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From: deb5@midway.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: "Lap" unique to English?
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References: <332e629f.668861@news.mindspring.com> <5gkont$949@nntp1.u.washington.edu> <858711006snz@vision25.demon.co.uk> <332f31be.11469542@news.exodus.net>
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 1997 03:59:31 GMT
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In article <332f31be.11469542@news.exodus.net>,
Bill Vaughan <bill@osisoft.com> wrote:
>phil@vision25.demon.co.uk (Phil Hunt) wrote:
>>In article <5gkont$949@nntp1.u.washington.edu>
>>harnason@u.washington.edu "Halldor Arnason" writes:
>>> My question is whether the answer to the question "Is language A unique in
>>> having a word for thing/concept B?" isn't always no.  Not that I expect a
>>> definite answer, just thought I might ask.
>>
>>There almost certainly are concepts for which only one language has 
>>a word. Particularly in science and technology, new concepts are being
>>invented all the time and, at least initially, they will only have
>>a word on one language.
>
>Often a neologism, particularly in a technical field, will be composed
>of classical roots, e.g. "telephone;" or of a classical root combined
>with a more modern derivation of a classical word, e.g. "television."
>In such cases I wonder what language is really being used. It sounds
>to me a little strange to claim that the word "telephone" is English,
>as neither of its Greek constituents has an independent existence in
>English.

Really?  I think a lot of the linguists who read this newsgroup will be
surprised to find out that "phone" is not an English word.

>It seems to me that techneologisms form an international vocabulary,
>even where they do visibly descend from some modern language.

Much has been written on these modern "Wanderwoerter".  Nevertheless, they
all begin life specific to one language, if they remain that way only
momentarily.  (By the simple act of saying, "Im Deutschen gibt es kein
Wort fuer "snowboard", I've arguably added it to that language.)

-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
