Matt Pearson wrote:
> >Joshua Shinavier wrote:
> >
> >>The new words I like best are those I feel the need to invent before =
I really
> >>even know what they mean: once in a while I see something and it seem=
s
> >>familiar, in an intuitive sort of way,
snip
>
> >>I "discover" what the word really means; it's never a concept familia=
r to me
> >>as a word from any of the languages I already know, otherwise that wo=
rd would
> >>have come to mind right away
> >
> >I found this very interesting. What are some of the words that you've
> >come up with in this way? What does "ty=EBrn" mean, for example?
> >
> >I've only ever come up with one Tokana word in this way, namely "kemet=
".
> >When a bunch of pigeons suddenly all fly up into the air, circle aroun=
d,
> >and then land in an altogether better place, that action is called
> >"kemet". Or when a bunch of fallen leaves are blown up into the air
> >by a gust of wind, fly around, and then fall back down to earth again,
> >that's "kemet". There are other examples of "kemet" as well, which in
> >my mind seemed to form a natural class. The best definition I could c=
ome
> >up with is "the sudden, spontaneous, collective movement of a large gr=
oup
> >of
> >small objects".
> >
> >Matt.
> >
Kemet is a lovely word.
Here's one someone told me years ago, made up for something he and his si=
ster felt
needed a name: "Peenskons": the feeling in the top of your throat descen=
ding into
your chest when you have swallowed too much ice cream too quickly.
Diana
>
> >
>
> ------------------------------------
> Matt Pearson
> mpearson@ucla.edu
> UCLA Linguistics Department
> 405 Hilgard Avenue
> Los Angeles, CA 90095-1543
> ------------------------------------