# Sustainability



## duurzam

*Sustainability in all languages of the world: Contribute with your own language. Do we all share a common terminology for sustainability?
*Thanks ahead for the contribution to your language.

Modern Hebrew
Modern Hebrew: "קיימות" Kayamut.
root: q-y-m, which revolves around existentiality. Note that [q] in Modern Hebrew is realized as [k]. 

Though when speaking of something which is "sustainable" , we usually use Aramaic "bar kayyma" (literally "son of existence", meaning "one who has (the potential of) existence"). The root is obviously identical, it's just that "son" in Hebrew is "ben", while in Aramaic it's "bar".

Greek
​*«Βιωσιμότητα» [vi.osi'motita] (fem.) --> lit. existensiality < Classical v. «βίω» bíō --> to live (PIE *gʷeih₃w-, to live cf Skt. जीव (jivah), life; Lat. vīvere, to live; OCS жити (žiti), to live; Eng. quick; Ger. erquicken).
In Environmentalism, «αειφορία» [a.ifo'ri.a] (fem.) --> lit. ever-endurance < Classical adj. «ἀειφόρος, -ος, -ον» ăeipʰórŏs (masc. & fem.), ăeipʰórŏn (neut.) --> lit. ever-green, metaph. ever-productive, ever-endurer, everlasting < compound, prefix and adv. «ἀεὶ» aeì (also «αἰεὶ» aieì) --> always (PIE *h₂ei-u-, time of living, well-being, vital force cf Lat. aevum, eternity, age, aeon > It./Sp./Por. evo, Rom. ev, Eng. medie(ae)val) + Classical v. «φέρω» pʰérō --> to carry, bear, endure, provide (PIE *bʰer-, to bear, carry cf Skt. भरति (bhArati); Lat. ferre; OCS бьрати > Russ. брать (brat); Proto-Germanic *beraną > Ger. Burde, Eng. bear).*

Turkish
sürdürülebilirlik


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## bazq

Modern Hebrew: "קיימות" Kayamut.
root: q-y-m, which revolves around existentiality. Note that [q] in Modern Hebrew is realized as [k]. 

Though when speaking of something which is "sustainable" , we usually use Aramaic "bar kayyma" (literally "son of existence", meaning "one who has (the potential of) existence"). The root is obviously identical, it's just that "son" in Hebrew is "ben", while in Aramaic it's "bar".


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

*«Βιωσιμότητα»* [vi.osi'motita] (fem.) --> lit. _existensiality_ < Classical v. *«βίω» bíō* --> _to live_ (PIE *gʷeih₃w-, _to live_ cf Skt. जीव (jivah), _life_; Lat. vīvere, _to live_; OCS жити (žiti), _to live_; Eng. quick; Ger. erquicken).
In Environmentalism, *«αειφορία»* [a.ifo'ri.a] (fem.) --> lit. _ever-endurance_ < Classical adj. *«ἀειφόρος, -ος, -ον» ăeipʰórŏs* (masc. & fem.), *ăeipʰórŏn* (neut.) --> lit. _ever-green_, metaph. _ever-productive, ever-endurer, everlasting_ < compound, prefix and adv. *«ἀεὶ» aeì* (also *«αἰεὶ» aieì*) --> _always_ (PIE *h₂ei-u-, _time of living, well-being, vital force_ cf Lat. aevum, _eternity, age, aeon_ > It./Sp./Por. evo, Rom. ev, Eng. medie(ae)val) + Classical v. *«φέρω» pʰérō* --> _to carry, bear, endure, provide_ (PIE *bʰer-, _to bear, carry_ cf Skt. भरति (bhArati); Lat. ferre; OCS бьрати > Russ. брать (brat); Proto-Germanic *beraną > Ger. Burde, Eng. bear).


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## learnerr

duurzam said:


> *Sustainability in all languages of the world: Contribute with your own language. Do we all share a common terminology for sustainability?*


What do you mean? The word 'sustainable' may be referred to lots of things.


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## ancalimon

Turkish:
sürdürülebilirlik


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## duurzam

*ancalimon, apmoy70, bazq
*
Thank you for your contribution!

*learnerr*

You are right. Sustainability can be used in different contexts. But I assume that for any language there is a tendency for a dominance of a certain context in which the term is used. I would like to do a further analysis on the roots of sustainability in different languages. But for a first overview I am interested in the literal meanings of sustainability in all potential languages.


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## learnerr

duurzam said:


> Sustainability can be used in different contexts. But I assume that for  any language there is a tendency for a dominance of a certain context in  which the term is used. I would like to do a further analysis on the  roots of sustainability in different languages. But for a first overview  I am interested in the literal meanings of sustainability in all  potential languages.


I still don't understand what you mean. The word 'sustainability' is an English word. How can it be used in languages other than English or have any literal meanings in those languages? For example, the verb 'sustain' (which is the base and the root of the adjective 'sustainable') has a lot of basic translations into Russian. The adjective 'sustainable' (able to maintain its condition, not changing) is usually presented (not translated!) as "устойчивый" (at-stand-able), from a verb устоять meaning 'not to fall after some trial, still stand after it' (there are also other verbs with this meaning in Russian, the root being the same, but prefixes differing), but I don't see what it gets us… This word sounds meaningless in some contexts where 'sustainable' is used.


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## bibax

Czech:

*udržitelnost* (= "holdability") from the verb *udržeti* (perf.), *držeti* (imperf.) = to hold, to keep, like in:

_ They tried to keep him alive._
_to keep up with sb_
_to hold sb's attention_

Latin:

**sustentabilitas, *sustenibilitas* (non-classical) from the verb sustentare, sustinere (sub + tenere) = under + to hold, to keep;

Spanish:

*sustentabilidad, sostenibilidad* < Latin;


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## arielipi

bazq said:


> Modern Hebrew: "קיימות" Kayamut.
> root: q-y-m, which revolves around existentiality. Note that [q] in Modern Hebrew is realized as [k].
> 
> Though when speaking of something which is "sustainable" , we usually use Aramaic "bar kayyma" (literally "son of existence", meaning "one who has (the potential of) existence"). The root is obviously identical, it's just that "son" in Hebrew is "ben", while in Aramaic it's "bar".


I deeply disagree with you, the hebrew equivalent for "sustain" is not related to ק-י-מ which is actually the equivalent of "exist"; we use
 א-ח-ז '-kh-z hold, grab, maintain, sustain
נ-ש-א n-s-' to hold, carry
ס-ב-ל s-b/v-l to sustain (pain), to maintain (pain) - to be able to control self pain, to carry
ח-ז-ק kh-z-q to strengthen
ת-מ-כ t-m-ch to support, to be supported
א-ש-ש '-sh-sh to confirm

the use of בר קימא is strictly for sustainability, and even then it can be replaced with some of the above.


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## Grefsen

Norwegian:

*Bærekraft* = Sustainability

*bære* (verb "to carry") + *kraft* (noun "power")


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## ThomasK

I thought  the term referred to ecology. _Sustainability _(meant to be long lasting and not causing too much impact on the future) is a buzzword in various contexts... In that case the Dutch would be *'duurzaam'*. 

But you seem to refer to the general term that is way less common now. That would be *draagbaar, houdbaar *[carry/hold-able], I suppose.


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## ThomasK

I'd be interested to hear more about these different opinions about the equivalent of 'sustainability' in Hebrew. This is more than just a misunderstanding, I guess, as I could imagine both refer to different aspects of sustainability. Could you not solve that problem by using the word in a sentence and see how you translate in different ways? It might be quite interesting, even for outsiders.. 





ancalimon said:


> Turkish:
> sürdürülebilirlik


But how do you analyse this word, Ancalimon?


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## arielipi

ThomasK said:


> I'd be interested to hear more about these different opinions about the equivalent of 'sustainability' in Hebrew. This is more than just a misunderstanding, I guess, as I could imagine both refer to different aspects of sustainability. Could you not solve that problem by using the word in a sentence and see how you translate in different ways? It might be quite interesting, even for outsiders..
> But how do you analyse this word, Ancalimon?


sustainability is a thing that holds itself in reality (that is, it holds ground) - we use for that the words בר קיימא but for any other use of sustain we use the other roots, and we dont have to use בר קיימא, we can use some of the other roots instead.
לדבר יש אחיזה במציאות
ladavar yesh akhiza bametzi'ut
(to the) thing has a hold in reality
הדבר בר קיימא
hadavar bar kay(a)ma
the thing is sustained (foot in the ground)

also, בר קיימא is the wrod we use for Sustainable development


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## ancalimon

ThomasK said:


> I'd be interested to hear more about these different opinions about the equivalent of 'sustainability' in Hebrew. This is more than just a misunderstanding, I guess, as I could imagine both refer to different aspects of sustainability. Could you not solve that problem by using the word in a sentence and see how you translate in different ways? It might be quite interesting, even for outsiders..
> But how do you analyse this word, Ancalimon?



I can try. 

sür: to drive, to herd, to drag, to continue
sürdür: to make drive, to make herd, to make continue
sürdürül: to be made driven, to be made herded, to be made continued
sürdürülebil: to be able to be made driven, to be able to be made herded, to be able to be made continued
sürdürülebilir: (it) is able to be made continued
sürdürülebilirlik: the situation in which (it) is able to be made continued.

That's the best I can do. Sorry for the mistakes.


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## mataripis

for me it means "there is enough for someone to go on" and my Tagalog word for Sustainability is "*Kasapatan". *It has root word "Sapat"(enough) and i am thinking if it has relation to the word "Apat" (four) , a shape with equal sides (square) forming a balance force that support one another.


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## Gavril

Slovene 
_obnovljiv _"sustainable, renewable (resource, etc.)" < _obnavljati _"to renew" < _ob_- "at" + _nov_- "new"
_trajnosten _"sustainable (resource, etc.)" < _trajnost _"durability" < _trajen _"durable" / _trajati _"to last"


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## Словеса

In Russian, both yes and no, we may have an expression for "sustainable development", but it is not widely known and circulated, maybe because the usual translation ("устойчивое развитие") is so weird on many counts and means nothing. The term, along with the concept, did not pass through the linguistic barrier… The question is poorly formulated, though: is it about sustainability or sustainable development? These are very different things. We have no way to know what the answers to come are about.


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## ThomasK

ancalimon said:


> I can try.
> 
> sür: to drive, to herd, to drag, to continue
> sürdür: to make drive, to make herd, to make continue
> sürdürül: to be made driven, to be made herded, to be made continued
> sürdürülebil: to be able to be made driven, to be able to be made herded, to be able to be made continued
> sürdürülebilir: (it) is able to be made continued
> sürdürülebilirlik: the situation in which (it) is able to be made continued.
> 
> That's the best I can do. Sorry for the mistakes.


That gives us quite an interesting survey of Turkish word formation, thanks a lot ! I suppose 'herding' here refers to keeping, preserving, protecting, doesn't it?


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## ahmedcowon

In Arabic:

Sustainability = استدامة /istidāma/

The root is دوم /d-w-m/ (to last)


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## arielipi

ahmedcowon said:


> In Arabic:
> 
> Sustainability = استدامة /istidāma/
> 
> The root is دوم /d-w-m/ (to last)


I guess you can use it that way in hebrew (לעמוד la'*a*mod it bears the same meaning as to last, to withstand, to stand, to hold)
root ע-מ-ד *'*-m-d
עמידה *a*mida sustain
עמידה בפרץ *a*mida baperetz means to make a stand, to not follow and usually oppose the herd while its doing bad things (for instance if everyone is cursing someone and you stand up for him).


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## OneStroke

Chinese: 可持續性 kěchíxùxìng

It's an extremely annoying, westernised word that gets on my nerve, but it's a necessary evil because there's no other equivalent.


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## ger4

German: Nachhaltigkeit (a very broad term, nowadays often used with regards to ecologic issues)


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## franknagy

Let me derive it step by step in Hungarian just like Ancalimon did it in Turkish language.
fenn = on top
tart = hold
-hat/het- = able to, can, may
-ható = able
-ság/ség = -ness

Positive 
Tart = he/she holds  (verb. 3rd person singular)
Tarthat = he/she can to hold  (verb. with auxiliary 3rd person singular)
Tartható = it may be fulfilled (e. g. a deadline)
Fenntart = it sustains (verb. 3rd person singular)
Fenntartható = sustainable (adjective)
*Fenntarthatóság = sustainability*.

...
Negative
Ez nem tartható fenn. = It can be sustained.
tarthatatlan = untenable
tarthatatlanság = indefensibility
fenntarthatatlan = unsustainable
fenntarthatatlanság = unsustainability

Please comrades, continue the thread with the negative phrases.


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