OzurieFeeling torn between the life you have and the life you want. MoriiThe desire to capture a fleeting experience. These are the emotions that John Koenig began to translate into words, first as a YouTube game, and then, finally, as a book. Dictionary of countless sorrows (Captain Swing), a journey through emotions that Koenig defines for the first time with a single word, but also an invitation to play with language and desacralize it.
It's daring, a dictionary.
— It started as a joke. It was very late on a Saturday, I was watching the credits of Saturday Night LiveEveryone was applauding and happy, and I felt very sad.
Because?
— I didn't know. I thought it was just a strange Sunday blues, and the word came to me. SundayTo make a pun with theSunday in French.
From here to a dictionary…
— In 2006, when I was at university writing a poem, this phrase from "dictionary of nameless sorrows" came to me. I found it poetic. Why don't we have all the words? And that's where the idea came from.
Why are words important?
— When you learn the name of a tree or a bird, you begin to feel that you know it, and that you can follow it through time. And this is what I've noticed in life with emotions I couldn't describe. We understand them better when we give them a name.
How do you invent a word?
— The first thing is the excitement. For example, not feeling at home in the middle of the wild.
And the name?
— It sounded to me like something mossy, Irish. And I also got the image of being out of place, on the other side. I looked up what "garden wall" is called in Irish. And I came across ballagárraidh.
Any favorite inventions?
— AmbedoA fleeting moment of emotional clarity. It took me a long time, until I thought about albedo.
What is it…
— In Latin, the ability of a surface to reflect light. And ambedo It's a bit like this: absorbing light for a few seconds where you feel alive and lucid. As you can see, it's a subjective process.
If you invent a word, is it real?
— There is no such thing as a single, absolute word. Nor are words watertight compartments that we cannot change. The clearest symbol of what happens to us with language is OK.
Because?
— Do you know where "OK" comes from? It's the most used expression in the world, but its origin is unclear. Some say it was young people writing oll korrectBut other theories exist. Their origin isn't as important as their ability to describe the world today. So... you never know what might happen if you invent one.
Are any of yours in use?
— SonderFor example, it's the awareness that we all have a story to tell. I've heard it. I remember the first time in a bar, and it was very strange. And it changed my attitude toward language. We tend to see words as sacred, but they're not. Someone invented them someday.
But is the purpose of your words for them to be used?
— No, I don't think that will happen; I see them more as a poem. And the words are titles that make you think.
You say: "The limits of my language are the limits of my world."
— A quote from Wittgenstein. It's very true. Part of the mindset for writing the book is that I was born in Geneva, where many languages are spoken, and you learn beautiful words in other languages.
Is there one you particularly like?
— Ubuntuwhich means "I am because we are." Knowing that there are people with a different perspective expands your mind. And if you can push the boundaries of your language, you push the boundaries of your world.