h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

(Waves to MV)

I'd have thought that Paraguay was a little too far from their sphere of influence.

My first guess would be Aymara. This http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/latinamerica/south/cultures/aymara.html suggests they were in the right area.

~waves back~ at Ed and Aina (sorry can't find the dotty bits!)

Just going to sit in and listen, well read as it were...for a bit.

Knock yourself out. (in the purely non-violent sense)

Yes, it was probably Aymara. At least the name sounds familiar.

I just read in my aforementioned book about the interesting differences in metaphorization between English and the South African Sotho languages. While in English heat is a metaphor for excitement, both positive and negative (to be hot under one's collar, to cool off), in the Sotho languages it's a metaphor for all kinds of physical and mental distress, as well as the English meanings. Diseases (not just fever), pregnancy, menstruation, physical pain, extreme tiredness, insanity, childbirth and bereavement are all understood in terms of 'having hot blood'. The writer theorizes that the hot, dry (and thus, difficult) environment of the speakers has lead to the conceptual metaphors 'hot is bad' and 'cool is good'. This is all in evidence in the language of urbanised speakers, as well.

Off to read chapter eight, Polysemous Categories in Morphology and Syntax.

The Chinese and Ayurvedic systems of medicine also use the concepts of heat and coolness.

Interestingly enough, the Yoruba god, Shango, was described as being 'cool' and 'blue.' These concepts have, of course, found their way into modern English.

On metaphors...a friend of mine finished her anthropology degree and took a job as an admin. assistant with a hospital project researching cultural differences in the expression of mental illness. They were concerned with such things as the difficulties that people from ethnic minorities would have explaining their symptoms in ways that were meaningful to doctors. For example, many Bengalis would complain 'my heart is full'. Doctors would start explore circulatory and digestive problem when, in fact, the patients were trying to explain they were depressed.

btw - you can C&P Aïna's name from the top of her her posts.

But you really don't have to. The dots are there mostly to guide mental pronunciation ('Eye-na', not 'Ay-na').

'My heart is full' - sounds kind of like severe anxiety. But in English the saying is so clearly positive; interesting.

<<, 'grab yourself from the back of your neck'.>>

Another great metaphor I heard: in Czech, it's not 'It fits like a glove' but 'It fits like an arse on a potty'

I'm fond of mixing my metaphors for 'comical' effect. One of my favourite sayings is 'The glove's on the other foot now!'

>>'It fits like a glove' but 'It fits like an arse on a potty'<<

In Finnish, 'fits like a fist in the eye'.

So violent.

Or, less interestingly, 'fits like a nose in a face'.

Oh, yes, it was Aymara - checked now. Still has two million speakers, thus the 3rd (Quechua 1st, Guarani 2nd) strongest in number of S-American Indian languages.

'If the face fits, wear it'

'Wherever I hang my head, that's my home'

<>

Indeed! (Well it is, sort of...)

ooh, what an bunch of people, maybe if i hang out here i'll be myself!

subscribing, will return once i've finished with my *ing midterms on sociological methods that have long lousy names.

oh, hi everyone!

~ db

I'm also subscribed...just can't think of anything to say

Welcome both. I'm not sure that 'subscribe' is the word. More 'join in.'

One of you presumably speaks some Pali? And maybe can tell us something about sociolinguistics?

Cool people? Where?

And welcome.

Long lousy names?

Such as?