Glossary entry

Danish term or phrase:

synsning, often plural, synsninger

English translation:

hunch

Added to glossary by Michele Fauble
Mar 2, 2015 09:42
9 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Danish term

synsning, often plural, synsninger

Danish to English Social Sciences Education / Pedagogy subjective contributions in a discussion, possibly vague and negative
My context is not very helpful - synsninger are contributions to a discussion, I guess vague and not particularly constructive or useful.
Unfounded theories, at any rate.

Here are a couple of references I have fund elsewhere:

It seems to be quite a good word in pædagog circles, but Jørn Lund is not greatly in favour of their exclusive terminology, and has not heard the word before:
http://www.skolelederforeningen.org/nyhed/1658-synsninger

"Vi forsager den gamle ekskluderende skole. Vi går ind for hele mennesker... vi er tilhængere af videndeling, sparring og dialog, vi elsker proaktive værktøjer, vi er ikke tilfredse med synsninger vi elsker udviklingsrum, læringsrum og ledelsesrum. Vi tror på kompetencernes mangfoldighed og den livslange læring".

Hvem kan være imod?

Bemærk ordet synsninger som var nyt for mig, da jeg hørte det på uddannelsesmødet. Men det har huseret nogle år; og det siges at være skabt af nordmanden Thomas Nordahl som betegnelse for opfattelser, der mere bygger på subjektive fornemmelser end på sikker viden og brugbare erfaringer. Det synes, som om ordet er i familie med det nedslidte begreb mavefornemmelser.
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http://seminarer.dk/vi-skal-goere-op-med-synsninger-i-udvikl...

Du hævder, der er mange misforståelser på basis af forældet viden og ´synsninger´, når vi skal tage stilling til om et barn eller ung trives. Hvad mener du med dette?

Dette skyldes, at der desværre er mange udviklingsforståelser, der baseres på subjektive og ikke sjældent direkte forkerte antagelser og teorier, der når de prakiskobles betyder, at man sætter fokus på i bedste fald noget, der ikke virker og i værste fald noget, der tenderer at være ødelæggende.
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I know what it means, but is there a similar English term - there must be?

If not, there should be - it is such an important concept to acknowledge!

gut reactions
home-made theories
vague ideas

´Scientific legend´ is an expression I have come across, but I am not sure it is quite the same - a popular theory that stretches science beyond the limits, or is based on dubious ´science´ in the first place.
It does not have the same ´tone´ and register as synsninger either.

None of my own ideas quite get there, and I would be very grateful for any help!
Change log

Aug 8, 2016 06:22: Michele Fauble Created KOG entry

Discussion

Christine Andersen (asker) Mar 9, 2015:
It seems to be a new buzzword I think we can console ourselves with the fact that it was even a new word for Jørn Lund
http://www.dsn.dk/om-os/organisation/repraesentantskabet-1/r...

It is one of those delightfully expressive words that is easy to understand at once - although of course what the listener understands may not be precisely what the speaker actually meant. Or in this case reader and writer.
The meaning does seem to have shifted slightly on its way over from Norway, but perhaps it is not entirely clear yet.

Timothy Cole Mar 9, 2015:
Postscript I went so far as contacting a Danish relative (native speaker) who is a professional interpreter and very fluent in English and French (as well as Norwegian and Swedish of course.) She'd never heard of "sysninger." No wonder we were all guessing to some degree!
Norskpro Mar 8, 2015:
Thank you for your explanation. It is possible there may be a difference between Norwegian and Danish synes. In Norwegian it can be a viewpoint or opinion: Person 1: Hvor skal vi gå å spise? Person 2: Hva synes du? or Person 1: Jeg vil si opp jobber min Person 2: Nei, det synes jeg ikke du skal gjøre. - Anyway, the main thing is that you found a term that worked in your document.
Christine Andersen (asker) Mar 8, 2015:
I am not sure there is so much thought behind ´synsninger´ in this case.
They are vague atmospherics, and not well-thought-out in my context. They are simply vague, hostile disagreement.
Perhaps there is a shade of difference in the meaning between Danish and Norwegian; I would not be able to say, as I had never seen the word before.
In Danish ´at synes´ is sometimes associated with ´syn´ or first appeareances - e.g. ´jeg synes ikke, jeg kan finde den bog...´ meaning ´I´m sure it was there just now.´
There is sometimes, though far from always, a tone of I may be wrong, but...

In this text at least, although there is very little detail, the ´synsninger´ are like hunches and immediate impressions, not worked out or articulated much.
The contrast is an open, reasoned discussion, where everything is openly explained and open to debate. Perhaps I should have said that earlier.
Norskpro Mar 7, 2015:
I disagree with the selected answer. Hunch is about gut feeling and intuition. Synsning is related to synes; Jeg synes = I believe, I think...Synsning has more thought behind it than hunch. It has a lot of thought, but is not necessarily based on proven facts.
Christine Andersen (asker) Mar 7, 2015:
Thanks to everyone! I wish you could all have points, but sorry, I have to choose one answer.
´Unfounded´ definitely has to be inlcuded, and I certainly thought about all three actual answers in my context.
Thanks again!
Timothy Cole Mar 5, 2015:
"unfounded hypotheticals" Definitely a challenge. Verbally, one can imagine "theories" or "notions" expressed with a certain inflection. To get the sense of it, an adjective may be helpful: "unfounded," "baseless" - something along those lines.
Norskpro Mar 2, 2015:
The term I gave is a possibility, yes, but not quite...I feel there must be (or ought to be) an English term that reflects subjective opinion. As for Norwegian synsing, it is related to "synsere", those people who are often contacted by the media when an opinion is needed.

Proposed translations

13 hrs
Selected

hunch

Maybe

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Note added at 13 hrs (2015-03-02 22:55:09 GMT)
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hunch - a feeling or guess based on intuition rather than known facts
www.oxforddictionaries.com




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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks!"
19 mins

guesswork

This is a term given in one of my Norwegian dictionaries.
("Synsing" in Norwegian)
Note from asker:
Thanks - that is very interesting, as the word seems to have come from Norwegian. I know from English, though, that words and expressions sometimes acquire slightly different meanings as they cross the border... but it is certainly a possibility.
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11 hrs

inkling

Inkling - Merriam-Webster.com
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inkling
a slight, uncertain idea about something : a slight amount of knowledge about something.

Inkling | Define Inkling at Dictionary.com
dictionary.reference.com/browse/inkling
They hadn't given us an inkling of what was going to happen. 2. a vague idea or notion; slight understanding:

inkling - definition of inkling by The Free Dictionary
www.thefreedictionary.com/inkling
A slight understanding or vague idea or notion.
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