cross-linguistic metaphors (fwd)

[Rory M Larson]

David wrote:
>     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?

Japanese uses atama ga ii, 'has a good head', or surudoi, 'sharp/keen', 
for "intelligent", and a special word, baka, for 
'foolish/stupid/ridiculous'.  Metaphorically, akarui, 'bright', means 
"happy" or "lively".  As far as I can tell from my dictionary, it lacks 
that equation.

But since this is a Siouanist list, what about Siouan and other native 
North American languages?  For Omaha, we have wazhiN-ska listed in the 
Stabler-Swetland dictionary for 'smart/intelligent', along with 'wise', 
'knowledge', 'clever' and 'sober'.  wazhiN seems to mean something like 
'disposition', 'will', 'mentality' or 'anger', perhaps like the early 
Germanic meaning of /mood/.  ska means 'white', and is also said to mean 
'clear' or 'bright', although I've never been able to make that 
connection.  So the term actually seems to mean something like 
"white-disposition", with the main implication of wisdom and sobriety of 
conduct, not so much what we're looking for here as the ability to grasp 
ideas quickly.  No word is listed for 'stupid', and the closest I can get 
is 'foolish', which merges with groNriN, 'crazy', as the opposite of 
wisdom and sobriety.

In Carolyn Quintero's Osage Dictionary, wadhilaNhtaNaN is listed for 
'smart/intelligent'.  That should correspond to Omaha warigroN-ttoN, 
'having brain/thoughts/mind'.  This is more the concept we are looking 
for, but without the bright/dim metaphor.  Again, nothing is listed for 
'stupid', and the closest we get is c?eka, 'crazy'.

In John P. Williamson's 1902 English-Dakota Dictionary, we find wasdonya, 
'knowledgeable', listed for 'intelligent', and for 'smart' waciNksapa, 
'wise/prudent waciN', where waciN should be cognate to Omaha wazhiN and 
means 'thinking' or 'purpose'.  'Stupid' gets tawaciNtata, apparently 
'dull mind', and waciNksapes^ni, 'not waciNksapa', i.e. 'imprudent'.

None of these languages, with the possible exception of Omaha, seems to 
use "bright" as a metaphor for 'intelligent'.  So I'm going to turn the 
question around and ask what languages do use the metaphor.  What 
languages outside of English equate brightness with intelligence and 
dimness with stupidity?  Also, do languages exist that simply don't have 
words for 'intelligent' or 'stupid' in the sense we are looking for?  It 
seems to me that this whole concern for evaluating people in terms of 
intellectual acuity parallels the rise of the educational establishment in 
recent history.  Prior to that, I think interest was more in a person's 
sensibility of conduct rather than their I.Q.

Rory
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