Words Which Express Concepts Trivia Quiz

Answer: German

A bildungsroman is a coming-of-age novel; in particular, a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character. It is from the German words meaning education and novel.

The term was coined in 1819 by philologist Karl Morgenstern. Examples of bildungsromans from the 20th century include J. D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye", and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Answer: Italian

Chiaroscuro refers to the dramatic contrast between light and dark in works of art. It is a combination of the Italian words for light and dark.

Answer: Australian aboriginal

Dadirri is a deep, spiritual act of reflective and respectful listening. It is important historically in the Aboriginal culture, as the Aborigines had no writing and depended on oral story telling to pass down the culture and the history of the people.

Answer: Tagalog (Philippines)

Kilig refers to the feeling of excitement, or even butterflies, that one feels in a romantic situation. Tagalog is the national language of the Philippines.

Answer: Malagasy (Madagascar)

Kabary is a form of traditional Malagasy oratory, which the Christian Science Monitor says "is based on the unhurried telling of ancestral proverbs, metaphors, and riddles, frequently in a dialogue using call and response". The Monitor goes on to say that "One of the main rules of kabary is that the subject or point of the conversation can never be broached directly and in some instances cannot be stated at all. During a funeral or condolence call, for instance, uttering aloud the name of the deceased is taboo." Despite the intrusion of modern influences like the cell phone, which is hard to reconcile with kabary because it requires one to get to the point quickly, the tradition of kabary is alive and well in Madagascar, for which Malagasy is the national language.

Answer: Norwegian

Friluftsliv literally means "free air life" in Norwegian. It first appeared in writing in 1859 in a poem by playwright Henrik Ibsen. The term refers to a way of life spent exploring and appreciating nature.

Answer: Chinook

A potlatch is a gift-giving feast practised among the native people of the Pacific Northwest in Canada and the United States. It was outlawed in Canada in 1884, because it was deemed by the white settlers to be contrary to Christianity and capitalism, and it was not legalized until 1951.

Answer: Spanish

Literally meaning "over the table", sobremesa refers to the time after the food has been eaten but the conversation continues in a relaxed and unhurried way.

Answer: Wolof (Senegal)

Teranga refers to a form of hospitality practised in Senegal. An American college student returned from a study abroad term in Senegal and reported that teranga was a "strong and unique emphasis on community and sharing in everyday life, that forces one to look beyond immediate personal preoccupations and consider the well-being of the entire community." An aspect of teranga is the tradition of "eating around the bowl", in which a bowl of food is placed in the center of the table and everyone eats directly from it. This has the advantage of making it easy to accommodate last-minute visitors.

Wolof is the most widely spoken language in Senegal. Senegal's national soccer team is nicknamed the Lions of Teranga.

Answer: Dutch

Literally meaning "pre-fun", voorpret is the sense of pleasurable anticipation before an upcoming event.