Re: OT Re: Old French

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Thanks, Stephen!
I don't think I'd want to imitate ammonium ... could it be something as
prosaic as records room?

Jeff

On Sun, 14 Jul 2002 02:54:20 +0000, Stephen Mulraney
<ataltanie@...> wrote:

>> While we're on this topic (The Dead Lady, not Old French I mean), I have
>> a question for the Chinese experts (if any are reading this):
>> Besides being German for beginning, I've always wondered if "Anfang"
>> could also be a Chinese word of some kind. C.S. knew Chinese (Mandarin I
>> think) as well as German.
>
>I'm not expert, but I do have a dictionary. Under "an" it lists 14
>characters, and 11 under "fang". I don't know the context, so take your
>pick. Briefly, they mean something like:
>
>an1: assign, install | where, how | saddle | ammonia | know well | hut,
> nunnery | quail (n.)
>an3: I, exclusive we | ammonium
>an4: record, file, legal case | push, restrain, in accordance with; note
> (n.)  gloomy | dull, dim, hidden, hazy | bank, shore, coast
>
>fang1: square; direction, method, prescription, just (about) | fragrant;
> virtue
>fang2: house, room (the most familiar "fang" word) | workshop, mill |
> defence | hinder
>fang3: visit | imitate, resemble | boat | spin
>fang4: put, place; let go; give off; shoot; blossom, open; put out to
> pasture; expend; readjust somewhat; show, play, film (what a word!).
>
>where the numbers indicate the tone. It might help to know that in
>chinese, the compounding order is modifier-modified. The dictionary also
>lists (polysyllabic) words, under their first character. There's one
>"anfang" listed, meaning "lay, place", which is the
> second "an" (where, how)
  ??????
> plus the final "fang". Personally I'd go for "imitating ammonium".
>
>stephen

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