Re: Interesting Words

From: "Andrew Chaney" <adchaney@...>
> on 05/11/01 07:12, Muke Tever (alrivera@ALUMNI.SOUTHERN.EDU) wrote:
>
> > I like the "English words for mud" answer,
> > http://www.ucle.org/aue/ucle/ucle9.html
>
> Humus is not mud.
>
> Humus is something you get in Greek & Lebanese restaurants that tastes like
> sand mixed in wheat paste.
'ats *hummus*! ;p

> Actually, as I understand it, humus refers specifically to decaying plant
> material. Rather like compost. Both of which are distinct from "mud" (i.e.
> wet dirt).
Certainly, but what's dirt when you get down to it, but decayed plant and other
matter?

> And sludge too; sludge refers only to industrial waste, never to wet dirt.
Actually I think sludge becomes "wet dirt" when it's more like "dirt water".

> Clay isn't mud either.
Bah!   IMHO 'clay' and 'mud' are positiver and negativer labels for the same
thing (although mud may be more liquid, and clay more solid)

> Quicksand too is distinct from mud. You can't make mud out of sand. You just
> get wet sand.
That we distinguish "sand" from "dirt" at all means something too, don't it? ;)

> PS -  I think I may have just proven your point...
Yup.   Even when they do claim "different words for snow", they're not saying so
much "different words for an identical phenomenon" but "different words for
similar phenomena".

I mean, look at English words that describe "snow" (and "frozen water" in
general, as most lists of "eskimo words for snow" include):

snow,
flurry,
blizzard,
(snow-)flake,
(snow-)drift,
igloo [a house made of snow!],
ice,
hail,
sleet,
slush,
avalanche [!],
frost,
icicle [an ice stalactite!],
powder,
iceberg,
floe,
snowball,
snowman,
mogul [!],
glacier, ...

What we need is to start an rumor about how English only has one word for "a
piece of coiled metal", "a natural upwelling of water", "to jump nimbly into the
air", "the growing season", and "to escape someone from prison".  Eventually
it'll snowball into "English only has one word for everything" and then we can
all go home.


    *Muke!

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