Newsgroups: sci.lang
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From: smryan@netcom.com (@#$%!?!)
Subject: Re: confusing words in English
Message-ID: <smryanDAwsqK.HCJ@netcom.com>
Organization: The Programmer formerly known as S M Ryan
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References: <1995Jun22.092438.36578@ucl.ac.uk> <3spob5$7s4@Starbase.NeoSoft.COM> <3srrt2$62d@viking.mpr.ca>
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 1995 00:44:43 GMT
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: Some words in English strike me as confusing. For example, the
: adjective 'light' means both 'not heavy' and 'not dark', two concepts
: which are totally different for me. Another example is 'hot' meaning both
: 'not cold' and 'spicy'. I wonder if native speakers ever notice such
: ambiguity.

not cold=spicy, that is, spicy food is subjectively viewed as not cold
because spicy food and hot food cause similar physical reactions.
This is not ambiguous.

As for heavy:light:dark or, better, left:right:wrong, yes, we know 
they're ambiguous and they sometimes cause problems. (When giving 
directions while driving, "Do I make a left turn?" "Right." "A right
turn?" "No, left. Left is correct.") When confusion arises, people
use paraphrases and additional qualifiers. (In the above example,
you quickly learn to say "Correct" instead of "Right".)

My right hand or yours?

-- 
In fearless youth when passions leapt,     | smryan@netcom.com  PO Box 1563
he sought the treasures silence kept       |          Cupertino, California
in chambers chilled where chanting stilled,| (xxx)xxx-xxxx            95015
where bleaching bones were bleakly kept.   |              intolerance kills
