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Re: THEORY: Browsing at Borders Public Library

From:Ed Heil <edheil@...>
Date:Sunday, October 10, 1999, 19:18
Barry Garcia wrote:
> >So here's the conlanger challenge: > > > >What are some of your concultures' "Keywords"? > > I'm not sure if I follow what you mean (its 2:39 am as I write this!). Do > you mean words that are frequently used or that have some sort of cultural > significance?
Words which are fairly frequently used, but which are not translatable easily with a single word -- that have to be explained, and that convey a concept that is important to the culture. (They don't have to be words for that concept; they could be interjections or speech act words that embody that concept -- for example, one of Weirzbicka's Australian keywords is "shout" meaning to buy a round of drinks for everyone in the bar... it's significant because it ties in to a sort of male working-class gift-culture sort of thing.) If I were going to come up with a keyword for the Sawila birdfolk of the isle of Fahn, it'd probably be a word for a kind of harmonious artistic creativity that takes place only in a sufficiently large group. There is probably a closely equivalent word in the slang of jazz musicians (being in the "groove"?) but not one that I know of in general English. For the unpleasant Chana witchfolk, there might be a very culturally positive word which describes the state of having everyone loathe and fear you but not quite dare to challenge your dominance. For the Manra shapeshifters, there might be a name for an ecstatic experience of feeling very deeply, at the same time, the fact that you are a Manra and the fact that you are also whatever being you are currently shapeshifted into. Just some ideas. :) --------------------------------------------------------------- Ed doesn't know everything, but he hasn't figured that out yet. Please break it to him gently. edheil@postmark.net ---------------------------------------------------------------