At a Loss for Words

Imagine a friend is heading out to face a difficult task. As a last word before they disappear, you want to encourage them. What might you say? If you are speaking English, the likeliest choice is “good luck”.

If you stop to think about it, that is a little odd. Though you might indeed hope luck smiles on your friend, neither they nor you can do much about the probability. 【小题1】 That is why the French, in this situation, say “bon courage”, not “good luck”.

English does not allow you to pair any old adjective with any old noun in a fixed expression. You may wish someone “good morning”, “good afternoon” or “good night”, but not “good weekend”. 【小题2】 However, in other languages it is perfectly usual.

【小题3】 English-speakers wish each other a happy birthday, but speakers of many other languages say “congratulations” as if the birthday girl had done something impressive merely by surviving another year. The Dutch also say “gefeliciteerd” to members of the family, including the one who really deserves congratulating: the mother. This is close to obligatory(义务的)，while it would come as a strange surprise in English.

It is tempting to draw deep cultural conclusions from the presence of this or the absence of that in a language. 【小题4】 For example, the English do say the typical French words bon voyage and bon appétit, and there’s no reason to stop there. Congratulate your mother-in-law on your wife’s birthday, and you can prepare for a delighted smile back. It may seem awkward or tricky at first but you can make it stick if you try.