Re: PIE's closest relatives

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Peter P" <roskis@...> wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Richard Wordingham" >
>
> > I meant with the English word 'agriculture', as opposed
> to 'farming'
> > which also includes the raising of livestock. The 'ram' (sort

of)

> > words you gave seem relatively free from the problems you refer
> to,
> > but are not terms relating to 'agriculture' as a subset of

general

> > farming.
> >
> ...
> > Richard.
>
> Did the 'agricolae' of Roman times only raise crops?
>
> My Funk and Wagnall's (maybe not the best dictionary) for
> agriculture says, "the cultivation of the soil; the raising of food
> crops; raising and breeding of live-stock..."
>
> Peter P

...and also

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Alexander Stolbov" <astolbov@...>
wrote: [regarding the original point form Richard]
....

> Thank you. The criticism is accepted.
>
> Alexander

I am not so sure that the criticism is merited, Alexander. I share in
Peter's questioning of defining agriculture so as to exclude animal
husbandry. In addition to the Funk & Wagnells citation from Peter,
both the American Heritage dictionary and the Merriam-Webster
dictionary include the raising of livestock in their definitions of
agriculture. Further, at least several encyclopedias treat animal
husbandry as part of agriculture. I would say that in American
general usage it is certainly considered so. Richard, is your
exclusion of it from agriculture perhaps another example of differing
usages in Britain and America? Or perhaps a specialized usage in the
field of anthropology?

Ned Smith