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Re: Dune Conlang

From:John Cowan <jcowan@...>
Date:Thursday, November 11, 1999, 17:32
FFlores wrote:

> How do you break _gesserit_ down?
It's from the verb "gerere", which has a vast range of meaning and did not IIRC survive in any Romance language. Its literal sense is "bear about, carry, wear"; by extension "bring forth, be pregnant with, produce"; metaphorically "play a part, conduct oneself, behave, show, exhibit, manifest, administer, manage, regulate, do business, spend time". In this case, "behave" or "conduct oneself" is the best translation. Morphologically, "gesserit" is ambiguous: it could be the future perfect indicative, or the present perfect subjunctive. In this case the latter is the right thing. quamdiu bene gesserit as:long:as well he:will:have:behaved during (his) good behavior
> It looks absolutely non-Latin to me! > (Plus, how do you *pronounce* it?)
/'ges se rit/, just as it looks. All vowels are short. -- John Cowan http://www.reutershealth.com jcowan@reutershealth.com Schlingt dreifach einen Kreis vom dies! / Schliess eurer Aug vor heiliger Schau Den er genoss vom Honig-Tau / Und trank die Milch vom Paradies. -- Coleridge (tr. Politzer)