Re: USAGE: 'born'

From: "Tommie L Powell" <tommiepowell@...>
> On Tue, 8 May 2001 Muke Tever wrote:
> > Again I am reminded of bits of the 'sales pitch' for Láadan.
> > :)  ["English has no word whatsoever for what a woman
> > does during intercourse" mutates  into "...no word
> > whatsoever for what a baby does during childbirth..."]
>
> And what does a baby do during childbirth -- other than
> get expelled from the womb along with the afterbirth?
It comes into the outside world, is what it does.  English "to be born" doesn't
come baggaged with gynaecological detail; there's no reason an active verb
meaning the same should have to.  The basic meaning 'be born' easily takes
everyday extensions (and this is rather what I'm trying to get at..).

For example, Spanish dictionary lists several extended meanings for 'nacer':
http://www.diccionarios.com/cgi-bin/esp-engl.php?query=nacer

(And the relevant Greek and Latin verbs, for good measure):
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/resolveform?lookup=gignomai&lang=greek
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/resolveform?lookup=nascor&lang=Latin

     *Muke!

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