[Lexicog] Lacunae

[Kenneth C. Hill]

There is a Hopi word for 'cloud': oomaw. But in constructing the
dictionary one has to be careful. Clouds are sacred. Many locutions having
reference to the clouds, including especially certain noun compounds, must
be excluded from any "public" listing of 'cloud' words.

Similarly with many languages. Things that are tabu in one culture are
simply normal discourse in another, e.g., reference to sexual or excretory
functions, bears or other sacred animals or certain kinds of fish,
negative aspects of a theologically presumed afterlife (cf. references to
"hell"; note that references to "heaven" are OK).

--Ken

--- Ron Moe <ron_moe at sil.org> wrote:
> I've heard of a language that doesn't have a word for 'cloud'.



	
		
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