Calque
Hey kiddo, have you ever borrowed a word from another language and used it in your own language? That’s kind of like what a calque is!
A calque (pronounced kal-k) is a word or phrase that is translated from another language into your own language, but word-for-word.
For example, if someone said to you “Je ne sais quoi,” and you translated that into “I do not know what,” you’ve created a calque! It’s not a perfect translation because the English language actually has a phrase that means the same thing, which is “an intangible quality that is difficult to define.”
Calques can be helpful because they can help people understand words that are new to them. But sometimes, they can also be confusing or awkward to say.
Overall, calques are a fun way to learn new words and phrases in other languages, but it’s important to remember that sometimes the best way to communicate is to use the words and phrases that your language already has.
A calque (pronounced kal-k) is a word or phrase that is translated from another language into your own language, but word-for-word.
For example, if someone said to you “Je ne sais quoi,” and you translated that into “I do not know what,” you’ve created a calque! It’s not a perfect translation because the English language actually has a phrase that means the same thing, which is “an intangible quality that is difficult to define.”
Calques can be helpful because they can help people understand words that are new to them. But sometimes, they can also be confusing or awkward to say.
Overall, calques are a fun way to learn new words and phrases in other languages, but it’s important to remember that sometimes the best way to communicate is to use the words and phrases that your language already has.
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