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Re: Classification of Abstract Words

From:John Quijada <jq_ithkuil@...>
Date:Sunday, February 11, 2007, 1:48
Leon Lin wrote:
>I am trying to make a philosophical language and I am having trouble with >abstract words like "justice", "love", or "communication". Perhaps I have >not studied them hard enough, but I can't quite find equivalents in >languages like Latejami or Ithkuil.
=================================================== Never too late to answer a question (hopefully): The Ithkuil word for “love” derives from the root /h/-/D/, which breaks down into the following 18 stems, as per standard Ithkuil lexico-morphology rules (see Chapters 2 and 10 at www.ithkuil.net). (I will use X-SAMPA rather than the normal Ithkuil romanization): Form I Holistic Stems: 1 /haD/ -- affection, fondness, endearment; feel/display affection, fondness, endearment 2 /hUD/ -- familial/genetically-based bond of love/loyalty/”ties”; feel/display familial/genetically-based bond of love/loyalty/”ties” 3 /hID/ -- romantic love Complementary Stems: 1a /hED/, 2a /hOD/, 3a /hVD/: same as the holistic stems but with focus on the act(ion) or display thereof, as (potentially) observable by others 1b /h{D/, 2b /h9D/, 3b /h}D/: same as the holistic stems but with focus on the emotion/feeling involved as affectively experienced by the person him/herself Form II Holistic Stems: 1 /hAD/ -- something valued as source of emotional joy or contentment + the feeling/emotion experienced, e.g., “Skiing is his great love” or “I love ice cream.” 2 /huD/ -- love of a socially-derived institution (e.g., love of country, race, heritage, etc.), = the institution loved + the emotion/feeling experienced 3 /hiD/ -- love of abstract idea (e.g., freedom, wealth, life, etc.), = the abstraction loved + the emotion/feeling experienced Complementary Stems: 1a /heD/, 2a /hoD/, 3a /hyD/: same as the holistic stems but with focus on the thing loved 1b /haeD/, 2b /h2D/, 3b /hIwD/: same as the holistic stems but with focus on the emotion/feeling involved as affectively experienced by the person him/herself As for the word “justice”, the Ithkuil word is /”I.stI.ka_RF/ which is the stem /stIk/ ‘weigh(ing)/ponder(ing) of choices or options / (perform) pro-con analysis’ inflected for the COALESCENT Affiliation (which elevate the stem to the level of a conceptual gestalt based on various associated component elements/steps/processes), the NOMIC Perspective (which essentially renders the stem as an abstract concept), and the AMALGAMATIVE Context (which raises the contextual scope of the stem to a level impacting society as a whole). This holistic stem connotes and encompasses both the decision-making aspects of justice and the result/outcome of the act, i.e., the “meting out” of justice. The associated complementary stems would separate these elements into individual stems. Note that this word /”I.stI.ka_RF/ refers to actual decisions/acts of justice [to be] carried out. If the word is meant to refer to justice as a hypothetical abstraction only, then the stem would be further inflected into the REPRESENTATIVE Essence, rendered as /”I.sto.Ik_RF/. The underlying stem /stIk/ in turn derives from the root /st/-/k/ 'COMPARISON/MEASURE(MENT)' As for “communication”, Ithkuil does not have a dedicated root/stem referring to this concept, as the concept is one that can be derived from another Ithkuil concept: “[transfer(ence) of] information.” If the implication is 2-way reciprocal communication, then an additional morpheme would be added to convey reciprocity, i.e., “exchange of information.” After all, in Ithkuil’s way of seeing the world as operating by complementary principles, no piece of information serves any real-world practical value until it is a communicated (i.e., observed/read/interpreted) piece of information. Therefore the Ithkuil word for ‘information’ implies (potential) communication as being inherent. Note that Ithkuil DOES have two stems + derivatives which can be interpreted to mean “communicate verbally” and “communicate in writing” respectively, based on the roots for ‘VERBAL UTTERANCE’ and ‘WRITING/RECORD’. The stems in question would more literally mean ‘[interpret] verbal message’ and ‘[interpret] a writing/recorded message’. -- John Quijada

Replies

Leon Lin <leon_math@...>
Simon Clarkstone <simon.clarkstone@...>