What's the matter with this word?
Today I came across this one: unknowledgement, or unknowledge
I was told that this word doesn't exist in English and I could hardly believe it, because I am really used reading it in scientific publications. For example,
"The possibility of a genetical connective tissue disorder as an unknowledge of the basis that correlate the biomaterials´s structure with the wall´s biochemical and mechanical behaviour, involve..."
But it appears that the guy who told me this was right, (his face looked horrified in the presence of this word) I have just looked it up in the dictionary without success. The translator admits this word and it gives "desconocimiento". What's happening here?
Is it just a mistake?
A common mistake? A big mistake? A horrible translation? Have you ever heard or read this word?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
11 Answers
And one more insight on the origin of this word.
In the 1800's and early 1900's there was a movement within the followers of Nietzsche and other similar type authors, all involved in the new superman-type, the high intellectual, highly evolved. Evolving neologisms for propaganda. They brought out “truths and untruths,” “knowing, unknowing.” Everything was "un". The opposite was always "un" and this is definitely being used today on a big scale.
Knowledge is power. They would call it "unknowledge," or unknowledge really would be in their terminology nonsensical trivia, or "fake knowledge." Fake perhaps with a purpose and the purpose is to shape your mind since every conclusion that you will come to depends on the data that you have access to in your life, coupled with your own experiences. You will tend to come to the wrong conclusions if you've been fed nothing but irrelevant or misleading data. I guess they would say "un-data" in that category.
I have never, ever seen these words in any type of material, scientific or otherwise. The only explaination that I have for the use of these words is that perhaps the paper was originally published in one language and then translated with this mistake by the translator. However, if this is the case, the translator was a non-native English speaker, as I've never heard these words used, even by English speakers who mangle the language into near incomprehension.
If you have seen it in more than one scientific paper, I would summize that the paper was translated by the same person in all of those cases. This would not be a common mistake to be made.
Cogumela wrote:
Today I came across this one: unknowledgement, or unknowledge
BecauseI was told that this word doesn't exist in English and I could hardlycouldbelieve itsincebecause I am really used to reading it in scientific publications. For example,
.....
But it appears that the guy who told me this was right (his face looked horrified in the presence of this word). I
justhave just looked it up in the dictionary without success. The translator admits this word and it gives "desconocimiento". What's happening here?Is it just a mistake?
A common mistake? A big mistake? A horrible translation? Have you ever heard or read this word?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Hi Cogumela, 
I think I have seen unacknowledged or unknowledged. It was a weird text anyway...
unknowledged : Not acknowledged or recognized
unacknowledged : not recognized or admitted, not openly acknowledged;
for example : "an unacknowledged emergency"
But please check this article, because maybe it´s just not common but...
acknowledge?? acknowledgement?
Oh no.. I can't understand why "used to reading" to + ing ? I can't get on with to/ing
I'm not surprised that it confuses you, because 'used to' is also used to express 'habitual actions in the past' -
I used to read every day but now I don't have enough free time. (In the past I read every day..)
Solía leer cada día pero actualmente no tengo suficiente tiempo libre.
However, to use it for a current/ongoing situation where it translates as 'to be accustomed to', one needs to use the 'ing' ending, -
I am used to reading every day. (I am accustomed to reading every day..)
Suelo leer cada día.
As you know, Cogu, I'm not advanced in Spanish, and not an expert in English grammar, but this is my understanding of the difference.
For my part "unknowledge" equates to something "unknown". And yes, I think it has been badly translated.
"The possibility of a genetical connective tissue disorder as an unknowledge of the basis that correlate the biomaterials´s structure with the wall´s biochemical and mechanical behaviour, involve..."
The O E D includes it (as a synonym of "ignorance") and labels it as "obsolete". Their most current citation is from 1593.
""genetical" should be "genetic". I fail to see how a "genetic disorder" can be equated to "ignorance". "correlate" should be "correlates" ("basis" is singular). "biomaterials´s" should be either "biomaterial´s" or "biomaterials´"
In sum, I doubt that that sentence was produced by a native speaker of English.
According to thefreedictionary...
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Unknowledged
Un`knowl´edged a. 1. Not acknowledged or recognized.
For which bounty to us lent
Of him unknowledged or unsent. - B. Jonson.
Although this example cites Ben Jonson, thefreedictionary does not have Unknowledge listed.
As far as I know neither "unknowledgement" nor "unknowledge" are real words in English.
