Re: Natural Order of Events

2009/1/28 caeruleancentaur <caeruleancentaur@...>

> > Christophe Grandsire-Koevoets <tsela.cg@...> wrote:
>
> > That's really interesting. I know about classifiers in the context
> > of counting, but didn't know that such things existed also in other
> > contexts. At the same time, English does ride or drive, depending
> > on the vehicle, while French uses a single word "conduire" (which
> > we actually don't use that much anyway).
>
> I believe it's a little more nuanced than that.  One 'rides (on)' a
> steed because that person is both on it and guiding it.  But only the
> driver of a vehicle 'drives' it. Others must 'ride in' the vehicle.
> One can 'drive' a steed, but that has the nuance of being behind it
> and forcing it to go where you want, e.g., to drive cattle.
>
"Conduire" has the same meaning in French, although we also can use verbs
like "emmener" and "amener": to take, to bring.


>
> I imagine that 'conduire' is cognate to 'conduct.'  'Conduct' has a
> sense of guiding about it.  I love the Spanish word.  They
> say 'manejar' for 'drive' (a vehicle).  They 'manage' the vehicle.
> One can also 'dirigir' or 'manejar' a steed.  What does one say in
> modern French instead of 'conduire"?
>
Nothing else, we just don't have any other word. "Diriger" really only means
"to direct" or "to steer". We do use "conduire une voiture": "to drive a
car". It's just that with such an expression we cannot give a destination.
At best we can indicate a direction.


>
> Then, of course, one 'pilots' a boat or an airplane if he is guiding
> it, not 'drive.'  I imagine that's a back formation from the noun.
> But the passengers 'ride in' the boat or airplane.
>
In French we use "piloter" as well (or simply "voler": to fly), but once
again not with a destination. To indicate a destination, one just "goes by
plane": "aller en avion", although in this case that would mostly refer to
passengers. The pilot himself would simply indicate that he is piloting in
one sentence and where he is going to in a second one.
--
Christophe Grandsire-Koevoets.

http://christophoronomicon.blogspot.com/
http://www.christophoronomicon.nl/