Re: Translation question

    A couple of hours ago, I replied to a posting by John Cowan.
I hit the "reply to" button (on Netscape 4.7) and thought nothing more
about it. Doing this usually sends my reply to the list. Checking up
on it just now, I see that it got sent only to John! (John, what's going on?
I checked again. Replies to everybody else go to the list, replies to
your postings only go to you! )
    Anyhow, as this was meant for the entire list, I'll repost my reply now
(typing in the address and not using the "reply button").


On 7 Dec, John Cowan wrote:

<snip interesting comments on codes>

>Come to think of it, does "shibboleth" = "word whose pronunciation can
>be used to divide people into two groups" (as opposed to its literal
>meaning "river") have currency in any language but English?
    It's still in common use in modern Israeli Hebrew. It means
an "ear" of grain, ie the top of the stalk with all the kernals
clinging to it.
    It does not mean "river" and AFAIK, never has.
I think the confusion may come from the word's use in the Bible
(Judges, chapter 12) where it is related how, during a bout of intertribal
warfare, the word was used by one of the tribes to test refugees
fleeing across the _river_  (Jordan) to see whether they were kin
or foe, the latter having a different pronunciation for the word.



Dan Sulani
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likehsna rtem zuv tikuhnuh auag inuvuz vaka'a.

A word is an awesome thing.