I know that Japanese allows this: there are words in reverse order where the placement of 2 kanji can be “flipped” within the same word while retaining a related definition, i.e. 栄光 (glory) & 光栄 (honor), more examples range from:

  • 別離 (parting) & 離別 (separation)
  • 関連 (connection) & 連関 (relation)
  • 礼儀 (manners) & 儀礼 (ettiquette)
  • 陸上 (landing) & 上陸 (ground)
  • 発散 (emission) & 散発 (sporadic)
  • 進行 (advance) & 行進 (parade)
  • 議会 (assembly) & 会議 (meeting)
  • 木材 (lumber) & 材木 (timber)
  • 王国 (kingdom) & 国王 (monarch)
  • 火花 (spark) & 花火 (fireworks)
  • 明言 (statement) & 言明 (assertion)
  • 論評 (criticism) & 評論 (critique)

You get the picture, but can you do the same thing with the English language for example? As well as other European languages in general?

  • irate944@piefed.socialEnglish
    23·
    20 hours ago

    Kind of, I could think of a few examples in english:

    outlook : look out

    Overlook : look over

    Overtake : Takeover

    Upkeep : Keep up

    There might be others that I can’t remember right now. I don’t know if for you most of these are cheating since they become two words instead of just being one.

    In Portuguese, I really can’t remember any examples

    • untorquer@quokk.auEnglish
      6·
      17 hours ago

      All your examples are changing gramatically between noun and verb.

      Germanic languages tend to use the second word in a compound as the noun and the first as a modifier.

      Blue ocean is an ocean that is colored blue where ocean blue is a shade of blue.

      Conversely snowshoe is a shoe meant for use on snow. Shoesnow is nonesense rather than snow stuck to your shoe.

      • igmelonh@feddit.onlineEnglish
        3·
        16 hours ago

        fwiw “takeover” is a noun; “take over” would be the verb.

        “Lookout” would also be a noun, though their example of “look out” is a verb, yes.

    • First_Thunder@lemmy.zip
      3·
      19 hours ago

      Obrigatório:

      Um português? Na minha app de memes, comunas e Linux?

      Translation for those who aren’t Portuguese speakers:

      Hi? I think you likely shouldn’t trust me. Install Linux Mint today

      • Skullgrid@lemmy.world
        1·
        13 hours ago

        Um português? Na minha app de memes, comunas e Linux?

        Translation for those who aren’t Portuguese speakers:

        Hi? I think you likely shouldn’t trust me. Install Linux Mint today

        …

        I don’t think that’s what it says, but I don’t speak portuguese…

        A portuguese person? In my app for memes, communities and linux?

    • ViatorOmnium@piefed.socialEnglish
      1·
      19 hours ago

      We have a few cases like “estar bem” (being well) and “bem-estar” (wellbeing) or “antigo regime” vs “regime antigo” but they are much rarer, and usually involve moving an adjective to before the noun or verb.