avio/n

[Rick Mc Callister]

	In Spanish, this kind of word play with bird names tends to be
phallic rather than avian

>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.

[ moderator snip ]

>j p maher