Wordsmith Talk |
About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us | |||
Register Log In Wordsmith.org Forums General Topics Q&A about words Polysynthetic languages and Eskimo snow
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
OP This question is particularly aimed at the linguists among us, but don't let that stop anyone else from commenting (as if I could stop y'all)
In another forum the question of the number of words for snow in Eskimo languages has raised its perennial head.
For those of you unfamiliar with the controversy it centers around the question of whether Eskimo languages really do have a significantly larger number of words for snow and ice than do languages of people living in climates less blessed with the substance. This has apparently been a piece of received knowledge for many years until a gentleman name of Geoffrey K. Pullum wrote an essay pooh-poohing the idea.
Mark Halpern, occasional writer for the Vocabula Review (http://www.vocabula.com/VRFEB02Halpern.htm), has written an essay counterpooh-poohing the Pullum thesis and in doing so mentions the fact that Eskimo languages are polysynthetic. (Googling <polysynthetic language> yields a wealth of info on polysynthetic languages; you can pick your level)
In the Vocabula Review Forum (from whence hev, BTW) the point was raised that the great number of words for snow in Eskimo languages was only half of the initial observation; the other half was that Eskimo languages had no word for snow in general. My question is whether the fact that Eskimo languages are polysynthetic assures us that they would have no words for anything in general.
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted ![]()
Polysynthetic languages and Eskimo snow
Faldage 03/08/02 03:22 PM ![]()
Re: Polysynthetic languages and Eskimo snow
AnnaStrophic 03/08/02 03:59 PM ![]()
punchline spoiler
boronia 03/08/02 04:28 PM ![]()
Re: punchline spoiler
belMarduk 03/09/02 03:32 AM ![]()
Re: Giving them the bird
Capital Kiwi 03/09/02 03:31 PM ![]()
Re: Polysynthetic languages and Eskimo snow
NicholasW 03/08/02 04:44 PM ![]()
Re: Polysynthetic languages and Eskimo snow
Faldage 03/08/02 05:53 PM ![]()
Polysynthetic
NicholasW 03/09/02 05:22 PM
Moderated by Jackie
Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics Forums16Topics13,915Posts229,990Members9,198 Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members testawad, Bill_L, achz, MAGNVSTALSMA, Burlyfish
9,198 Registered Users
Who's Online Now 0 members (), 696 guests, and 2 robots. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days) A C Bowden 18
Top Posters wwh 13,858Faldage 13,803Jackie 11,613wofahulicodoc 10,956tsuwm 10,542LukeJavan8 9,953Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210AnnaStrophic 6,511Wordwind 6,296of troy 5,400
Forum Rules · Mark All Read Contact Us · Forum Help · Wordsmith.org