Theiling Online    Sitemap    Conlang Mailing List HQ   

Re: Squids, larks, was: Singing in foreign langs.

From:Christophe Grandsire <christophe.grandsire@...>
Date:Monday, January 13, 2003, 19:51
En réponse à Sally Caves <scaves@...>:

> > My sentiments, too. As for squids, however, their name in English > (origin > unknown, I think), completely belies the gracefulness of these sea > creatures. It sounds like "squirt," which seems to confine them to > one > function of theirs.
In French they are "calmar" or "calamar". I suppose you like those words better ;)))) . Same with Octopus, "eight footer." Directly from the Latin AFAIK. The French is "pieuvre". Another
> clunky > sound for an even more beautiful animal.
True, and so intelligent! An octopus should be called
> something like "rilryalar" (making it up off the top of my head) to > indicate > the movements of its arms in the water.
I completely agree on this one! We may have similar aesthetics in this case :)) . In other cases too, since I find Teonaht so beautiful :) .
> > As for "lark," I can imagine how that would sound harsh to a > francophone; to > me, I associate it with music, with meadows, with hearing the sound of > the > lark in the morning. What if we were to undo its consonant cluster, > extend > its monosyllable, to something like "larika" ... Doesn't that sound > like > "lyrical" to you, Christophe?
Indeed, but it stops being recognisably connected to "lark" to me :)) . "Lark" sounds like I hit my palate with my tongue. Not an unpleasant sound at all, but completely unfit for a small bird ;)) . That's how I think of it. The lyrical
> lark. > I rather like ar/ark/irik endings. That may be the English in me! >
I do like those endings too, don't take me wrong :)) . The word "lark" itself is not bad-sounding. It's just unfit for its meaning ;)))) . Christophe. http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.

Reply

Douglas Koller, Latin & French <latinfrench@...>