Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Topic Options
#125875 - 03/22/04 01:26 PM yon
wwh Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 01/18/01
Posts: 13858
From Mother Tongue, by Bill Bryson:
Today we have two demonstrative pronouns, this and that, but in Shakespeare's day there was a third, yon, which denoted a further distance than that. You could talk about this hat, that hat, and yon hat. Today the word survives as a colloquialism, yonder, but our speech is fractionally impoverished for its loss.


Top
#125876 - 03/22/04 09:58 PM Re: yon
Fiberbabe Offline
old hand

Registered: 01/12/01
Posts: 771
Loc: Portland, Oregon
There's a Spanish equivalent... esta mesa (this table), esa mesa (that table), and aquella mesa (yonder table). "Yonder" is a little rustic for my everyday speech, but that's the way it was described to me when I was learning Spanish...


Top
#125877 - 03/23/04 07:04 AM Re: yon
Buffalo Shrdlu Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 06/24/02
Posts: 7184
Loc: Vermont
hither is a good word.

_________________________
formerly known as etaoin...

Top
#125878 - 03/23/04 09:02 AM Re: yon
jheem Offline
veteran

Registered: 01/06/04
Posts: 1474
Loc: California
Words for here (by me), there (by you), and yonder (by him) are pretty common in languages. Some languages distinguish also a forth location, yon but not visible to you or me. Hither, thither, and yon.


Top


Moderator:  Jackie 
Forum Stats
8424 Members
16 Forums
13686 Topics
209776 Posts

Max Online: 3341 @ 12/09/11 02:15 PM
Newest Members
teepee, smoothcriminal86, janbra, junebug, Stephen A
8423 Registered Users
Who's Online
0 registered (), 28 Guests and 1 Spider online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters (30 Days)
LukeJavan8 87
jenny jenny 60
wofahulicodoc 55
endymion6 48
Rhubarb Commando 36
BranShea 34
Buffalo Shrdlu 15
zmjezhd 13
Faldage 12
Jackie 12
May
Su M Tu W Th F Sa
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31

Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 2013 Wordsmith