The English Language
-
- Posts: 3148
- Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2013 5:24 pm
Re: The English Language
Are the underlined used as adjectives?
A considerable amount of data on the Kwakiutl, Tsimshian, Haida, Bella Coola, and other potlatches could be used to generate more holistic interpretations
A considerable amount of data on the Kwakiutl, Tsimshian, Haida, Bella Coola, and other potlatches could be used to generate more holistic interpretations
-
- Posts: 4830
- Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:13 am
- Location: Bideford
Re: The English Language
They're either nouns, or adjectives-used-as-nouns (in the latter case, they would be modifiers to "potlatches").
Re: The English Language
E.g. the Haida potlach, perhapssoheil_hooshdaran wrote:Are the underlined used as adjectives?
A considerable amount of data on the Kwakiutl, Tsimshian, Haida, Bella Coola, and other potlatches could be used to generate more holistic interpretations
Note that we usually say in English the feast of Eid, not the Eid feast - although the latter is quite acceptable.
A word that never quite made it into English from Norman French - probably because 'prestation' was not popular with the peasants.Alistair Campbell wrote:I've never heard the word prestation before (and the spell-checker doesn't like it)... I[SNIP]John McKenna wrote: it is French and means payment to a feudal superior.
Here's a 'feudal terminology' -
http://home.olemiss.edu/~tjray/medieval/feudal.htm
Note that 'entry fee' is included!
I like 'banalities' - a word which still exists in English (noun: banality, adjective: banal) but with a somewhat different meaning.
-
- Posts: 3148
- Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2013 5:24 pm
Re: The English Language
What does it mean that
the name is an institution or the soul of a corporation that exists forever
the name is an institution or the soul of a corporation that exists forever
Re: The English Language
"... the name is an institution or the soul of a corporation that exists forever."soheil_hooshdaran wrote:What does it mean that
the name is an institution or the soul of a corporation that exists forever
Above is a direct quote from The Tsimshian: Images of the Past, Views for the Present by Margaret Seguin - a Canadian anthropologist.
The exact meaning of the above is difficult to ascertain even when the anthropological context and the rest of the sentence is known because the words 'institution' and 'corporation' do not have their usual business English meaning and instead partake of a social science English meaning.
That dichotomy is reflected in the dictionary entries for the words 'corporation' & 'institute', i.e. -
corporation (noun) - a municipal authority of a city/town, or a 'body' (group) made up of more than one person
institute (noun) - an organisation, e.g. an educational institute such as The Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies
institute (transitive verb) - to initiate, inaugurate, establish or originate
The whole sentence from which the quote was taken is given below and should be read and understood light of what is written above -
"This is the Tsimshian idiom for the transfer of names: a person is given to the name, not the reverse, the name is an institution or the soul of a corporation that exists forever."
My layman's understanding of it - since I am not an anthropologist, or even a social scientist - is that the native American Tsimshian people of what is now known as British Columbia in Canada have a ritual feast (potlach) at which a member (or members) of a tribe is ceremonially initiated (instituted) by being assigned to a name that is both sacred and eternal to the tribe (corporation).
Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
-
- Posts: 3148
- Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2013 5:24 pm
Re: The English Language
What does 'finally' mean in:
The work of Goldman (1975), Walens (1981), and Seguin (1984, 1985) has finally addressed the issue of the symbolism of the potlatch gifts.
?
The work of Goldman (1975), Walens (1981), and Seguin (1984, 1985) has finally addressed the issue of the symbolism of the potlatch gifts.
?
-
- Posts: 3562
- Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:31 pm
- Location: Awbridge, Hampshire
Re: The English Language
It means they've written a paper (or similar) on the subject after a long time of it not being addressed by anyone.soheil_hooshdaran wrote:What does 'finally' mean in:
The work of Goldman (1975), Walens (1981), and Seguin (1984, 1985) has finally addressed the issue of the symbolism of the potlatch gifts.
?
-
- Posts: 1356
- Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:52 am
Re: The English Language
Finally, in this context means "at last ".
Re: The English Language
Combining Ian's and Barry's answers - it could be said to mean "at long last".
-
- Posts: 3148
- Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2013 5:24 pm
Re: The English Language
What does object mean in:
Thus death has a specific meaning for the social consciousness; it is the object of a collective representation.
Thus death has a specific meaning for the social consciousness; it is the object of a collective representation.
-
- Posts: 1356
- Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:52 am
Re: The English Language
An object is something that may be perceived by the senses. ( " Object" is not an easy word to define. )
-
- Posts: 3148
- Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2013 5:24 pm
Re: The English Language
What's the difference between
This conception of death, and this particular pattern of events which constitute death and which follow it, are so familiar to us that we can hardly imagine that they are not necessary.
and
This conception of death, and this particular pattern of events which constitute death and which follow it, are so familiar to us that we can hardly imagine that they may not be necessary.
This conception of death, and this particular pattern of events which constitute death and which follow it, are so familiar to us that we can hardly imagine that they are not necessary.
and
This conception of death, and this particular pattern of events which constitute death and which follow it, are so familiar to us that we can hardly imagine that they may not be necessary.
-
- Posts: 3148
- Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2013 5:24 pm
Re: The English Language
Means place?Barry Sandercock wrote:An object is something that may be perceived by the senses. ( " Object" is not an easy word to define. )
-
- Posts: 3053
- Joined: Tue May 24, 2011 10:58 am
Re: The English Language
You're translating tough stuff now
Those two statements obviously hinge on the are/may not. The statement with are in it is asserting that death is *not* necessary, the other one is merely hinting that it might not be so.
Those two statements obviously hinge on the are/may not. The statement with are in it is asserting that death is *not* necessary, the other one is merely hinting that it might not be so.
Re: The English Language
Martin, I agree with what you say, above, but where you have written 'death' I'd say it's shorthand for - "death , and this particular pattern of events which constitute death and which follow it". John
[Note, again, the context is that of the social sciences and some of the words used may have somewhat different - but not unconnected - meanings to their meaning in everyday English.]
Not really a 'place' (physical location), but a focus - a death becomes the centre (focus/'object') of spiritual attention and ritual activity in the group experiencing the loss of the deceased.soheil_hooshdaran wrote:Means place?Barry Sandercock wrote:An object is something that may be perceived by the senses. ( " Object" is not an easy word to define. )
[Note, again, the context is that of the social sciences and some of the words used may have somewhat different - but not unconnected - meanings to their meaning in everyday English.]