Re: limbs (was Re: Fluency Wish-List)

In Chleweyish, there is a common word for limb: {gusyeno}, which don't
include insects or airplane wings.

Besides the common word, all limbs used for standing are called {ruffega}
(legs), this include human legs.  Besides tretrapods rear legs and bipeds
standing legs are called {rudja}, this term is preffered over {ruffega} for
human legs.  Front standing legs are called {rudjego}.

Non standing limbs, including arms and wings, are called {lirrenu}.  If
those {lirrenu} are developed as arms a more explicit term: {zalla} can be
used, while {affaro} is used for bird, bat, pterodactilus wings.

While {affaro} are {lirrenu} and therefor {gusyeno}, insect wings (and
helicopter rotatory wings) are called {duckera} and are not {gusyeno}.
Airplane wings are called {planno} and are no {gusyeno} either.

I'm not sure on the number system yet.  There is no clear plural in
Chleweyish.  Some times duplication of the word is used, or words meaning
'many', 'several', 'some'.  There is a word meaning pair: {par}, so probably
{zalla par} could be aplied to a humans two arms.

This way, a human has a {zalla par} and a {rudja par}, while a cat has two
{ruffega par} (or one {rudja par} and one {rudjego par}).  A scorpio has
three {ruffega par} and one {lirrenu par} for a total of eight {gusyeno}.

About chimps?  It is clear that a chimp has a {rudja par}, and there other
two limbs can be used both for standing or manipulating, in those cases it
is up to the speaker if those are called {rudjego} or {zalla}.  I would say
that a chimp has two {zalla}, but I will not put that constrain on any other
speaker (including me in another mood).  I would also say that a squirrel
has two {rudjego}.

(well, if I will I could say that a chimp is walking on his four {ruffega},
and then takes a stick with his left {zallo}...)

I haven't discover yet how Hangkerimians call their limbs.

=================================
  Carlos Eugenio Thompson Pinzón
  Soporte Datacom
  Ericsson de Colombia ///

> -----Mensaje original-----
> De:   Dennis Paul Himes [SMTP:dennis@HIMES.CONNIX.COM]
> Enviado el:   Martes 18 de Abril de 2000 12:36
> Para: CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU
> Asunto:       limbs (was Re: Fluency Wish-List)
>
> Matt Pearson <jmpearson@...> wrote:
> >
> > [concerning Tokana]
> > I've never thought about what to do with animals.  I think what I'll
> > do is adapt the words for human limbs to four-legged animals:  So
> > "nalhie" means "pair of arms" when used of a person, and "pair
> > of forelegs" when used of an animal, while "kalie" means "pair of
> > legs" when used of a person, and "pair of hind legs" when used of
> > an animal.
>
>     All macrofauna on Gladilatia have six limbs, so Gladilatian developed
> the following terminology:
>
> hlemet    front leg of a hexaped (or arm of a gladifer)
> malet     middle leg of a hexaped (or front leg of a gladifer)
> mnolot    hind leg of a hexaped
>
>     Gladilatian does not have gramatical number, but the attribute fsu
> means "two", so a pair of front legs would be fsuhlemet.
>
>     When gladifers discovered planets with quadrapeds, they called a
> quadra-
> ped's front leg a malet and its hind leg a mnolot, regarding the hlemet
> pair
> as the "missing" legs.  However, this meant that when they encountered
> people, our arms were called fsumalet and not fsuhlemet, even though they
> resemble a gladifer's fsuhlemet much more than they do a gladifer's
> fsumalet.
>
> ==========================================================================
> ==
>
>              Dennis Paul Himes    <>    dennis@himes.connix.com
>              homepage: http://www.connix.com/~dennis/dennis.htm
>         Gladilatian page: http://www.connix.com/~dennis/glad/lang.htm
>
> Disclaimer: "True, I talk of dreams; which are the children of an idle
> brain, begot of nothing but vain fantasy; which is as thin of substance as
> the air."                      - Romeo & Juliet, Act I Scene iv Verse
> 96-99