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Q&A

Comments on Why is the word "maniac" considered such a strong insult in Hebrew?

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Why is the word "maniac" considered such a strong insult in Hebrew?

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When I first moved to Israel, one of the first things I was warned about was using the word "maniac". As an American, this is considered a very minor insult - minor enough for little kids to use without a problem, at least.

In Israel, though, the transliteration מניאק has connotation of a much stronger insult. It's considered one of the more offensive things you can call someone (which, of course, means it sees liberal use amongst the teens).

How did this split happen? Why did the word take on a much more negative connotation in Hebrew than in English?

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3 comment threads

Is there a native (not loan) word for this? (3 comments)
Did you ask this on https://old.reddit.com/r/LearnHebrew/, https://old.reddit.com/r/hebrew/? (2 comments)
In which language did the meaning shift? Literally, a maniac is a dangerously insane person. In Engli... (1 comment)
Is there a native (not loan) word for this?
Monica Cellio‭ wrote over 2 years ago

I'm surprised that this is a loan word (transliteration of the English word) in Hebrew, and that there wasn't already a native word with similar meaning. Is there but it's not used, or was this a new word when introduced?

Mithical‭ wrote over 2 years ago

Monica Cellio‭ - I don't actually know; משוגע means "insane", but I don't know what the history of the word מניאק in Hebrew is (hence the question).

Hyperlynx‭ wrote about 2 years ago

I've certainly heard "Meshuggah" used in my Anglophone community of Australian Jews. There's even a Swedish metal band called that! I think for Anglophones it has a more playful meaning, but I'd also be very interested to hear what its connotations are for native Yiddish or Hebrew speakers.