untranslatable
In Happiness, there is a short section in which a character’s research of untranslatables is briefly described, words for which there are no mean in the english language. The whole point of the passage is to introduce to the reader the word mokita which becomes a central theme throughout the opening chapters. It means: the truth that no one speaks and refers to the “tactile agreement among people to avoid openly referring to shared secrets.”
I very much like this word. The way the “o” brushes against the hard consonant, K. The brush of your tongue against the top of your mouth when rounding out the word with “ta.”
I like it because as one gets older, as life begins to complicate (as life does) a lot more elements that delve into the realm of mokita seems to materialize.
…If we agree never to mention what happens, its almost as if it never did…
I like it because I was lying in bed and thinking of mokita kept me awake enough to write briefly to you about it.
good night,
good luck,
teeny
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