Re: Simple translation exercise?
| From: | Wesley Parish <wes.parish@...> |
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| Date: | Thursday, June 19, 2003, 9:25 |
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But the point crocuta crocuta (spotted hyena) makes, is that exercising power
as a matter of course, does depend on physical size and strength.
Crocuta crocuta has females at least 10% larger than males, so if I want to
create a conspecies of humanity that is like hyenas - eg, the ultimate
survivalists, almost purely carnivorous, big teeth, etc, I have to take that
into account.
I've read some feminist SF, and have to laugh at their premises now - anything
resebling a matriarchy is not attainable with the homo sapiens sapiens social
structuring - instead, we've got a partially functional patriarchy - partial
because we are just as close to the bonobo social structure as to the
chimpanzee social structure.
Wesley Parish
On Thu, 19 Jun 2003 19:29, you wrote:
> >>My Trelkairni are similar too. The females are close to 7 feet tall and
>
> built like Shaquile O'Neil. the males are around 5' 6" on average. The
> females give birth to the offspring, but then it is the male's
> responsibility to care for the infants including feeding by regurgitation.
> The Trelkairni, while otherwise very mamiloid do not have mamaries in
> either sex. The women hold all the cards. Even in the early 2300's males
> do not have the vote and are veiwed by the law as only slightly more than
> property. They aren't slaves. They can initiate divorce prceedings, but
> the divorce will not be granted without the wife's consent. Children go to
> the mother without question except in the most extrodinary cases. Males
> are not permitted in the preisthood, government, military or many other
> occupations beyond cottage industries, governitos, secretaries,
> servant-type occupations and the world's oldest profession.
>
> Unfortunately, I don't know anything about the Trelkairini languages.
>
> Adam
>
> --- Jake X <starvingpoet@P...> wrote:
> > ['wEsli r\oUt]:
> > > The word |liyhita| - "midwife" translates "Queen", but then Lakhabrech
> > > are a matriarchy - with women about 6 foot plus, and men about 5 and a
> > >half feet plus, a la crocuta crocuta (spotted hyena) - so I figured it
> > >all came out even.
> >
> > Finally someone after my own tastes. The Mocteno are a matriarchy too,
>
> or
>
> > at least a matri- something. Most of the grammar is based on their idea
> > of female superiority, and they derive their masculine gender from the
> > inanimate one of the protolanguage. ;-) I'm so mean. I couldn't get away
> > with it if I weren't a man myself.
> > Jake<<
>
> Personally, I find the idea of a matriarchy odd, since no known culture
> has truly had one. My conlang's not associated with a conculture, but I've
> nevertheless paid attention to gender. I've tried to make it pretty gender
> equal. For an example, the word that would be translated as "kingdom" in
> English would be "shukuho" (shuku- ruler, monarch -ho, place noun).
> Just my two cents...
>
> Noelle
>
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