Fifty Words For Snow

Ep. 3 German Gems: Waldensemkeit, Torschlusspanik, and Kaputreparium

Maggie and Emily explore the German words torschlusspanik, waldensemkeit, and kaputreparium with linguist Charley Rowe and native German speaker Merle Emrich. They put the word “mine” on trial with judge Jim Vallely and coin the word “torschlusspresence.” Poem by Maggie “Nothing at All.”

A linguistic expedition into brave new words. Maggie Rowe and Emily John Garcés hunt for words that lack an English equivalent. They like to think of themselves as Dora the Explorers of language, with their rucksacks and hats and notebooks and magnifying glasses, embarking on a cultural adventure, hunting and gathering useful new word specimens from far flung continents, and holding them up to see what new light they shine on old ideas.