The beauty of words

[Eleven]

Hi,
This subforum seemed to be the right place for this topic. Everybody who pays attention to language knows that there are words that are just gorgeous. Not in behalf of their melodic sound or what they describe, but due to their efficiency and implied premises. Or maybe because their sound fits. Especially if you learn new languages you'll stumble over some words or expressions that are just delightful and depict the thing in question very accurate and witty. They totally brighten my day but sadly I always forget to write them down. I want to change that:
I'll post the word that piqued my interested most recently and I hope that you'll add some cool words you discovered.

Wortschatz: German. It means "word pool" but literally it translates as "word treasure". I like it cause it implies that words are precious things that make you rich.

[composer]

Interesting - I never found words or language particularly beautiful, with an exception I'll mention later. I've frequently heard this however and so tried to understand it. I took up a study of Shakespeare, listened to and closely read all the plays. I got a copy of the OED and did some study. I took four years of Latin and a year of Greek and Old English. Still didn't see the beauty.

Christopher Hitchens believes that Fiction & Poetry writers are ones that also possess some musical aptitude (he doesn't so writes non fiction). Maybe that's my issue, I'm a musician first and in comparison to music words have nothing to offer. The one, kind of exception is Latin. I got the point where I could almost talk real-time in classical Latin, and I found that language rather beautiful. Latin poetry in particular. English not so, it's rather a hack language, but when it was Old English it has a sort of rough and tumble beauty to it.

I also took four years of German - ugh.

However computer languages I find rather beautiful, and I've created a commercial one personally and am creating a open sources one on my own time.

[Eleven]

I think loving language and loving some words is different. The way words are used to create at least one new layer of meaning = language. That can be very pretty too. But the words themself have a certain beauty because they are the lego bricks we form our reality with. For example there are tribes that have no word for "stranger". They DO have a word that describes people that are not known to them, but the word they use for this kind of people also means "enemy". Russians have two words for blue, they percieve those blues as two different colors. I appreciate that. Studying literature is something different. It keeps you from noticing that the words are also cool on their own, without the additional layers of meaning. Those words are the computer language of our brain. They determine in a way the likeliness of thoughts. That "stranger=enemy" tribe will most likely tend to dislike strangers. I hope that "Wortschatz" increases the likeliness of appreciating words.

[Ferrus]

'Word horde' had a direct equivalent in Old English as I recall.

[Ptah]

enmity is among my personal favorites as such.

[Faust06]

Check out the favorite words thread.

[composer]

'Word horde' had a direct equivalent in Old English as I recall.

Yes those are words we inherited from OE. Along with Corn, Gold, Sand, Castle, Sword and King. The Saxons were rather direct, I gather.

[Eleven]

@Faust: thanks, I'll check it. But I doubt that I'll find the kind of words that I'm looking for. My focus is more of a linguistic kind. And I fear the favourite word thread will most likely contain answers like Ptah's. Since he didn't descibe the linguistic coolness of enmity and shows often a certain behaviour, I have to assume that he just likes the labeled matter. Also I want to talk about cool linguistic phenomenons, like the people who have no word for stranger.

@word horde issue: It's a shame that this expression extincted. Eventhough "word treasure" sounds even better.

Oh, another beauty of words:
Some Aborigine tribes and some tribes in south america don't use words like "left", "right", "behind" or whatever. They use no object based referance frame at all. They say things like "atttention, there's a stone south of your foot" or "please fetch the southmost mug from the northern table". That is so cool! They know all the time where the cardinal directions are. Even if you blindfold them, put them in a dark room and spin them around, they'll still be able to point north afterwards. Maybe a bit dizzy, but nevertheless correct. Because their language programmed their brain to log every turn. So cool.

[Ferrus]

Yes those are words we inherited from OE. Along with Corn, Gold, Sand, Castle, Sword and King. The Saxons were rather direct, I gather.
Yeah, I have heard OE poems recited before (by experts) and it has a wonderful husky Germanic melodiousness, rather like modern Dutch, which modern English lacks. Even Middle English had traces of that.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y13cES7MMd8

Although spoke by a Dane it has an oddly Geordie twang to it.

Middle English:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxmUOJWisds&feature=related

[euterpenc]

Throng.

[YHWH]

everything french

La beauté des mots. parfait.

[kkramer]

There are many great words. I think that in general, we are losing a lot of vocabulary that exists but seldom spoken or written anymore. I think the British have a better command of the English vocabulary than Americans and I can see that when I pick up a magazine or book that is written today over there versus here. I know this might sound strange but sometimes if I want to read something that was beautifully written, I pick up an old story called The Last Of The Mohicans. It was written in 1826 by James Fenimore Cooper and his use of the English language comands a grace and description I have seldom seen.
Well, outside of English there is an expression in Dutch, Lekker Dier, which means Good Animal. Its something you say to a child or someone you love. I like that.

[kuranes]

Where the hell are all of the language threads ?

[starla]

Where the hell are all of the language threads ?

In whatever forum they were always in, I assume. They were unstickied.

[kuranes]

In whatever forum they were always in, I assume. They were unstickied.It's a bloody outrage, I say !

[kali]

Throng.

ew c'mon wat

[kuranes]

From a 1959 book by Gunther Schuller, based partly upon the extensive two volume study by A.M. Jones on African music and how it adapted to America...

"African native music and early American jazz both originate in a total vision of life, in which music, unlike the "art music" of Europe, is not a separate , autonomous social domain. African music, like its sister arts - sculpture, mural drawing, and so forth - is conditioned by the same stimuli that animate not only African philosophy and religion, but the entire social structure. In so far as it has not been influenced by European or American customs, African music even today has no separate abstracted function. It is not surprising that the word "art" does not even exist in African languages. Nor does the African divide Art into separate categories. Folklore, music, dance, sculpture, and painting operate as a total generic unit, serving not only religion but all phases of daily life, encompassing birth, death, work and play." ( Bolding mine. )

He goes on to explain about "call and response" ( which can also be seen in the form of solo and chorus ) and "talking drums" and even musicality in everyday street conversations. So....language was tied in to this concept too.

I remember people posting a couple years ago about blacks talking to the onscreen characters in a movie theater, and also how sometimes there were perceived discrepancies between an American or European "audience" showing its appreciation of a "performer" by being quiet and listening respectfully, and an African response ( "we are all artists" ) that might be dancing and yelling. Sort of like the old saying about how a burp after dinner ( or during ) is considered a compliment to the hostess who served the food in some cultures, versus being something rude in others.

[YHWH]

my theory is that western art, and our current understanding of art, is a product of christian pathos.

[kuranes]

my theory is that western art, and our current understanding of art, is a product of christian pathos.Bolding mine.

Wasn't he one of the three musketeers ? Or was that Porthos ?

"Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me?"

"M.A.C", "G.U.F."....

You've ruled out Ramachandran's theories, then ? Or is that more the origin of ur-art versus "Western" art per se ?

[skip]

Yeah, I have heard OE poems recited before (by experts) and it has a wonderful husky Germanic melodiousness, rather like modern Dutch, which modern English lacks. Even Middle English had traces of that.


Neat, thanks for posting that.

The Chaucer course I took in college gave extra credit for reciting portions aloud in class. I did nearly every week. Great fun.

[bass_n_treble]

schadenfreude

Not only is it an excellent word, but it used to be one of my favorite pastimes.

[YHWH]

Bolding mine.

Wasn't he one of the three musketeers ? Or was that Porthos ?

"Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me?"

"M.A.C", "G.U.F."....

You've ruled out Ramachandran's theories, then ? Or is that more the origin of ur-art versus "Western" art per se ?

I loved some of the stuff I've seen of Ramachandran but I have no idea what's his theory about this, just googled now and this came up "Why is it that great works of art seem to have a universal appeal, transcending cultural and geographic boundaries?" which I think is utterly inaccurate. famous works of art have great appeal because they're famous but that's about it. we appreciate art through our cultural understanding, which even affects our most visceral reaction.

dunno what you mean by ur-art, but my understanding of art is through the western lens. I appreciate the art of non-western cultures through it as well as in by me being a post-christianity western spectator, these works become art in this sense of the word.

this made more sense before trying to put it in words.

[kuranes]

I loved some of the stuff I've seen of Ramachandran but I have no idea what's his theory about this...................... [art has] a universal appeal, transcending cultural and geographic boundaries?" which I think is utterly inaccurate. ........ we appreciate art through our cultural understanding, which even affects our most visceral reaction.

dunno what you mean by ur-art

this made more sense before trying to put it in words.By ur-art I mean that neurobiology may trump culture. to put it tersely, although obviously the two would not be completely at odds. ( "ur" means "primal" or "very old/earliest", is my understanding. )

Check out this video to see theories on this. Ramachandran begins about 22 minutes in...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0TKYxAYGGA

Changizi argues differently as to a reason why humans can see in color...
http://www.amazon.com/Vision-Revolution-Research-Overturns-Everything/dp/1935251767/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

[kuranes]

^^^


http://www.amazon.com/Vision-Revolution-Research-Overturns-Everything/dp/1935251767/ref=tmm_pap_title_0Wonder what Changizi makes of this ?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13809144