Yakamoz, and the word it is mistaken for
The word listeners send us most is yakamoz, from Turkish, usually explained as moonlight on the sea. A listener in Izmir set us straight.
Show notes
A one-minute bonus between episodes. Lists of untranslatable words often explain yakamoz as the reflection of the moon on the sea. A listener in Izmir told us otherwise: yakamoz is the glow of tiny sea creatures at night, and in Istanbul the moonlit sea had a name of its own, gümüşservi, a silver cypress.
Send us your word: the address is on the about page.
Transcript
Click a time to play from there.
- 0:00
TeodorA short bonus. You keep sending us words, and one arrives more often than any other.
- 0:07
OdileYakamoz, from Turkish. Usually with a note: the reflection of the moon on the sea.
- 0:14
TeodorWhich is lovely, and not quite right.
- 0:18
OdileA listener in Izmir set us straight. Yakamoz is the glow in the water at night, when tiny sea creatures light up as you move your hand through it.
- 0:29
TeodorAnd in Istanbul, the moonlight on the sea had a name of its own: gümüşservi. Literally, a silver cypress.
- 0:38
OdileSo the lists folded two words into one.
- 0:42
TeodorKeep sending them. The address is on our about page.
- 0:46
OdileSeason two goes on in two weeks. Thanks for listening.
In this episode
Odile Marchetti
Host and subtitler, LyonOdile writes subtitles for film and television and keeps a notebook of the lines that never fit on the screen.Teodor Halvorsen
Host and sound editor, BergenTeodor edits sound for documentaries and radio, and records the quiet of every room before the guest arrives.