Re: OT: Slang, curses and vulgarities

--- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, Tristan McLeay <conlang@T...> wrote:

>('Ass' is frequently used in Australia as a mild swear word, or as
>parts of mild swearings, but generally references to literal
>posteriors would prefer 'arse'; this might influence my
>interpretation. Some compounds ('tight arse') I'm only familiar with
>using 'arse', others ('jack ass') I much prefer to hear using 'ass'.
>General depends on the vowel in the first half, but this just might
>be a personal rather than cultural aesthetic.)
Might this not be because we are dealing with two different words
here?  Ass/arse comes from the PIE root _*ors-_, backside, buttocks.
There are English cognates from the Greek _oura_, tail, found in
scientific terms, e.g., anurans, the frogs.  Ass/donkey is from the
Latin _asinus_ which the AHD relates to the Greek _onos_, donkey,
ultimately from the Sumerian _anšu_, ass.  The only English
cognate
is onager.  I can't imagine what a jack arse might be.

Charlie
http://wiki.frath.net/User:Caeruleancentaur