Re: Thoughts - Conlangs and culture

On Oct/04/2002, Herman Miller wrote:

> and these are the sorts of words that often have cultural importance. Where
> is the boundary line when a "child" becomes a "man" or a "woman"? -- every
        Just for the plug of it, in Unahoban there's a special number
for this, "Nuei" (/nVi/, or /nVei/ if you belong to the pedantic and
rich nobility :-)), which means "16 years". This is the age of "becoming
a man" (or a woman, for that matter).

        It's also used to tell approximate ages, so if you say "Panon
Nuei" ("two 'nuei'") you're giving the idea of a "grown man"; and if you
say "Manu Nuei" you're speaking of a very old man (only 48, but that's
very old when your life expectancy is about 50). And I should coin a
expression for telling "just 'nuei'", which should mean "has just become
a man", too :-m :-)

--
        Roberto Suarez Soto