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lifes answer (quokk.au)
submitted 7 months ago by to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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lifes answer
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[–] 16 points 7 months ago (3 children)

This is interesting as a language quirk. Alien can just mean "different" in English. It doesn't need to come from space. But English also has extraterrestrial.

As a non native speaker, I had to pause and wonder a bit about "alien".

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  • [–] 8 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    Every language is like this. Any given word can mean multiple things.

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  • [–] 5 points 7 months ago (1 child)

    AFAIK there's no equivalent word for alien in French. The concept is different. Everything coming from space is automatically extraterrestrial. If it's coming from earth, it's just a strange/different species or a different form of life. The vagueness of alien doesn't translate well in French, unless we use the word 'alien'.

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