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Re: CHAT: Japanese English (was Re: Correction, I hope,of M/C URL)

From:John Cowan <jcowan@...>
Date:Thursday, March 23, 2000, 14:57
Barry Garcia wrote:
> > CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU writes: > >A scythe? What a beautiful word! It's pronounced /sait/? /saiT/? > > Hmm i think it would be /saiD/. I´m not too sure if it really is a scythe > because I think a scythe is short handled, and the grim reaper (death) > carries around something similar with a long handle (which i thought had a > different name, but I may be correct).
Nope, the scythe ([sAiD] is correct) is long-handled. The short-handled implement with the curved blade is a sickle. There's a drawing of a scythe at http://www.m-w.com/mw/art/scythe.htm .
> The etymology according to my dictionary is: (ME sith, OE si(g)the; c. > Icel sigth; spelling by pseudo-etymological assoc. with L scindere to cut, > cf. scissors). I think by coincidence the words scythe and Scythia look > related.
I'm curious about the etymology of "faux" in this sense. BTW, "Scyth" [sIT] is the people and "Scythia" [siTija] the nation. In general, "sc" before a front vowel is /s/ in English, although a few words have adopted a spelling pronunciation. One of the shibboleths is "schism", which is traditionally [sIzm] but now usually pronounced [skIzm] by people who have read it before they heard it. Sometimes /S/ is used instead, as in "schedule" /SEdjul/; in America this is /skEdZ@l/. It is said that Eisenhower was talking to Montgomery about /skedZ@lz/, until Monty asked "Where did you learn to pronounce /SEdjul/ like that?" Ike replied, "In grammar /Sul/." -- Schlingt dreifach einen Kreis um dies! || John Cowan <jcowan@...> Schliesst euer Aug vor heiliger Schau, || http://www.reutershealth.com Denn er genoss vom Honig-Tau, || http://www.ccil.org/~cowan Und trank die Milch vom Paradies. -- Coleridge (tr. Politzer)