LINGUIST List 11.1306

Sat Jun 10 2000

Sum: Loanwords/Metaphors

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>

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  • P. Kurtboke, loans/metaphors

    Message 1: loans/metaphors

     Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2000 08:52:08 +1000
    From: P. Kurtboke <pkurtbokemail.hotkey.net.au>
    Subject: loans/metaphors


    I have recently posted a query about loans and metaphors (LINGUIST 11.1253) and received the following examples:

    'spaghettification' which is used in cosmology to describe what happens to matter as it approaches the event horizon of a black hole

    'spaghetti code' to refer to programming code that has convoluted do loops, while loops, etc., instead of neatly modularized blocks, much like a wad of sticky cooked linguini.

    'spaghetti' is often used especially in Eastern Germany to denote an Italian or (at the worst) any kind of foreigner coming from the South [e.g. 'Spaghettis klatschen' means to 'hunt a foreigner on the streets (and to knock him/her around'].

    Like "spaghetti westerns" in Hebrew "sirtei burekas" ("burekas-movies") or low budget, local-culture Israeli movies from a certain period.

    In the SW US "the whole enchilada" or (less commonly) "the whole burrito": the entirety of something

    >From ChInuk Wawa of the Grand Ronde Community in Oregon: - lEbEtay "bottle" < French for idem also = "a beer" - pi "and; but" < French <puis> - tayi "chief; leader" < Nuu-chah-nulth word for "eldest son of chief" - aw "younger brother" < Chinookan for idem also = "brother [generic]" - q'wElan "ear" < Salishan for idem also = "listen; hear" - tala "dollar" < English for idem also = "money [generic]"

    "blitz" in French for speed chess; >having a "blitz" on something or other in English; to get flak ie punitive >feedback; krieg spiel - a game of blind chess played on three boards; and >to go back much further there are countless examples such as "cavalier" as >an adjective and "skirt" as a verb. "toffer" derived from the borrowed adjective "tough" and meaning to "last >the pace" in a sporting encounter. "next" for >substitute=rempla�ant in sport; "feeling" for the French "sentiment"

    This classroom is a *circus*. computer *virus* (both Latin words) *alto* saxophone *picolo* bass violin (Italian) The child is a *cherub*. (Hebrew) New York is a *sauna* in summer. (Finnish) as slow as *molasses* (Portuguese) Harper's *Bazaar* (Arabic) *Borch* belt comedian a *sputnik* [threat] (Russian) *Anatomy* of Criticism *jewel* of the orient *entrance* exam (French) a *pariah* state (Tamil) a *jungle* of wires (Hindi) Your plan *boomeranged*. (Australian) *kamikaze* journalism (Japanese)

    And the following references:

    - Fujimoto, J. 2000 "Assimilated and Expanded Loanwords in Japanese" (unpublished).

    For the SYNTAX of piacere (and other psych verbs in Italian) - Belletti,A./Rizzi, L (1988) "Psych Verbs and Theta Theory" In: Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 6, 291-352.

    I would like to thank:

    Christopher Cleirigh chrissyrinx.com.au, Herbert L. Colston" colstonuwp.edu, Eitan Grossman eitan_g_ilyahoo.com, Chad Nilep nilepturbonet.com David Robertson droberttincan.tincan.org, Wolfgang Schulze W.Schulzelrz.uni-muenchen.de, Ron Sheen Ronald_SheenUQTR.UQuebec.CA, R�my Viredaz remy.viredazspan.ch, Anja Wanner awannerfacstaff.wisc.edu, and an anonymous subscriber as well as the following subscribers from the 'code-switching' e-list http://www.egroups.com/group/code-switching where I had originally posted my message: France Mugler mugler_fusp.ac.fj Malini Ramsay mramsaypixie.udw.ac.za

    I would like to, however, clarify that my query was related to the 'integration' debate mainly in Language Contact circles and lexicography where the criteria for loan inclusion in code-switching analyses and dictionaries have never been clear. I am exploring 'metaphor' as a possible criterion and a sound one, compared to some other imposed criteria in these areas of study.

    Thanks again for the interest

    Petek Kurtboke http://www.vicnet.net.au/~petek/thesis/