve always wanted to write, but kept on postponing for a million reasons. Nowadays, I’ve got more than enough time on my hands, so I figured the time had come to finally sit down, let the words flow, and give birth to my baby – it’s been incubating long enough! And yes, for those who got it, this is a mo-mo-monster of a cultural reference, hehe. ;-)

So, what is this all about? Well, there are 2 words/phrases that I simply adore; one is in Portuguese, the other is in Japanese. For each one, I’ll go ahead and give you the word itself, break down its meaning for you, give you a brief history of it or narrate how I came into contact with it, and will end with an example of the song’s usage in music. As nerdy as this might sound, I have to admit that this has got to be one of my favorite posts out of the ones that I’ve done so far. I actually did a little bit of research for it and am even trying to make it somewhat interactive by adding YouTube videos. I truly hope you all enjoy it, and I hope I make more posts like this in the future. Without further ado…

I. Saudade

To my knowledge, only a few of you who read this blog (actually, if my intelligence-collection mechanism is running accurately, it’s only 2 of you) can speak Portuguese. Unfortunately, I cannot list Portuguese under the list of languages that I have some proficiency in, but I am able to understand a good 90% of it. I don’t remember exactly where or when I first heard this word, but I have an inkling that it was in an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations that he filmed in Brazil. In any case, saudade (which sounds something like: saudaji), according to native Portuguese speakers, does not have an exact translation into any other language, but its meaning most closely resembles that of nostalgia, or a longing for something that is missing. However, saudade is said to go way beyond missing something or someone, it also said to be a “melancholic feeling of incompleteness” that is often felt for something that does not (or even, cannot) exist.

The word itself is said to have originated in Portugal in the 13th century and was mostly used by poets of the time to express the sadness and longing that loved ones felt about those who had departed on journeys to the unknown seas and had disappeared in shipwrecks or had died in battle, never to come back. In the 16th century, it became a popular word in the villancicos or canticas of Portugal. For those who don’t know, a villancico is essentially a musical poem that typically has a rustic or pastoral theme. Later on, the word saudade came to be associated with migrants from Portugal or Spain who had traveled to the Americas and felt “saudade” for their homeland. So, saudade is having a sense of deep despair, not only as a result of missing something that you’ve lost, but also of longing something that will never be yours.

Why do I like it? Well, to start off, I really like how the word itself sounds, and I like the fact that it’s so versatile; it be used to describe a longing for many things: an ex lover, your childhood memories, your homeland, etc. To me at least, it has a really powerful meaning.

With that said, I’d like to give you an example of how it’s used in music. The following is a very famous bossa nova song called “Chega de saudade,” which is often translated as “No more blues” or “Enough with the saudade.” Bossa nova, often called the Brazilian jazz, is one of my favorite musical genres because it’s very harmonious, smooth, and relaxing. In this particular case, I think that the genre of the song works wonderfully with its title and lyrics (also included here), as it helps the listener to really capture the mood of the song.



Vai minha tristeza / Go, my sadness
E diz a ela que sem ela não pode ser / Tell her that without her it cannot be
Diz-lhe numa prece que ela regresse / Tell her in a prayer to come back
Porque não posso mais sofrer. / Because I cannot suffer anymore.
Chega de saudade, / Enough with the saudade (despair, loneliness)
A realidade é que sem ela / The reality is that without her
Não há paz, Não há beleza, / There is no peace, there is no beauty
É só tristeza e a melancholia / There is only sadness and melancholy
Que não sai de mim, / That won’t leave me alone
Não sai de mim, não sai. / Won’t leave me, won’t leave.
Mas, se ela voltar, / But, if she comes back
Se ela voltar que coisa linda! / If she comes back, what a wonderful thing
Que coisa louca! / What a crazy thing!
Pois há menos peixinhos a nadar no mar / For there are less fish swimming in the sea
Do que os beijinhos / Than the kisses
Que eu darei na sua boca. / That I’ll give you in your mouth
Dentro dos meus braços, os abraços / Inside my arms, my arms
Hão de ser milhões de abraços / There will be millions of hugs
Apertado assim, colado assim, calada assim, / Tight like this, united like this, quiet like this
Abraços e beijinhos e carinhos sem ter fim, / Infinite hugs and kisses and caresses
Que é pra acabar com esse negócio de viver longe de mim. / To end this “living without me” business
Não quero mais esse negócio de você viver assim / Don’t want this business of “you living like this”
Vamos deixar esse negócio de você viver sem mim... / Let’s end this business of “you living without me.”

II. Ishin denshin （以心伝心：いしんでんしん）

This is one that I’ve certainly mentioned in previous posts, but that most of you should know (once again, my intelligence-collection mechanism lets me know that about 95% of you are, or at some point have called yourself, a student of Japanese)!

Ishin denshin is a compound of 4 Kanji: 以 (i: by means of) 心 (shin: heart/mind) 伝 (den: to transmit/to communicate) 心 (shin: heart/mind.) So, essentially, the meaning of it is: to transmit or communicate one’s heart (feelings, thoughts, etc.) by means of the mind/heart. I’ve also heard it defined as “heart to heart” or, more vaguely as “telepathy.”

I first came into contact with this concept in 2007, when I went to study abroad in Japan. (I was actually on a date with a cute Japanese boy, but more about that later.) The setting: a bench outside a high-tech (and very noisy) arcade located in a mall close to Kyoto station. I love going to movie theaters, so I wanted to have a movie-going experience in Japan. The opportunity presented itself for me to go and watch Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End with this boy who I had a small crush on. So, I took it! I had only taken 2 semesters of Japanese before studying abroad, so my Japanese was very limited. But, in any case, back to the bench – his English wasn’t very good either, but we were trying our best to communicate with each other without using his denshi-jisho (electronic dictionary.) I don’t remember what we were talking about, but I do remember that I’d nod my head and say “分かる、分かる”(I understand, I understand), after everything he said.

Despite the language barrier, we managed to understand each other pretty well, and he ended up saying that he thought we were “ishin denshin.” He explained that it basically meant to understand someone else’s feelings and thoughts without having to express them out loud, or explicitly. Nowadays, I use “ishin denshin” to describe my relationship with my closest friends, because without me having to give them much of an explanation, they always seem to “get me.” As human beings, we’re always looking to be heard and understood, and I think that “ishin denshin” describes the type of relationship that many of us are looking for. We want to have people who understand us without us having to put much effort into it. Also, I realize now that “ishin denshin” is a concept that is especially important to the Japanese, who are world-renowned for their culture of indirectness.

The song that I’ve chosen to exemplify the idea of “ishin denshin” is by Orange Range, a very popular rock band in Japan.



The song is very uplifting and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was used for an anime or J-drama opening. In any case, it’s called “Ishin denshin” and the lyrics to the chorus are as follows:

僕らはいつも以心伝心 (Bokura ha itsumo ishin denshin) / We’re always connected to one another
二人の距離つなぐテレパシー (Futari no kyori tsunagu terepashi-) / The distance between us bridged by telepathy
恋なんて七転び八起き　(Koi nante nana korobi ya oki) / Love is getting up after a fall
やさしい風ほら笑顔に変えて (Yasashii kaze hora egao ni kaete) / The gente wind is changing into a smile
離れてたって以心伝心　(Hanareteta tte ishin denshin) / Being separated with telepathy
黙ってたってわかる気持ち (Damatteta tte wakaru kimochi) / We’re silent and understand each other’s feelings
想いよ届け君の元に　(Omoi yo todoke kimi no moto ni) / Reach out, my feelings to where you are
未来につないでく信号は愛のメッセージ (Mirai ni tsunaideku shingou ha ai no messe-ji) / Connected to the future, the signal is a message of love

Well, that is about it! Next time I do something like this, I hope to select something from either Spanish, English, or Italian. I haven't really thought about Spanish or English, but in Italian I like the phrase: "dolce far niente" (pleasant idleness: the sweetness of doing nothing.) However, I got this from the book "Eat, Pray, Love" and I feel I have to be more original than that, so I'll keep on thinking about it! Until next time...