tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post2905390052856996276..comments2023-04-27T04:39:45.647-04:00Comments on JT Thinks About Stuff: Book Review: The Secret Life of WordsJThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170062950345779215noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-90702409416143464582015-05-10T23:04:54.221-04:002015-05-10T23:04:54.221-04:00I think you would like it very much. I remember yo...I think you would like it very much. I remember your pleasure many years ago in pointing out the connection between "tetsubishi" (caltrop == "four diamonds") and "Mitsubishi" (looking at the logo). And, in fact, "arubaito" in the sense you mention makes an appearance on page 170.<br /><br />It will also provide a certain amount of ammunition for answering your daughters. Namely, that because English has so many borrowings, what we have is 2, 3, 4 ... n different ways of saying <b>almost but not quite</b> the same thing. Think of the difference between "guarantee" and "waranty", for example--which are <i>the same word</i>, borrowed twice from French at different times. Or the difference between the Old English "graveyard" and the "cemetery" (borrowed from Greek in the 19th century). And someone who is a "nitwit" (from Dutch, the book informs me) is quite different from an "idiot" (which I think is Greek) or a "knucklehead"--though it'd take me a couple paragraphs to explain exactly how.JThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12170062950345779215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-58321879652591644952015-05-10T21:51:38.589-04:002015-05-10T21:51:38.589-04:00I suppose I would really like this book. Being awa...I suppose I would really like this book. Being away from the English speaking world affords a perspective on the language. I see borrowed words in Japan regularly, and the meanings are very very different from the original. "Manshon" (mansion) refers to a condominium apartment. "Arubaito" (arbeit - as you mention above) is a part time job with no benefits.<br /><br />The perspective also shines light on my own language. It makes you curious as to where the words originated, why we say them. My kids, who are bilingual, but stronger in Japanese, often ask why we have 2,3,4 different ways of saying something in English. It's hard to answer. It makes you think. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com