Re: Inherently Reflexive Verbs (was: mental masturbation)

Boudewijn Rempt <bsarempt@...> wrote:
>=20
> On Wed, 2 Jun 1999, FFlores wrote:
>=20
> >
> > BTW I haven't discovered a word referring to women --
> > they live a secret life, I guess, and they're too shy for
> > my field researchers to get such intimate stuff out of them.
> > We'll see. :)
> >
>=20
> Perhaps you should send some lady investigators? This problem
> reminds me a bit of a grammar I have of a certain very obscure
> language, in which most of the vocubulary is concerned with male
> sexuality, apparently because the researcher spent his fieldwork
> sojourn mostly in the haystack with the village's boys... What I
> haven't seen is a grammar that shows that the researcher has done
> the same with some villages girls.
>=20
I was wondering if you meant being with a girl *in the haystack*,
but I'd better leave that out. :)

I know female researchers would have more chances in principle,
but the Dr=E1selhadh are male-centered on this respect -- women are
not usually found outside their households, let alone asking
people personal questions.  The best chance for a researcher
lady would be getting employed in a house with many servants,
where she could take down notes and listen carefully and gossip
a bit every day. A woman that inspires respect might be able to
talk to the lady of the house and get some info, but not on such
intimate details. And she couldn't possibly research on men's
customs at the same time -- she wouldn't be taking seriously.

My best chance, I guess, would be sending researchers of both
sexes, in couples, who'll be pretending they don't know each
other. Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do.


--Pablo Flores