Trova Inglese Insegnanti
Sasha
Insegnante professionistaHello everyone! Could you help me to understand the word "poignant" in the context below? "Tim Marlow, chief executive and director of the Design Museum, which awarded the installation the prize, said: "The Teeter-Totter Wall encouraged new ways of human connection. It remains an inventive and poignant reminder of how human beings can transcend the forces that seek to divide us."
29 mar 2021 08:07
Risposte · 9
2
This may be a word that may be difficult to translate (depending on the language) because it contains multiple meanings within one word.
Basically it's about human feelings. If you take a feeling that is between sad and tragic, then you combine this with meaningful, almost comforting. Then you add a little memory and nostalgia.
Put all these together and you get something like poignant.
Perhaps an easy context to describe, where you would find poignancy would be at a funeral where a family member is talking about the the deceased relative: remembering the happy times the sad times the funny times etc, but all in the context of sadness and grief that people feel after the death of someone close.
I haven't checked but I'm pretty sure this word has similar origins to the French word poignard - meaning dagger (a type of pointed knife) and poignarder (meaning to stab). i.e. something which would cause sharp pain.
29 marzo 2021
1
‘Poignant’ has several uses, but in general it describes something that brings out feelings in someone. They don’t have to be negative but it would most commonly be used for feelings like sadness or regret.
A reminder brings something to mind. A poignant reminder makes you feel something.
29 marzo 2021
Sasha, can I write a translation that I think works for this word, or do you want an explanation from a native speaker?
29 marzo 2021
Hi! I believe it means "острый", "пронзительный". Native speakers can, of course, explain it better.
29 marzo 2021
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Sasha
Competenze linguistiche
Inglese, Francese, Russo, Ucraino
Lingua di apprendimento
Inglese, Francese, Russo, Ucraino
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