Re: [tied] Re: PIE's closest relatives

I'd like to explain why I found the Richard's criticism true.
Indeed, one of the meaning (and probably the most popular meaning?) of the
term 'agriculture' coincides with the word 'farming'.
In the overwhelming majority of cultures the agricultural population both
grows plants and breeds livestock in different proportions, thus using both
terms ('agriculture' and 'farming') as synonyms is quite normal, I think.
However when we are speaking about earliest farmers it should be specially
investigated whether they cultivated plants, or bred livestock, or both. In
these situations in my opinion the term 'agriculture' should be used only in
the narrow sense ('cultivating plants') to avoid confusing readers.

Alexander

----- Original Message -----
From: "ehlsmith" <ehlsmith@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2004 6:48 AM
Subject: [tied] 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
>
>
>
>
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