Theiling Online    Sitemap    Conlang Mailing List HQ   

Re: CHAT: RPGs (was Re: Wargs)

From:Thomas R. Wier <artabanos@...>
Date:Wednesday, November 10, 1999, 23:31
"Grandsire, C.A." wrote:

> > The 'gam-' root in Greek is not sex-specific, as far as I remember. > > For instance, gamete is the common word for egg and sperm. > > Exactly. But strangely polygamous is used only to refer to a man with > various wifes. Maybe it is because the examples of polygamy that are > nearest to Europe are all polygyny (mostly in Mid-Eastern and African > countries), and that the patriarchal character of Europe made polygyny > more likely to be witnessed than polyandry when the word was coined.
I dunno. FWIW, I remember reading about some Sumerian reformer who, to clean up the town (Ur or Uruk, I can't remember which), threatened to bash out any polyandrous woman's teeth with a brick. Apparently, it was a problem, or there wouldn't be a law against it. (I hereby apologize if any have just eaten!) ====================================== Tom Wier <artabanos@...> ICQ#: 4315704 AIM: Deuterotom Website: <http://www.angelfire.com/tx/eclectorium/> "Cogito ergo sum, sed credo ergo ero." Non cuicumque datum est habere nasum. It is not given to just anyone to have a nose. -- Martial ======================================