posted by ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
elanya at 01:43pm on 14/09/2005
elanya at 01:43pm on 14/09/2005Booo!
I am probably reading too much, but I have had a little retina-burn-eqse spot in my visionall mosrning. Mostly it is just there when I blink/close my eyes. Mostly. Disturbingly enough, it popped up while I was brushing my teeth -_-
On the other hand, I am hopinh that I can get another 100 pages+ read today, even though there is DC tonight (*gives a warning look to Ophelia*... How dare nature threaten to interfere with my online social life?), and I just got an e-mail from Dr. Terjanian saying my re-write was excellent, wooh!
In other news, I was thinking about something I was taught in my undergrad. I think that this has been refuted in later studies, but it still interested me. After the Norman invasion of England, a lot of french words were broght into the English language. There is a theory that some of it has to do with class divisions between the conquorers and the conquored. Thus, for ecample, pig in food form becomes 'porck', after porc, which is the French word for a pig, mutton from mouton, etc. The idea is that the words for the meat became different because the context in which the English heard them most was when they were serving their new Frenchie overlords.
However, I was thinking as I read today that in french, you don't distinguish the state of a creature through its signifier. A sheep is a mouton whether or not it is alive or dead. This holds true for people, too... A body is a corps whether it is alive or dead (or metaphorical, which is why I was thining about this at all). So, I was just thinking, en lieu of the above disinction of animal versus food, about what that means for the English term 'corpse'.... ;)
Lik I said, I know that the theory is not a popular one anymore (or, at leats not that version of it), but it still amuses me ;)
Mmmm, delicious Frenchie... >:D
Now, I am going to go make myself a late lunch (probably something... Mexican?) before I return to reading. :D
Later, there will be hamster pictures. My model is sleeping like the lazy slug he is (during the day ;)
I am probably reading too much, but I have had a little retina-burn-eqse spot in my visionall mosrning. Mostly it is just there when I blink/close my eyes. Mostly. Disturbingly enough, it popped up while I was brushing my teeth -_-
On the other hand, I am hopinh that I can get another 100 pages+ read today, even though there is DC tonight (*gives a warning look to Ophelia*... How dare nature threaten to interfere with my online social life?), and I just got an e-mail from Dr. Terjanian saying my re-write was excellent, wooh!
In other news, I was thinking about something I was taught in my undergrad. I think that this has been refuted in later studies, but it still interested me. After the Norman invasion of England, a lot of french words were broght into the English language. There is a theory that some of it has to do with class divisions between the conquorers and the conquored. Thus, for ecample, pig in food form becomes 'porck', after porc, which is the French word for a pig, mutton from mouton, etc. The idea is that the words for the meat became different because the context in which the English heard them most was when they were serving their new Frenchie overlords.
However, I was thinking as I read today that in french, you don't distinguish the state of a creature through its signifier. A sheep is a mouton whether or not it is alive or dead. This holds true for people, too... A body is a corps whether it is alive or dead (or metaphorical, which is why I was thining about this at all). So, I was just thinking, en lieu of the above disinction of animal versus food, about what that means for the English term 'corpse'.... ;)
Lik I said, I know that the theory is not a popular one anymore (or, at leats not that version of it), but it still amuses me ;)
Mmmm, delicious Frenchie... >:D
Now, I am going to go make myself a late lunch (probably something... Mexican?) before I return to reading. :D
Later, there will be hamster pictures. My model is sleeping like the lazy slug he is (during the day ;)
amused
(no subject)
(no subject)
Well no, not really. :/
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
Anyhow, I am reminded of the difference between cerveau and cervelle. The latter one's the one you serve on a plate. Maybe the Frenchie overlords didn't bother using the more wacky terms to dumb it down for the English who presumably weren't that skilled in French just yet.
(no subject)
(no subject)