Feature: Did Homo Sapiens Like Girls?

[amedia]

Fanfic authors who write in English find that this language is both a blessing and a curse. While scholars argue over how to come up with an accurate count of the number of words in the English language, there is widespread agreement that English does have an unusually large vocabulary, offering authors an array of words to choose from that may be

Comments

[snycock]

Thank you! That was very interesting!

[amedia]

Glad you enjoyed!

[facetofcathy]

So, if Homo Sapiens was a "homo," why did he like girls?

I don't find this funny. But then, I don't find the whole 'no homo' thing funny either.

For me, using a word that is, in usual practice, a pejorative or a slur in a humourous way is a tricky thing and not something to be entered into lightly. I get no vibe of reclamation or empowerment from this usage. I only get that it's funny because the joke calls someone a homo. The scare quotes don't help.

[amedia]

You've raised a very serious point, and I'd like to think about it before deciding whether to emend the passage.

The question wasn't intended to be a joke, exactly; it's a question that I've actually gotten from students, and I try to turn it into a teaching moment. They are often genuinely confused because they think "homosexual" means "man-sex," which isn't *completely* illogical, and getting them to understand better the words they use and what those words originally meant can help them to think before they talk.

Does that transfer to this forum? I'm not sure. Obviously in at least one case it was offensive, and I honestly didn't mean for it to be.

[facetofcathy]

Sounds reasonable. I'm just saying how I feel, and I never had any doubts about your intent.

[amedia]

Thank you for your candidness. I really appreciate it.

[sidlj]

Fascinating and fun!

[amedia]

Thank you! Great icon choice!

[mistress_tien]

Thanks. This is a great perspective on word choice.

It wasn't what I was expecting from the title and above the cut. What I was hoping for was a clear explanation of (the example that's been in my head for ages) how these words are different and why we use different ones of them at different times.

Poop, manure, bullsh*t, sh*t, excrement, crap.

I do NOT expect an answer to this question, but I was hoping for one anyway.

Thanks for the useful and interesting link, too!

[amedia]

Thanks for the kind feedback! :-)

Poop, manure, bullsh*t, sh*t, excrement, crap.

Hey, maybe we could do a feature on that sometime! Most of our "four-letter" words aren't from Latin, and I'm no expert on Old English or Middle High German or whatnot, but we might have someone who is.

I actually looked up "poop" last semester because we had gotten the vocabulary word puppis, which means the poop of a ship, and I figured the kiddos would be sure to ask about the other meaning(s)! So I looked it up and learned that yes, the English word "poop" as in the raised platform at the back of a ship does come from the Latin word; "poop" as in excrement is unrelated, is of uncertain origin, but may be onomatopoeia (I never thought of it that way!); and "poop" as in "real information" (like "the straight poop") apparently has everyone baffled.

[mistress_tien]

I teach English Language Learners (ELLs), so I get questions like this one from time to time. The students that come from non-European backgrounds are especially difficult with this sort of thing. I had one tell me last year that "bullsh*t" is ok in his language, but, of course he'd never heard/used any of the proper names for excrement. ELLs run in to the "eight words for same thing" problem all the time. Connotation and denotation can be explained, but word origin is completely foreign to many.

I often explain that words of Latin extraction are considered proper (or more proper in the presence of adults ;-), than words of Saxon or Anglo Saxon heritage.

Since I work with 10-18 year olds I get to learn new word meanings on a daily basis!

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I know there are quite a few ELLs writing in fandom. I'm often impressed that they would even try. English is such a confusing language!

[sg_betty]

What a fascinating post! Isn't language cool? :) Thanks so much!

[amedia]

Isn't language cool? :)

It sure is! The hardest part was figuring out where to stop! Thank you kindly for the feedback!

[sg_betty]

Well, see that's because you stopped far to soon! More, please!