A light-hearted topic after all that erudition!

We say 'Come'; the Japanese say "Go", the Malays say "Go out' (same word used for EXIT from an auditorium), the down-to-earth Thais say 'Finish'. What do other languages say?

For all except English (and the practical Thais), the emphasis seems to be on 'emission (=sending out). Even Shakespeare uses the non-English idiom in, "The expense of spirit in a waste of shame....".

Does this help?

Does this help?

Not really, LeC. In the languages I can check, the word is just the direct equivalent of 'ejaculate'. At the moment of truth, most people would not say "I'm ejaculating"; they might say "I'm coming". I'm after vernacular, or demotic, usage... what people actually say. Why does one language say 'come' when others say just the opposite, 'go'? I hoped to find out whether this is a peculiarity of English, or whether it is shared by other languages.

How about

Sh_it the condom's broken!!!!!!!

In Italian same as english: venire (=come)

To sum up what I've found out:-

English, German, Spanish, Italian all say 'come'.

French says 'enjoy' (jouir). This sounds odd, and I'd like a cross-check!

Japanese and Malay say 'go' (Malay actually says keluar, which is the word used for EXIT in an auditorium)

Thai, Khmer (as in Isan), and Russian say 'finish'.

There's an old thread in the Thai Language forum:

To sum up what I've found out:-

...

Thai, Khmer (as in Isan), and Russian say 'finish'.

Sorry? ... most Thais I have met say 'Neung Phan Baht'

To sum up what I've found out:-

...

Thai, Khmer (as in Isan), and Russian say 'finish'.

Sorry? ... most Thais I have met say 'Neung Phan Baht'

Cheap Charlie!

French says 'enjoy' (jouir). This sounds odd, and I'd like a cross-check!

Actually we say both things :

- jouir : enjoy / coming to climax

- venir : coming, like in english

French says 'enjoy' (jouir). This sounds odd, and I'd like a cross-check!

Actually we say both things :

- jouir : enjoy / coming to climax

- venir : coming, like in english

Thanks, lemerou.

"Japanese ... say 'go' ... "

By my experience with a very coming-and-going Japanese cracker, they are ~ as usual ~ somewhat more complicated than one-term only.

My young man used a different exclamation for himself coming ~ then it was in fact a "GO") ~ and watching someone else coming. Usually that scenario, well-played out, elicited a husky " ... GOOD, GOOD!!... ". (Both sometimes yelled, sometimes whispered ... he was a joy)

I miss that. :jap:

I'm sure most languages are much more complex than the brief summary I gave above indicates. What I was interested in was the way East and West apparently perceive the same action in a different way (not to mention the pragmatists who say 'finish'!).

how 'bout "Sabai Sabai"?2 phan baht.

Who is foolish enough to pay 2 Phan baht?

A guy in kuala lumpur said to me 'I am cumming out'