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Re: Letf / Right, was Re: Count and mass nouns

From:Costentin Cornomorus <elemtilas@...>
Date:Wednesday, January 21, 2004, 21:27
--- Philippe Caquant <herodote92@...>
wrote:

> Yeah, and how would you define the words left > and right?
How do you define "love"? When you get down to it, a lot of simple and basic concepts defy easy answers. You can make comparisons (the dictionary goes into orienting self towards north, which makes the sun rise on the right); you can draw a picture and label it; you can accept whichever one your mam told you is "left". In the end, it's your internal selfreference that will tell you what left and right are, once this inner sense has been informed as to the name appropriate for the side in question. If you're not so informed, you make something up like "this side" and "t' other side".
> How would you explain them to an > ET, without > pointing at them with your finger ?
I wouldn't - and it is nonsense to have to. You point and say "left".
> How do you know that your right hand is not the > left one ?
It's a socio-cultural thing that the utterance /lEft/ is associated with the left side, while /Rajt/ (American R) is associated with the right side. Padraic. ===== â-dim peresatî Zarathustrô: ko-nare ahî? yim azem vîshpahe a&#331;hêuš astvatô sraêštem dâdaresa. â-dim prcchat Jarathustrah: ko nara asi? yam aham vî&#347;vasya âsoh asthivatah &#347;restham dadar&#347;a. ççoç peparcti Çaratostariyyas: his hanaras ossta? icom acâ, alohostanoççexomes, takam maxamâsanar a-hawisesâ. -- Yasna ix -- Ill Bethisad -- <http://www.geocities.com/elemtilas/ill_bethisad> Come visit The World! -- <http://www.geocities.com/hawessos/> .

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Philippe Caquant <herodote92@...>