Re: Good/Beneficient (was: More Nyenya'a)

 >From: SuomenkieliMaa <suomenkieli@...>
 >
 >Forgive me if I'm reading this wrong, William, but I
 >think you are wondering about the common root of good
 >and beneficient... is that right?

        Yes, but in the Arabic, not English, where we have two
latinate words beneficent, "good-doing/making," and merciful, fairly
different meanings in my mind.  In the Arabic, the words are clearly
related, but I have no idea what the real differences in meaning were
to the prophet Muhammad and his companions.  It'd be interesting to
see how that is translated in languages with a large number of Muslim
speakers.  How close can you stay to the Arabic and still be
understood?

        Of course, sometimes quite amazing things pop up in words with
the same root in Arabic.  The most stunning realization was that
'salaam' "peace" is the same root as 'Muslim' and 'Islaam' where the
primary meaning is "submission," specifically to the will of God.
This got me thinking more carefully about the idea of "peace" so now
Vaior distinguishes "peaceful (quiet, undisturbed, calm)," "peace -
externally enforced" and "peace - mutually agreed on lack of discord"
and my favorite, "peace - enforced by the speaker or his agents,
associates or family."

--
wm

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