heat

[Alex Francois]

Hello Maria and everyone,

As far as I know, what Robert says about Korean is true also about Japanese, at least for "cold": 

tsumeta-i [-i = adjectival ending] means "cold" only for something being intrinsically cold; it requires a specific subject [which however may be left implicit], e.g. Kono biiru wa tsumeta-i yo. This beer is cold (or food, water, etc.)

samu-i means "cold" talking mainly about the weather, i.e. when no specific thing is being understood as the source of coldness; generally has no specific subject: Samu-i yo! It's cold (out here)!

I'm not sure about "hot", I guess both senses are (somewhat strangely) translated by atsu-i. But you should check with a specialist and/or native speaker of Japanese, which I am not.

Cheers,

Alex François.
Université Paris-4 Sorbonne
Paris

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Robert Cloutier 
  To: LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG 
  Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 1:00 AM
  Subject: Re: heat


  There is a similar "heat" distinction in Korean between deobda and ddeuggeobda.  If a person goes outside,and it is hot, he uses the word "deobda" to describe it.  But if he touches or eats something that is hot, he would use the word "ddeuggeobda."  There is also a distinction between chubda and chaggeobda, meaning "cold."  "chubda" would be used in the first instance (to say "It's cold out," "I'm cold," etc.) and "chaggeobda in the second instance (to say "The food is cold," etc.)  I do not know if there is a word to describe solar-heat.


  Robert Cloutier 
  University of Georgia 
  Linguistics Program 
  Graduate Student 
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