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Re: They _don't_ have a word for it!

From:Roger Mills <romilly@...>
Date:Thursday, August 30, 2001, 21:54
>> Herman Miller wrote: >> > Anyone have any cool examples from their langs of interesting gaps >> in the vocabulary? >-
This is more of a conculture thing, but as I've said before, the Kash have no concept comparable to the Judeo-Christian God, neither as Creator of their world, nor as its Guardian or Guide. For the translation relay, I had to devise "shehakinda" 'Earth Spirit'-- that would be similar to Gaia. One may on occasion ask the spirits of the natural world for help, but if things work out in your favor, only the superstitious truly believe that the spirits had anything to do with it. Nor is there anything resembling Original Sin. Consequently there is no "redemption" or "salvation". The words exist, but refer only to redemption of e.g. a financial instrument, or ransom of a captive or kidnap victim; "salvation" would be "rescue". We do (or will) have "atonement" and "repentance"; these are things that an individual has control of.

Replies

taliesin the storyteller <taliesin@...>
Herman Miller <hmiller@...>