{"id":3334,"date":"2023-06-11T16:53:06","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T00:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/antoine.wojdyla.fr\/blog\/?p=3334"},"modified":"2023-08-30T17:21:23","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T01:21:23","slug":"two-ways-to-say-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/antoine.wojdyla.fr\/blog\/2023\/06\/11\/two-ways-to-say-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Two ways to say things"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I am a native French speaker, and I have always been confused by the ubiquity of English, language which is actually quite difficult to speak (why is tough, though, thought and enough so different?) And I was also puzzled the difference between liberty<\/strong> and freedom<\/strong> \u2013 no one could ever explain me the difference, even though “Freedom” is probable the most overused concept in American society (French has “Libert\u00e9” in its national motto, but is has nothing to do with “free” as in “free sample.”)<\/p>Finally, I found an interesting explanation by\u00a0Jorge Luis Borges<\/strong>, who sees this as a feature, not a bug:<\/p>\n

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I have done most of my reading in English. I find English a far finer language than Spanish<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Firstly, English is both a Germanic and a Latin language. Those two registers\u2014for any idea you take, you have two words. Those words will not mean exactly the same. For example if I say \u201cregal\u201d that is not exactly the same thing as saying \u201ckingly.\u201d Or if I say \u201cfraternal<\/strong>\u201d that is not the same as saying \u201cbrotherly<\/strong>.\u201d Or \u201cdark<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cobscure<\/strong>.\u201d Those words are different. It would make all the difference\u2014speaking for example\u2014the Holy Spirit, it would make all the difference in the world in a poem if I wrote about the Holy Spirit<\/strong> or I wrote the Holy Ghost<\/strong>, since \u201cghost\u201d is a fine, dark Saxon word, but \u201cspirit\u201d is a light Latin word. Then there is another reason.<\/p>\n

The reason is that I think that, of all languages, English is the most physical of all languages<\/strong>. You can, for example, say \u201cHe loomed over.\u201d You can\u2019t very well say that in Spanish.<\/p>\n

And then you have, in English, you can do almost anything with verbs and prepositions<\/strong>. For example, to \u201claugh off<\/strong>,\u201d to \u201cdream away<\/strong>.\u201d Those things can\u2019t be said in Spanish. To \u201clive down\u201d something, to \u201clive up to\u201d something\u2014you can\u2019t say those things in Spanish<\/strong>. They can\u2019t be said<\/strong>. Or really in any Roman language.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>

(thanks Jordan Poss for the transcription<\/a>!)<\/p>I really enjoy this notion of physicality \u2013 onomatopoeia are a vibrant part of the language: whisper, gulp, slam, rumble, slushy, etc.<\/p>\n<\/div>