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Post by Otaku on Dec 2, 2008 10:17:50 GMT 8
The first time I heard of this word was when I came to Japan. If you google the word, it seems like the majority of its usages come from traveling to another country and living for a set period of time. I understand that this particular word is field-specific. However, when I refer to 'acceptable', I'm talking about would an average person back home know what this word means? Is it a run-of-the-mill English word? Not that I consider the following website the ultimate lexicon for the English language, but www.dictionary.com doesn't list it...
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Post by junkdna on Dec 2, 2008 12:15:05 GMT 8
YFU has been using it for fifty years. I first heard the term 20 years ago when I met exchange students through YFU on homestay. I went on to become an exchange student myself through YFU. Homestay at Wikipedia.
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Post by Otaku on Dec 2, 2008 12:23:10 GMT 8
True, Wikipedia has a definition for it.
But, don't you think logic would say that if the word was widely used in English-speaking countries, it would be translated into other languages besides just Bahasa Melayu and Japanese?
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Post by jed on Dec 3, 2008 9:02:04 GMT 8
it seems OK for me, but I have been here for a while I have heard some people using it back home ..... hhmmmm?
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Post by junkdna on Dec 3, 2008 11:47:28 GMT 8
The word is an original English one, American I believe. The first YFU students were from Germany. So there is definitely a German word for it.
And you can bet all these countries have words for it: "Youth For Understanding bridged the Pacific in 1958 when the first students came from Japan. The Pacific program now also includes Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, and China.
Youth For Understanding was introduced to Latin America in 1958, beginning with Mexico; South American countries opened their doors to YFU in 1959."
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Post by rollypop on Dec 17, 2008 10:53:56 GMT 8
We hosted several homestay students while I was growing up in the USA. It never struck me as an unusual word.
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