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The point I was making was that a 'diminutive' denotes not just the affix itself, but the resulting word, which is bigger than the word was before the affix was affixed.
The diminutive refers not to the affix or the word, but usually the referent. Well, it refers also to the word in one sense, as in the word pookaroonie being a diminutive of the word pook. But the meaning of the word diminutive (in this context) comes from the referent if that's what you mean. It's called a diminutive not because it diminishes the word, but because it diminishes the person the word stands for. A nickname diminishes a person's social standing. It makes them lesser in relation to you. A diminutive can be formed by changing or subtracting from a word as well by adding an affix. Bill is a diminutive of William. But Billy is a further diminutive of Bill. I've copied this reply to the new thread, best to continue this interesting discussion there maybe? http://wordsmith.org/board/ubbthreads.ph...true#Post173918
Last edited by The Pook; 02/23/2008 3:40 AM.
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what's a nom-de-ouaibbe?
Bad transcription in vacan French of English web. Avatar, user id or name. That sort of thing.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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as in the word pookaroonie being a diminutive of the word pook
I'd read this as pookeroonie is the diminutive form of Pook.
A nickname diminishes a person's social standing. It makes them lesser in relation to you.
I'm sorry you took it that way. As mentioned before, a diminutive is often used as an affectionate hypocoristic form. It increases (or augments) your standing within the social group. Though, I'm sure if you take offense to a nickname, folks here-abouts will cease using it.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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as in the word pookaroonie being a diminutive of the word pook
I'd read this as pookeroonie is the diminutive form of Pook.
A nickname diminishes a person's social standing. It makes them lesser in relation to you.
I'm sorry you took it that way. As mentioned before, a diminutive is often used as an affectionate hypocoristic form. It increases (or augments) your standing within the social group. Thanks for saying this. It expresses what I was thinking when I read Pook's words.
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a diminutive is often used as an affectionate 'deed. :-)
[complete and total aside: I'm sitting here absolutely jamming to Split Enz' Spellbound. I looked up more of the discography/lyrics today; no wonder I couldn't understand this word: Taniwha!]
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a diminutive is often used as an affectionate 'deed. :-)
[complete and total aside: I'm sitting here absolutely jamming to Split Enz' Spellbound. I looked up more of the discography/lyrics today; no wonder I couldn't understand this word: Taniwha!] New Zealandish?
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In Aotearoa, they even have the power to delay the building of roads.
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New Zealandish? That's them! I went to see Tim Finn in concert last week.
In Aotearoa, they even have the power to delay the building of roads. I read that! I wish now that I'd looked that up before going to the concert: the young man playing guitar with him was at least part Maaori; MAN that kid could riff!
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>>>Affectionate diminutive
Aye, I think most diminutive use is affectionate.
A diminutive used to demean or diminish someone is very evident; there is no misconstruing it.
For example, Fred and William are in an argument that is getting heated. Fred, in an agressive, angry or baiting tone says, "listen up Billy boy" when he would generally refer to William as Bill. In that case, Billy boy is a diminutive.
If you're very sensitive about it Pook, you might want to let us know since the moniker you chose is one that invites cute add-ons and you seemed genial enough, so it is not surprising that folks would greet you affectionately.
Also, throwing out a challenge as to discovering the provenence of the name seemed playful, and an invitation to cameraderie. Again, if we were mistaken, then it would be good to know.
Last edited by belMarduk; 02/24/2008 4:42 PM.
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1. No I'm not sensitive. It is after all, not my name, but just a handle, and yes it was a playful gesture. 2. You misunderstood what I said about diminutives applying to the referent by diminishing them socially. That's not the same as demeaning someone. Even an affectionate nickname reduces, minimises, the social distance between you and the one the diminutive is applied to. It puts them on the same level as you. Whether this is rude or not depends on the ACTUAL relationship between the people. If you were to go up to the President of the USA (assuming you are not known to him) and say "Hey Georgie baby!" it probably would be taken as inappropriate. But let me make it quite clear - you may desecrate my handle in any way you wish and it won't upset me. 
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You guys are so funny!
Pook, I understood your point right away, and it is funny how that works. The diminutive applied to my handle is usually "two", so it actually is smaller...
You are all welcome to guess from where mine originates (desecration optional...)! ;0)
A pause in music is called, simply, a "rest". A rest of four bars (or longer), is called "longa", but you won't hear it used much (the term, that is).
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Two Sleepy People
By dawn's early light,
And too much in love
To say, "Good night."
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A pause in music is called, simply, a "rest". A rest of four bars (or longer), is called "longa", but you won't hear it used much (the term, that is).
But a rest is not necessarily a dramatic silence; it might apply only to one voice. The triangle part in Die Walküre, for example, is nothing but rests, a hyperlonga, if you will, but it hardly qualifies as a dramatic silence.
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