Re: Different words for one thing

On Sat, 16 Oct 1999, FFlores wrote:

> The issue is: different names for the same thing when
> it's not quite the same. Do any of your conlangs or natlangs
> do this?
In Valdyan, it's usually a question of using the singular and the
dual, or the singular and the collective plural:

dayen  - the element water, water as a liquid
idain  - water in nature, a body of water

crys   - snow
crysin - falling snow (the plural of _crysen_ "snowflake", literally
         "snow thing")

dach   - stomach, belly
idach  - guts, innards

gul    - bottom, lowest part of the inside of something
gulsen - the actual physical bottom

This last one is tricky: the meanings don't seem to be that
different, but _gulsen_ is only used when you're talking of the
actual surface down there, not the place where it is. For instance,
when a bucket goes down a well, it is _gulie_ (at the bottom, all the
way down) and when a person climbs into the (hopefully dry) well to
retrieve a lost necklace he is _gulsien_.

   Irina

            Varsinen an laynynay, saraz no arlet rastynay.
                     irina@rempt.xs4all.nl (myself)
       http://www.xs4all.nl/~bsarempt/irina/index.html (English)
    http://www.xs4all.nl/~bsarempt/irina/backpage.html (Nederlands)