LL-L "Semantics" 2004.01.26 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 26.JAN.2004 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Kenneth Rohde Christiansen <kenneth at gnu.org>
Subject: LL-L "Semantics" 2004.01.25 (03) [E]

>  (> ?) in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish

middag

Standard-Danish [me-dæ]
Western Jutish [me-dæG] (or unnen which is another word for middag
(dinner))
Southern Jutish [me(d)-d@] (or unnen)
Norwegian BM [me(d)-dag]

There might be other variaties in Southern jutish and Norwegian Bokmål

Kenneth

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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at scotstext.org]
Subject: "Semantics"

> From: R. F. Hahn lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net
> Subject: Semantics
>
> It would be interesting to share other such examples as we come
> across them,
> cases in which a word reflect local conditions and speakers disregard its
> etymology when it is use to refer to non-local or changed equivalents.

I can think of exampls where the meanings of words have changed
over time when certain concepts become obsolete but the words
are used for new concepts regardless of etymology.

"Bastard" is like this in English - it used to have a specific
meaning which is now mostly irrelevant. Now it has a specific
yet different meaning.

In the past the church used to have trained people called
"missioners" who went out into the community to help people
with special needs, such as the deaf or blind. In BSL (British
Sign Language) the sign for "missioner" indicated church
vestments. There are no longer any missioners but the sign is
still used for "social worker" even though they have no vocation
in the church.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org/

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From: R. F. Hahn lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net
Subject: Semantics

Sandy,

I suppose your example is something along the lines of German for 'nurse':
_Krankenschwester_ ("sick folk's sister") or just _Schwester_ ("sister"),
also still referred to as "sister" by some (older?)English speakers.
Obviously this goes back to times when (hospital) nurses were Roman Catholic
nuns or Protestant lay sisters by default.

English (_nur(i)sh_ >) "nurse" and Scots _nourice_, on the other hand,
etymologically still connote the act of nourishing, going back to the
breastfeeding wetnurses performed.  This is just not as obvious to today's
speakers as the sign for "social worker" in BSL.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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