I recently discussed the concept of the German word Heimat, a word without a direct English equivalent, defined as the special sense of a person belonging to a specific place, time, culture, and community. The meaning is broader than “home,” but is narrower than “homeland.” A few days ago, I entered the word Heimat into one of those free online translators and it gave the English definition as “habitat.” In a crude sort of way, I think this is the best word-for-word translation I’ve seen yet. Heimat is a person’s geographical, cultural, and spiritual habitat, the place from which he has sprung and where he feels most at home. To illustrate, the following song is about the Heimat that belongs to many Southern Americans.
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