avio/n

[maher, johnpeter]

[ moderator re-formatted ]

French <-on>, Italian <-one> :

Etymologically from the same source, it us usual for this suffix in French to
indicate diminutive, in Italian augmentative. This seeming contradiction
parallels the use of English <big> and <little>, as in "you big sissy" and "you
little sissy">, as opposed to <you beautiful big doll>, <you beautiful little
doll>.  -- The common thread is better known in French linguistics than in
English as "morphème affectif". It is left to the interlocutor to infer if
the AFFECT is positive or negative.

Thus <avion> would be a wry term for a little thing that soars. Swallows are
above all maneuvrable.  Saul Levin pointed out, personal communication ca.
1969, that urban folk were more familiar with sparrows, little fluttering
birds, <pajaros>, rather than big, soaring birds, <aves>/; cf. Italian
<uccello>, from Latin <AVCELLVS>, diminutive of <AVIS>. --Airplanes should
soar, be maneuvrable, but not flutter.

Then note good French diminutive sense in <veston> v <veste>, v the Italianism
<salon> hall, big room'.

j p maher

[ moderator snip ]