|
|
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1
stranger
|
OP
stranger
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1 |
Why is there no word in English whereby you can indicate individuals who are descended from you but who are not infants / The word children strongly implies juveniles but my children are all over 35 years old.
Does anyone know whether there is such a word in other languages / This has bugged me for years !!!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230 |
Sorry, Richard, I can be of no use to you on this one. I just wanted to say a hearty "kia ora". It is nice to have another Kiwi on board, it's kinda lonely representing Zild on my own (kafkaeque expats notwithstanding).
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
descendants....progeny
German: Nachkommen
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065 |
But one's descendants and progeny could be any age, not necessarily adults.
Bingley
Bingley
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
Pooh-Bah
|
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624 |
Welcome, Richard. Another Kiwi, huh? We'll have to watch our step, now!
And no, I have no idea why there is no word for adult children in English. Probably simply that the need for it has never been great enough for someone to coin one that stuck, I suppose.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154
Pooh-Bah
|
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154 |
When asked if she had any children a 90 year old woman told the nurse "No, but I have three senior citizens."
The other problem with descendants or progeny is that they include all generations not just offspring. And all three words seem to me to lack the emotional connotation that "my children" has.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
I'd go with the lack of utility theory; as children age you're more likely to refer to them singly, as in 'my son, X' or 'my daughter, Y'.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788 |
I bought Bill Cosby's book "Fatherhood" in 1987 when it was first published. My children were young and my parenting skills were deeply influenced by this book. Later in life, they read it and told me "Now we know where you got so much of this stuff."
On Fathers Day (20 June), a cartoon based (loosely) on this book will appear on Nick at Night -- a cable TV network in the Colonies -- with Cosby as both writer and producer, I think.
"Human beings are the only creatures that allow their children to come back home." ~Bill Cosby
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
Welcom aBoard Richard.
I can't think of a word in English either.
In Québec French "children" (enfants) refers to your immediate progeny no matter how old they are, i.e. "these are my children Ginette and Diane" and "small children" (petits-enfants) refers to grandkids no matter how old they are, i.e. "these are my small children Patricia and J.P."
You also have "rear small children" (arrières petits-enfants) which means great-grandchildren.
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,373
Members9,182
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
189
guests, and
2
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
