cross-linguistic metaphors (fwd)

[Rankin, Robert L]

________________________________________
From: owner-siouan at lists.Colorado.EDU [owner-siouan at lists.Colorado.EDU] on behalf of ROOD DAVID S [David.Rood at Colorado.EDU]
Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2011 9:11 AM
To: siouan at lists.Colorado.EDU
Subject: cross-linguistic metaphors (fwd)

David S. Rood
Dept. of Linguistics
Univ. of Colorado
295 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0295
USA
rood at colorado.edu

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 16:02:32 -0700 (MST)
From: ROOD DAVID S <David.Rood at colorado.edu>
To: linguistics faculty <ling-fac at lists.Colorado.EDU>
Cc: linguistics grads <ling-grads at lists.Colorado.EDU>,
     siounists at spot.colorado.edu
Subject: cross-linguistic metaphors


Dear Colleagues:

        I'm trying to tap into the biggest database I know of for knowledge of
languages, namely all of you.  I have a query from someone who wants to know
whether a language exists that does not equate "bright" and "dim" in the sense
of light and shadow/dark with the same words used to describe intellectual
acuity or lack thereof.  In English we can call people "bright" and
"dim(witted)" to mean 'smart' and 'not so smart'.

  Do you know of a language that lacks that equation?

        Thanks for your help.

Best,
        David


David S. Rood
Dept. of Linguistics
Univ. of Colorado
295 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0295
USA
rood at colorado.edu