Re: "Vit tvau"

From: Shoshana and Rex Jemison
Message: 250
Date: 2000-12-06

At 06:20 PM 12/06/2000 +0000, you wrote:
But the form Loki uses is "vit tvau" which means (as shown above)
"we two - a man and a woman". So Loki is jokingly suggesting either
he himself is a woman or Þórr is.

This subtle detail is impossible to translate into English.


<<<<
Yes. If nothing else (yet) this class is reminding me how much meaning in
English is a combination of syntax and setting. We would look at the above
and probably have said "we two 'women' can drive". Syntax and setting is
very important in English. We just don't have a whole lot of inflection. On
the other hand, don't get me started about English verbs. I used to have to
try to explain English verb conjugation to non-native speakers, and it is
sooooooooo complex. So much easier just to add a suffix or prefix, instead
of adding whole words, and changing the primary verb, etc. in addition to
adding suffixes.
>>>>


Lord John Kane; AoA, OBB http://www.auldbooks.com/bree
Emma inn draumspaka; WOAW, GB 17019 19th Avenue East
mka Rex & Shoshana Jemison Spanaway, WA 98387
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