Tag: etymology

Anthropomorphic ideas and further thoughts about living

From here
An·thro·po·morph·ic /ˌænθrəpəˈmoɚfɪk/ adjective
1 : described or thought of as being like human beings in appearance, behavior, etc.
▪ a story in which the characters are anthropomorphic animals

2 : considering animals, objects, etc., as having human qualities
▪ anthropomorphic beliefs about nature

The reason I have posted this is that I know as a child I saw chairs and tables and houses a living beings.And the windows were eyes,the door a mouth.When I was looking up where the word “door” originated it came  a thousand years ago from the word for mouth.So human beings did see the way I used to see….and no doubt further back that’s why they saw trees inhabited by living spirits for example.Everything was alive and had a personal quality.That could be frightening if you saw storms and gales that way.Maybe at some level we do still think that way and ascribe motives to the beings in the storm who want to harm us

Some people still believe in demons but I don’t.Epileptics were regarded ad possessed by demons until quite recently.

I prefer different language…. it’s a way  of attacking other people saying they are possessed by demons, which I object to.

And it creates problems .by saying that you push afflicted people away.Some folk say that because demons are mentioned in the Bible they must exist.Well,remember much of what was written was explained in ways accepted then as they knew nothing of the medical science we know now.Even great prophets can only use the concepts which exist  in the era in which they live.And also translations alter the meaning inadvertently.The Bible was not written originally in English.

The problem of evil and whether there is an evil principle as an opponent of God is very complex  and wondering about does not to my mind help me to live better .I trust in God whatever that means.

Pronunciation – Why is the ‘w’ silent in “sword”? – E at the English Language and Usage

pronunciation – Why is the ‘w’ silent in “sword”? – English Language and Usage.

This is a useful site.I enjoy looking things up.As I suspected the w at the beginning of WRONG used to be pronounced in the past.It’s old Anglo-Saxon or Norse..I wonder how many scholars learn these now?

 

The relief of the right words

It tickles me to spell “wrong”  rong… but also it has made me wish to find out why we have all those extra silent w’s at the beginning of words.We don’t call rats,wrats… so there must be some etymological reasons.

We also have silent k’s like  in  Knowledge.I imagine that once that was  pronounced.I’ll do some research by lying on my bed with the etymological dictionary on top of me

If you tell lies in bed I cannot recall if that’s also spelled,

lying in  bed

or if it’s lieing in bed.

That latter way looks wrong to me..

So  if you say,she was lying in bed.it has two meanings I think.As in life the context provides the most likely solution

Please stop lying,dear,whilst you are lying in bed.

I am not lying!

Well cats don’t pour out the tea

I was being whimsical for a change.

Ah,whimsey,I wonder what the etymology of that is?

Stop thinking so much and get into bed

Do you want me to lie with you?

Well,I don’t want you to lie to me.

Learning English is very hard as it combines so many other languages.

Is that why we have combine harvesters?

I’ll harvest you if you don’t give  me some peace!

God knows why I married you!

Well,I am glad to hear it as I thought nobody on earth  knew…. that  I am the nicest person in the entire world.If it’s true

why does nobody know?Maybe it’s a fantasy…

I say,my dear,that’s a  trifle exaggerated but I catch your drift.

What a relief,no more lying after today.Amen

A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of. [Ogden Nash]

You can see the dictionary here
Public domain image, royalty free stock photo from www.public-domain-image.com
Door (n.)
Middle English merger of Old English dor (neuter; plural doru) “large door, gate,” and Old English duru (fem., plural dura) “door, gate, wicket;” both from Proto-Germanic *dur- (cf. Old Saxon duru, Old Norse dyrr, Danish dør, Old Frisian dure, Old High German turi, German Tür).The Germanic words are from PIE *dhwer- “a doorway, a door, a gate” (cf. Greek thura, Latin foris, Gaulish doro “mouth,” Gothic dauro “gate,” Sanskrit dvárah “door, gate,” Old Persian duvara- “door,” Old Prussian dwaris “gate,” Russian dver’ “a door”).The base form is frequently in dual or plural, leading to speculation that houses of the original Indo-Europeans had doors with two swinging halves. Middle English had both dure and dor; form dore predominated by 16c., but was supplanted by door.