# What language says the most with the least?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-says-the-most-with-the-least/43977>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 4, 2000, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-says-the-most-with-the-least/43977 "2000-12-04T18:26:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![sarteve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d26b3c/32.png) [@sarteve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sarteve)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-says-the-most-with-the-least/43977/41 "2000-12-06T02:59:02Z")

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‘sign’ language says the most with no words spoken!

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**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-says-the-most-with-the-least/43977/42 "2000-12-06T03:02:53Z")

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My fiancee and I have this licked! [Don Juan moment] **We speak the language of _love!_** [/Don Juan]

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**Author:** ![TQMshirt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@TQMshirt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TQMshirt)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-says-the-most-with-the-least/43977/43 "2000-12-06T03:29:53Z")

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The arabic answer looks intriguing especially since I was thinking along the lines of hebrew.

“In the beginning” = one word

“I got dressed” = one word

“And to the dog”= one word

There is a whole lot of that. Mainly because there are a hole set of suffixes and prefixes that can be added to a word root to give it all sorts of meanings.

There are prefixes for  
“to”  
“in”  
“and”  
“the”  
“like”  
“from”  
“of/that”

and suffixes for

possessive  
plural

These prefixes and suffixes can be and are often used numerous times in one word. There are also grammatical methods to indicate the direction of action (to myself or to you).

So I can say “I said to him” in two words.  
and “is in the hands of” in one word (“B’yday”)

Oh yeah, and “did you guys do it” = one word (“Asitem?”)

Hebrew also generally leaves out such conjunctions as “is” such that a literal translation of Hebrew would sound like “This not mine” etc…

I noticed this because when I translate Hebrew in my rabbinic duties it really stretches.

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-says-the-most-with-the-least/43977/44 "2000-12-06T03:33:01Z")

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Referring to loglan / lojban:

> [@](#):
>
> This seems very interesting. Do you have reference or a link to a page?

Try this:

[http://www.lojban.org/](http://www.lojban.org/)

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