>Apparently the French have two or three different words to describe knowledge<
Shanks, is there any way you can find out what these 'apparent' words are?
The only ones I can think of off-hand are three verbs (apologies upfront for the missing accents - too much effort!):
- savoir - to know factually, as in 'I know that the sea is salty.' Usually used about a specific fact.
- connaitre - to know in a sense of recognition, as in 'Of course I know shanks, I've been on the board long enough!' Or 'I know London!' by your taxi driver as he swings his way down a mysterious alley that helps cut ten minutes off your journey.
- comprendre - to understand, as in 'I understand French if it isn't spoken too fast.' Related to comprehend in English - both share a root which is about graspng / taking / getting hold of. Getting a grip on, which this sort of knowledge is doing.
Think of the difference between knowing Shanks (connaitre) and knowing Shanks (comprendre)!
If there are other words, I'd love to know them!
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Interstingly - and possibly completely irrelevantly, but my mind is wandering along a comparative thread here - the commonest Latin word for 'to know' (damned if I can remember what it is!) always takes a past tense form. To me, this has always seemed to relate to the fact that knowledge is something acquired, something worked at, a change. Not so much 'I know' as 'I have learned'.
