Re: CHAT: Homo Sapiens (was: fiery spirits)

Joe wrote:

>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Ray Brown" <ray.brown@...>
>To: <CONLANG@...>
>Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2003 6:44 AM
>Subject: Re: CHAT: Homo Sapiens (was: fiery spirits)
>
>
>
>
>>I knew I shouldn't have used this quote as an example of English lack of a
>>word corresponding to German 'Mensch', Swedish _människa_, Latin 'homo' or
>>Greek 'anthro:pos'     :-)
>>
>>Despite my addding in the mail that sparked off this twist in the thread:
>>"(Yes, I know the best MSS have 'goodwill' (eudokias) in the genitive, not
>>the nominative - but I don't want to complicate the issue)."
>>subsequent comments have complicated the issue, so here goes...........
>>
>>
>
>'man' used to be the equivalent.  When you wanted to be more specific, you'd
>used 'wæpnedman' or 'wífman'.  Meaning 'weaponed-man' and 'weaving-man',
>literally(yes, terms that reinforce gender-roles, but we still use the
>latter anyway).
>
>I suggest that Males are referred to as Wepmen, and we adopt 'man' as the
>gender-neutral term.
>
OE also had 'wer' from which 'werewolf''.   'Wereman' ?

David Barrow

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