speaking and saying (was: Re: Forget it)

Steg Belsky wrote:

>Well, this isn't exactly the same thing, but AAFMC, the word for "speak"
>in Rokbeigalmki, which i've always considered a bit 'too long', is
>_(wa')guvdhab_ [guvDab].  It's actually a worn down form of the phrase
>_(wa')gub thab_, "(to) sound trust", with "sound" in the sense of "to
>make a sound".  Originally, the phrase meant "to say something certain",
>as opposed to asking a question (_guvai_ [guve@] , the [e@] is part
>onomatopeic and part descended from the yes/no question particle _ha'_),
>etc.  There's also the word _gubalg_, "slander", from _gub_ (sound/speak)
>+ _balg_ (evil).
This reminds me of Tokana, which has a number of idioms involving the
word "itsa" = "to speak" and compounds formed with "sot" = "words":

  itsa sot soun    "say heart words" = "speak in earnest"
  itsa sot suhu    "say wind words" = "be facetious"

  itsa kaisot      "say evil/violent words" = "curse, insult, speak
                        abusively to someone"
  itsa kususot     "say words that go between/among" = "gossip"
  itsa kaikususot  "say evil/violent words that go between/among"
                        = "spread malicious gossip"

Just another 'as for my conlang' post...

Matt.

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Matt Pearson
mpearson@ucla.edu
UCLA Linguistics Department
405 Hilgard Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1543
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