[Lexicog] Mother (was: First Lady)

[Fritz Goerling]

Michael,

 

I am interested in the question to what extent language shapes (our
perception of) society or the other way round. That is the old Sapir-Whorff
hypothesis. I agree with the word “to shape”, but would reject a stronger
word like “to determine.” How far can language- engineering go, what power
do dictionary-makers or politicians have to impose language use?

 

Your example of “madre biológica” makes me think about what is a
prototypical “mother.”

What is evoked in our mind by the stimulus “mother?” I think it is
universally valid that the mother is sacred. From the religious point of
view, Jews, Christians and Muslims might think of “Eve”? For some it is
“Mary”? Adherents of non-monotheistic faiths or atheists might have other
ideas of an Über-mother.

If we associate ideas of “caring, nurturing” with a mother, than a caring
female foster parent deserves more to be called “mother” than an uncaring,
callous “biological mother.”

In German we call such a cruel mother “Rabenmutter” (raven mother). Bert
Brecht, the German playwright wrote a play entitled “Mutter Courage”, the
model of a very committed, courageous woman. A great motherly type of woman
might be called the “mother of the nation.” Why can one say in English
“mother church” but not “she mothered a movement?”

Why do we say in German “Muttersprache” (mother tongue) but not “Mutterland”
(we say “Vaterland” = fatherland)? 

What uses of “mother” have to go into a contemporary dictionary which claims
to reflect usage? “Fatherhood” and “motherhood” (and other traditional
family terms like “husband” which we discussed already) are being redefined
in certain circles. Will these redefinitions make it into a dictionary of
general usage or rather be found in a “politically correct” dictionary
which, when the political climate changes, will be a thing of the past?

 

Fritz Goerling

 

Michael Nicholas wrote

 

   The widescale tagging of new meanings to old words is I think a sign of a
new style of prescriptive lexicography based on political correctness. If a
dictionary claims to portray what a word means according to popularity of
use, then it is open to all sorts of changes from pressure groups and
interested parties. I believe that language shapes our perception of
society. At this rate we should start thinking, as behoves people interested
in lexicography, in coming up with a list of neutral terms. Spanish seems to
be making up for lost time when it comes to new meanings added to existing
words. We have "madre biológica" which is a type of mother, i.e. the one who
actually gave birth to the child as opposed to, I imagine, mothers who don't
give birth to a child.




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