A question for Dawn ... ?

[Natooke]

When I first moved I had a pocket book of GBWR's ... in it said that Sweden holds the record for the longest word ... I don't have the book anymore & can't seem to find what I'm looking for on the net ... HELP ... I'm nearly have lost sleep over this .... not!

[Dawn]

Maybe you were referring to this word:
LÅGTRYCKSKVICKSILVERÅNGURLADDNINGSANORDNING

Now more commonly known as "LYSRÖR"

The longest word in English dictionaries is
PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS

I do not know where to find a definitive answer to this, but I will get back to you!

[Carolyn]

Okay, just by knowing root words, I can figure out that last word is some kind of lung disease or infection probably caused by foreign particles like asbestos or other stuff, but what is it in REAL English? Something like "Black lung disease"?

[Dawn]

Good job Carolyn!!!
It is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) as:

"a factitious word alleged to mean 'a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silica dust' but occurring chiefly as an instance of a very long word"

LOL ;D

[Carolyn]

ALL RIGHT!!!! And long words for the sake of long words, I love it. I enjoy languages so much!

I remember some of the first words I learned in Swedish that stuck with me.

That panic attack in Swedish is "panik attack!" for instance (after first day in SFI).

That I don't suffer any more from chronic bronchitis but instead I have "luftrörskattar" (and I KNOW I spelled that wrong, but I can say it!)

[LadyDuff]

I agree with you Carolyn, I really like languages too! I have once read a book about the Swedish language called Svenskan i 100 år, something like that anyway, I have the book lying around somewhere but I cant seem to be able to find at the moment ( as always when Im looking for something) and it was very interesting!

[Natooke]

Dawn thank you for looking that up ... seems to me that is a word I had seen when I was surfing ...
Leave it to the Swedish language to have such a long word

LÅGTRYCKSKVICKSILVERÅNGURLADDNINGSANORDNING

There are so many, that I can't even wrap my lips around them still.

[Natooke]

OK this thread is way old ;D
but thanks to Aussie I now can be at ease! IOU a beer. ;D this is the word I wrote on the board in SFI & thought it was a dream You have made this gal happy ... onto the next mission!

The longest word entered in a dictionary anywhere is Swedish, and it's NORDOSTERSJOKUSTARTILLERIFLYGSPANINGSSIMULATORANLAGG-
NINGSMATERIELUNDERHALLSUPPFOLJNINGSSYSTEMDISKUSSIONS-
INLAGGSFORBEREDELSEARBETEN, which means "preparatory work on the contribution to the discussion on the maintaining system of support of the material of the aviation survey simulator device within the north-east part of the coast artillery of the Baltic."

[Sabeine]

that is a long word. I thought it would have been the English one "supercalifracilis....." something I can't spell the rest.

[Aussie]

Natooke,

I'm glad you were amused

The longest word in English is actually Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis according to this website.

But the Swedish word Natooke quoted is the longest word in a dictionary in any language according to the Urban dictionary website.

And for your information, the Finnish word SAIPPUAKIVIKAUPPIAS (a soapstone seller) is the longest known palindrome in any language according to the Guinness Book of World Records. And of course confirmed this website.

And in case you were wondering, yes I do like language and also silly facts about language.

[Natooke]

Thanks Aussie ... yes I was amused ;D

What is a palindrome ? sorry if i'm sounding daft!

[Aussie]

Natooke,

A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same backwards as forwards. For example, in my home town of Adelaide (in South Australia) we had a beach suburb with a palindrome name - GLENELG. Spelled the same either way

And no, it's not a daft question.

[Natooke]

Thaks you always learn something on PS.