Re: WHATL calendar for next year (2013)

Philip Newton wrote:
> It'll be 2013 in about ten days!
[snip]
>
> Comments on the translation are also welcome,
I'm having problems at the moment getting through telepathically to JP
in the parallel WHAT universe    ;)

I checked on diminutives etc in ancient Greek and if one derived TAKE
forms directly from existing ancient formations, one would get, e.g.:
παιδίο "little child"
παιδάριο "little child"
παιδίσκο "young child"

In the calendar, we have the suffix -άριο in ζωάριο (little animal[s]),
and -ίσκο in αιλουρίσκο (kitten) and χηνίσκο (gosling). ζωάριο and
χηνίσκο derive from actually attested ancient forms; αιλουρίσκο is AFAIK
a TAKE neologism, but quite reasonably formed.

But we also have αλεκτοριδεύ (chick) and αλωπεκιδεύ (fox-cub), correctly
derived from ancient forms, but formed with the suffix -ιδεύ (the
'ancestor' of Esperanto's -id-) which is normally used as a patronymic
(rather like 'mac-' in Gaelic names, or -son in English surnames); it is
rather as though we were to say in English 'Cockson' (or in US English
'Roosterson') and 'Foxson'!

Now, remembering that Josephos Peanou *there* was somewhat more radical
than Giuseppe Peano was *here* as regards verb forms, would JP be more
radical and adopt a more strictly 'auxlangy' attitude to these suffixes
in TAKE? What I mean is, would he have give:
-ίο (or possibly) -άριο - diminutive suffix (little)
-ίσκο - suffix denoting the young of
-ιδεύ - patronymic suffix

Or would he have simply used forms actually derived from AG irrespective
of the suffix actually use?

If he adopted a strict use of suffixes, would he have retained those
nouns where the young has a different word from the adult (like, e.g. in
English we have 'sheep' ~ 'lamb')? I.e. should 'lamb' be αρνό (as given
on the calendar) or προβατίσκο <-- πρόβατο (sheep). _My_ inclination is
to retain αρνό - but I'm not JP   ;)

Any thoughts? What did GP do in 'Latino sine flexione' with young
animals? Does any one know?

--
Ray
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http://www.carolandray.plus.com
==================================
Frustra fit per plura quod potest
fieri per pauciora.
[William of Ockham]

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