LL-L "Lexicon" 2008.10.06 (04) [E/German]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 06 October 2008 - Volume 04
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From: Elsie Zinsser <ezinsser at icon.co.za>
Subject: LL-L "Lexicon" 2008.10.03 (02) [E]

Hi all,

Ron, I think you generalize too much on this one.

In Afrikaans we only have kussing and that goes for the stitched one on the
couch and the Percale one on the bed.

Kopkussing is old fashioned and hardly used by the under 70s.

Yes, blaar goes for leaf and for petal in Afrikaans as in bloeiselblaar and
perskeblaar.

Groete,

Elsie

I am particularly thinking of lexical differentiations that in "unmixed"
languages are not usually made, are only made when specification is
necessary in certain contexts. For instance, English has "cushion" and
"pillow" where Low Saxon usually uses *küssen* (*Küssen*) for both (German *
Kissen*, related to "cushion") and specifies *kopküssen* (*Koppküssen* "head
cushion") for "pillow" only if necessary.

Similarly, Low Saxon *blad* (*Blatt*, German *Blatt*, cognate of "blade")
usually covers both "leaf" and "petal", which in English are strictly
separated. The "leaf" meaning is basic to *blad*. So, for instance *
rosenblad* (*Rosenblatt*) is ambiguous in that it can denote either a leaf
or petal of a rose. If you absolutely need to specify the idea of "petal"
you would have to say *bloydenblad* (*Blödenblatt*, German
*Blütenblatt*"blossom/bloom leaf"). In the case of
*rosenblad* (*Rosenblatt*) it tends to be the "petal" idea that is being
conveyed, probably because rose petals play a prominent role in tradition
and literature while leaves of the rose stem do not.

The example of "leaf" versus "petal" makes me wonder if the availability of
lexical differentiation causes mental differentiation. Is a petal a type of
leaf to a speaker of Low Saxon or German while to an English speaker the two
are like "apples and oranges", i.e. denote two quite different things?


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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Lexicon

"Generalize too much" in what way, Elsie?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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From: heatherrendall at tiscali.co.uk <heatherrendall at tiscali.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Lexicon" 2008.10.06 (02) [E]

from heatherrendall at tiscali.co.uk

Jonny directed us to Brüder Grimms Wörterbuch where it stated as well :

*die Gothen sagten schöner* spillôn, usspillôn *und für erzählung* spill, *die
Angelsachsen* spëllan *und* spëll,

Which of course is where the "Muspilli" must come from too. As well as Harry
Potter's magic spells. And spelling (i.e. buchstabieren) sounds very like
the original definition given earlier today of giving information in the
right order.

Is spëllan still extant? And if so, in what versions? Does North Germanic
use erzählen or a cognate for story telling? Does NG use zählen for
counting?

English still has

a) bank tellers - i.e. bank clerks who count the money

b) tally sticks - which were used to record numbers/ figures for taxes

c) to tally - when figures balance in accounts

as well as  to tell tales  - real one or fibs and of course we can recount a
story

from a much drier Heather who is now shivering under unseasonal cold. Last
night's dig walk at 11 p.m. and I could see my breath in front of me.
Chilly!

PS I promise you Jonny my old hens have no spare meat on their bodies except
tough old leg meat!

PPs Mark said " To me, Chomski disappoints because his speculations do not
take account of this,

For my money, I would have stopped after the word 'disappoints' !!!!!!!
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