Fwd: Help for a meaning

[Jeff Prucher]

This is apparently a fantasy book, so the word might just be a coinage of the
author's, and refer to a role that she made up for the book. Although I would
expect the author to have give more evidence about the meaning if this were the
case.  The book is set in a mythological China (or something like that), so
another possibility is that there's a Chinese term that has the meaning the
author intended (midwife or whatever), but which is composed of elements that
individually can mean "still" and "woman", and the author for whatever reason
chose to translate the elements of the word, rather than its meaning. I don't
know Chinese, so I have no idea if such a compound might exist.

That's my two WAGs worth, anyway.

Jeff Prucher


--- Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Fwd: Help for a meaning
>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> FWIW, here's the author's Website:
>
> www.harpercollins.com/authorintro/ index.asp?authorid=27769
>
> It didn't help me any, but who knows?
>
> -Wilson
>
> On 2/6/06, sagehen <sagehen at westelcom.com> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       sagehen <sagehen at WESTELCOM.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: Fwd: Help for a meaning
> >
>
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> >
> > >Can anyone help her?
> > >
> > >>Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2006 11:43:46 +0000
> > >>From: Maria da Fé Peres <mariafperes at sapo.pt>
> > >>Subject: Help for a meaning
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >>Hi
> > >>
> > >>I am a portuguese translator (english to portuguese) and am now puzzled
> > >>before the correct meaning of stillwoman. I found it in a book by Alma
> > >>Alexander, I am translating.
> > >>
> > >>The sentence is:
> > >>
> > >>Yuet had a very clear sense of her future, and knew that she would
> > >>probably have graduated (
) to becoming the healer and stillwoman of her
> > >>village's wound and sicknesses, both animal and human.
> > >>
> > >>Within the context, stillwoman seems some kind of activity regarding the
> > >>healing or taking care of health/diseases, and I was almost tempted in
> > >>translating for midwife.
> > >>Though I would not want to be disloyal to the original meaning.
> > >>
> > >>Can you help me?
> > >>Thanks in advance
> > >>Regards
> > >>Maria Peres
> >  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Knowing nothing of the society in question, my WAG would be perhaps sitting
> > vigil with the newly-dead, or something similar.
> > A. Murie
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


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