Some feelings don’t come with clear explanations.
You recognise them instantly, but struggle to describe them without oversimplifying.
This week’s edition explores one of those feelings, a word that doesn’t translate cleanly, a song that carries emotion without spelling it out, and the way languages quietly preserve experiences we all share, even when we don’t have the words for them.
Everyday Expressions
Russian: “Тоска” (toská)
Meaning: A deep, aching feeling of emotional longing, melancholy, or existential sadness, often without a clear cause.
Why it’s fascinating:
Toska isn’t just sadness. It can be quiet, heavy, nostalgic, or spiritual. You might feel it for a person, a place, a past version of yourself, or for nothing identifiable at all. Vladimir Nabokov once wrote that no English word comes close to capturing its full emotional range.
Example:
Её охватила тоска.
“She was overcome by toska.”
Why people love it:
Because it names a feeling many people experience but struggle to articulate. Toska shows how language can give shape to emotional states that sit somewhere between memory, desire, and loss.
Some words don’t describe emotions, they hold them.
Logic Behind Linguistics
Why Languages Create Untranslatable Words
Every language develops words that perfectly fit the emotional, social, or cultural experiences of its speakers, and nowhere else.
These words often emerge where:
emotions are culturally significant
experiences are shared but rarely spoken about
everyday life produces subtle psychological states
Examples linguists often point to:
Words for specific kinds of longing, shame, or nostalgia
Terms describing social harmony or emotional restraint
Concepts tied to history, climate, or collective memory
Why this happens:
Languages evolve around what communities notice. When an experience matters enough, it gets a name. When it doesn’t, it stays invisible.
Books We Recommend
The Language Lover’s Lexipedia: A–Z of Linguistic Curiosities by Joshua Blackburn
A playful, fascinating tour through some of the strangest, funniest, and most delightful corners of language.
Why it’s worth reading:
Explores rare, forgotten, and bizarre words from across languages
Explains linguistic oddities with humour and clarity
Perfect for curious readers who love words for words’ sake
Rather than teaching rules, this book celebrates language as a living museum of human creativity, absurdity, and insight.
Music Without Borders
Song Spotlight: “Миллион алых роз” (A Million Scarlet Roses) by Alla Pugacheva
This iconic Russian song tells a story of obsessive love, sacrifice, and silent devotion. Inspired by a legend about a painter who sold everything to cover a square with roses for the woman he loved, it blends romance with quiet tragedy.
Why it’s great for learners:
Clear, emotional pronunciation
Repetition of key structures and poetic imagery
Rich emotional vocabulary tied to feeling rather than grammar drills
The song teaches something subtle: how emotion is often expressed indirectly, through images, symbols, and restraint.
Language here isn’t explained. It’s felt.
Endangered Languages/Voices at Risk
Manx Language: From Last Speaker to Living in One Generation
In 1974, the Manx language was declared dead.
When Ned Maddrell, the last known native speaker, died, the language was officially labelled extinct. No children were growing up with it. No streets echoed with it. According to linguists, it had no future.
Within a single generation, Manx returned to daily life. Children are now educated through it, families speak it at home, musicians write new songs in it, and the language once again belongs to the Isle of Man.
Fun Facts Worth Sharing
In Russian, numbers change the grammar of the noun that follows them.
For example:
1 роза (rosa)
2–4 розы (rozy)
5+ роз (roz)
So the title “Миллион алых роз” uses a specific grammatical form triggered by large numbers.
Why it’s interesting:
Counting isn’t just mathematics, it’s grammatical negotiation. Russian shows how even numbers participate in shaping meaning and structure.
Language counts differently than we expect.
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