question for Speakers of other than English:

[Bombastinator]

It suddenly occurred to me that there are people from all over the world here and it would be a great place to ask:

 

English has a bunch of deffincies but there are two terms I am specifically noticing it is missing and needs.  Clearly something needs to be ported from another language.

 

1: something better than “committed domestic life partner”

I vaguely recall either German or swedish or both having a word meaning “ that person you live with and are committed to being with but are not actually legally married to.  So not exactly ‘wife’ or ‘husband’ but that means almost but not quite the same thing.

 

2: a word for a deceased spouse.  A person with a deceased spouse is a ‘widow’ or ‘widower’ but a term for the deceased husband or wife seems to be missing.

[Dissitesuxba11s]

4 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

something better than “committed domestic life partner”

"Partner" usually covers this and it's gender neutral so you don't have to distinguish.

 

5 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

a word for a deceased spouse

Can't really think of a word for this since usually one would just use "late", "dearly departed" as an adjective.

If you really want to be dramatic, you can say, "My [spouse], God rest her soul...", into your conversation. 

 

[Bombastinator]

4 minutes ago, Dissitesuxba11s said:

"Partner" usually covers this and it's gender neutral so you don't have to distinguish.

 

Can't really think of a word for this since usually one would just use "late", "dearly departed" as an adjective.

If you really want to be dramatic, you can say, "My [spouse], God rest her soul...", into your conversation. 

 

“Partner” is the best English has but it’s way too vague.  I do remember there actually being one in German or Swedish or something.
 

as for the “departed spouse” thing there may not be one in other languages either.  It’s more of a shot in the dark.

[Derkoli]

33 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

It suddenly occurred to me that there are people from all over the world here and it would be a great place to ask:

 

English has a bunch of deffincies but there are two terms I am specifically noticing it is missing and needs.  Clearly something needs to be ported from another language.

 

1: something better than “committed domestic life partner”

I vaguely recall either German or swedish or both having a word meaning “ that person you live with and are committed to being with but are not actually legally married to.  So not exactly ‘wife’ or ‘husband’ but that means almost but not quite the same thing.

 

2: a word for a deceased spouse.  A person with a deceased spouse is a ‘widow’ or ‘widower’ but a term for the deceased husband or wife seems to be missing.

We don't have a word for either in gwyndodeg (welsh in the north west bit of wales, in wales we have have 5 different forms of welsh lol.)

 

I guess the closest for "deceased spouse" would be "phriod farwaidd" but even then thats not quite right. Language is funny.

[minibois]

48 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

1: something better than “committed domestic life partner”

I vaguely recall either German or swedish or both having a word meaning “ that person you live with and are committed to being with but are not actually legally married to.  So not exactly ‘wife’ or ‘husband’ but that means almost but not quite the same thing.

In Dutch this kinda describes the term "Samenlevingscontract"/"Geregistreerd partnerschap". That would translate to "Living together contract"/"Registered partnership".

It's not exactly 1 word and not exactly often used.

Usually the more ambiguous word 'partner' is used.

51 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

2: a word for a deceased spouse.  A person with a deceased spouse is a ‘widow’ or ‘widower’ but a term for the deceased husband or wife seems to be missing.

"Late husband/wive" is what I usually hear.

 

Anyways, if you are interested in more things the English language is missing, Tom Scott did a cool video on it recently:

 

[Tsuki]

1 hour ago, Bombastinator said:

It suddenly occurred to me that there are people from all over the world here and it would be a great place to ask:

 

English has a bunch of deffincies but there are two terms I am specifically noticing it is missing and needs.  Clearly something needs to be ported from another language.

 

1: something better than “committed domestic life partner”

I vaguely recall either German or swedish or both having a word meaning “ that person you live with and are committed to being with but are not actually legally married to.  So not exactly ‘wife’ or ‘husband’ but that means almost but not quite the same thing.

 

2: a word for a deceased spouse.  A person with a deceased spouse is a ‘widow’ or ‘widower’ but a term for the deceased husband or wife seems to be missing.

1. english has the term "domestic partnership" which describes unmarried partners.  same(ish) legal benefits as being married, but without all the paperwork, german has the term Lebensgefährte which means Significant Other which also works.

 

2. the phrase used for the non-living spouse is generally 'late'   "my late-husband" refering to a husband that has passed away.   although there isnt really a better term. like there is for the widow/widower

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

1: something better than “committed domestic life partner”

I vaguely recall either German or swedish or both having a word meaning “ that person you live with and are committed to being with but are not actually legally married to.  So not exactly ‘wife’ or ‘husband’ but that means almost but not quite the same thing.

In French we say "partenaire" ("partner" in english) or, more and more often "PACSé(e)". Related to the PACS which is a civil contract but not a marriage.

Like in Dutch

4 hours ago, minibois said:

"Samenlevingscontract"/"Geregistreerd partnerschap"

 

5 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

2: a word for a deceased spouse.  A person with a deceased spouse is a ‘widow’ or ‘widower’ but a term for the deceased husband or wife seems to be missing.

We don't have 1 word for that notion. We mostly say "mon/ma regretté(e) époux(se)", more or less in english, "my regretted spouse".

It implies, in french, that the spouse is gone/dead.

[Bombastinator]

Liking the PACSe thing.  “Paxie” might work.  Too specific to French law maybe.

I Asked my friend about it.  Apparently there is a word in Swedish.  It’s slang.  He remembered the cadence of it but not the word itself

 

his text to me:

“As I recall, it's something like 
Consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant-vowel.

So "Bunna" (not the word) would fit that pattern.

[Again, that is MY recollection.]“

5 hours ago, minibois said:

In Dutch this kinda describes the term "Samenlevingscontract"/"Geregistreerd partnerschap". That would translate to "Living together contract"/"Registered partnership".

It's not exactly 1 word and not exactly often used.

Usually the more ambiguous word 'partner' is used.

"Late husband/wive" is what I usually hear.

 

Anyways, if you are interested in more things the English language is missing, Tom Scott did a cool video on it recently:

 

Tom scot rocks