Re: Another question: genders

On Fri, 11 Aug 2000, Thomas R. Wier wrote:

> Nik Taylor wrote:
>
> > Padraic Brown wrote:
> > > Just poking my head in: what negative connotations does ambivalent
> > > have for you?
> >
> > To me, it connotes things like "indecisive", "wishy-washy", etc., but,
> > perhaps that's just a personal feeling?
>
> It *can* have those connotations, yes.
Which is a pity, because it leaves no word left to do the original
work of "ambivalent", namely "having strong feelings in two opposing
directions at the same time."  "Odi et amo", *that* is (or was) ambivalence.

--
John Cowan                                   cowan@ccil.org
C'est la` pourtant que se livre le sens du dire, de ce que, s'y conjuguant
le nyania qui bruit des sexes en compagnie, il supplee a ce qu'entre eux,
de rapport nyait pas.               -- Jacques Lacan, "L'Etourdit"