Re: Answering some points

In a message dated 4/26/01 12:20:37 PM, Daniel44@BTINTERNET.COM writes:

<< Uusisuom does not use metaphor generally.  >>

    This is the point I was talking about where most people don't even know
they're using metaphor.  First of all, there's at least two metaphors in the
first sentence: 1.) "concepts are places": The use of "where" denotes that
"the point I was talking about" is a place.  Another phrase you could use in
place of "where" is "in which", which denotes exactly the same thing; 2.) I
wasn't talking, I was writing, yet "talking" is okay because of the metaphor
"communication is speech".  And that's not even being careful.  You used a
metaphor yourself in the above phrase ("above" is used metaphorically, by the
way), with "Uusisuom does not USE metaphor".  Well, of course it doesn't; it
doesn't do anything at all, it's not a thing, it can't move, it can't even
speak.  First, you used metonymy, in the part for whole distinction (using
the title to stand for the language), then you personified, as if it could do
things humans could.
    Moving on in your e-mail, you listed several metaphors right after you
said it doesn't use metaphors:

<<hanti - to live and to blossom

hanto - flower

hano - way or path

hanojan - life>>

    These are some of the biggest metaphors that you won't find in certain
languages.  First off, not all languages can map "living" and "blossoming",
or the "humans are plants" metaphor.  Second, I don't see the connection from
plants to paths.  Third, that life is a path, or "life is a journey", which
turns into "a journey describes a path", so that "life is a path" isn't
available to people who have languages in which life ISN'T a path.  There are
languages in which the future is behind, the past is in front, and humans
don't move along a path towards a future, but rather the past pushes away in
front of them.
    The practical criticism here (I know in all my metaphor talk I haven't
been clear on that part) is that it will be difficult, not easy for people to
derive these different words; they'll have to just memorize them.  You
mentioned how the word for "red" and "embarrassment" are actually two
different words, well...they're not, exactly.  After all, the pattern you
appear to be setting up (I haven't looked at your language, just the data
you've given) is that "-ojan" derives some sort of "logical" abstract noun
from a root.  The criticism is that what appears logical to you may be
totally irrational to others.  So, yes, Uusisuom does use metaphor, and quite
often, from what I'm seeing; you probably just didn't realize, as most humans
don't, because metaphor is so entrenched into the human psyche that you
usually can't pick up on the basic ones unless you're told--I couldn't.

-David

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