[Lexicog] boring

[Chaz and Helga Mortensen]

>> Hi all-
>>   I'm interested in the relationships between sentences like 'I'm
>> bored'
>> and 'It's boring (to me)'. Are these two sentences possible with
>> inflectionally related words in other languages as well? Also, I'm
>> interested in semantic extensions of 'boring'. In ASL, the sign can
>> mean
>> not only 'bored/boring' but also 'yuck', 'no way' and 'I refuse to do
>> that'. Is that common in other languages as well?
>>   Thanks,
>>   Melissa

Melissa, living in New Mex. you are probably very familiar with Spanish
but I will give this example anyway. 'Aburrido' means "bored, tired of
something, bereft of patience, not having anything to do" and refers to
a person: 'Estoy aburrido' "I am bored." (It sounds even better to say
'Me aburro', a reflexive construction that means the same thing.)

'Aburrido' is V E R Y  O F T E N used incorrectly, referring to a
boring situation, such as "school is boring":
*'Ir a la escuela es aburrido.'

'Aburrido' is the past participle used as an adjective. This is as
common in Spanish as it is in English.

In this case, the correct form is 'aburridor': Ir a la escuela es
aburridor. "Going to school is boring."
'Aburridor' is also an adjective but the -or communicates (to me) that
the boring situation is actively seeking one's boredom!

Hope this helps a little.

-Chaz



------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
In low income neighborhoods, 84% do not own computers.
At Network for Good, help bridge the Digital Divide!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/EA3HyD/3MnJAA/79vVAA/HKE4lB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->


Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lexicographylist/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    lexicographylist-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/