FIREMAND POSTMAN CHERRY, etc.

[André Signoret]

Bonjour,

First of all, congratulations for your French. I am not far from thinking
like you about "making" new words.
We are therefore condemned (but it is a pleasure !) to paraphrase our modern
words in a MODERN to ANCIENT dictionary like mine.
For instance : "Snail without shell" or "naked snail" for a "slug",
"A person who puts out a fire" for a "fireman", etc.
I gathered from somewhere (I think it was in the British Encyclopaedia)that
a number of indianists in India tried to modernize Sanskrit. Is it a
freakish idea or reality ?

Anyhow, it is very frustrating to let a series of words outside the scope of
a dictionary ! Sanskrit already has over 1,200,000 words (compounds
included). It can survive in spite of a few additions !

BTW did ancient Indians ignore the word "cherry" in spite of the fact that
Japanese have known it through centuries ?

Thank you very much with Regards.

André.


----- Original Message -----
From: V.V. Raman <VVRSPS at RITVAX.ISC.RIT.EDU>
To: <INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK>
Sent: Friday, October 27, 2000 3:04 PM
Subject: Re: FIREMAND POSTMAN CHERRY, etc.


> Je pense qu'il est tres important de ne pas inventer des mots qui
n'existent
> pas dans une langue ancienne pour des raisons evidentes; car, en le
faisant, on
> pourrait creer la fausse impression qu'il existait de telles choses dans
les
> civilisations de ce tamps-la.
> Amicalment,
> V. V. Raman
>