From: Steven Cox (scox@ns1.chinaonline.com.cn.net)
Date: Thu Jan 08 1998 - 08:46:04 EST
Hi Jim
I can't answer the question, and when you look at Matt27:63
it sounds reasonable, but I wonder if that (that!) isn't
just a function of distance [ie.this/that, esto/aquello,
diese/jene]. In languages that have three shades of distance
like Japanese [kono/sono/ano] or Korean [yo-/ko-/cho-] the
potential for derogatory nuance escalates the further
one gets from the speaker.
One could also apply the language of distance to personal
pronouns ie. "you fools" is more derogatory than "we fools".
Perhaps natural human tendancy being to think that oneself
is the benchmark makes it unlikely that a language exists
where the object gets better the further away it is from the
subject?
Cheers
Steven
At 20:58 98/01/07 -0500, you wrote:
>A bibliographic query:
>
>have any recent studies been done on "ekeinos" as a derogatory? (i.e., in
>certain biblical texts ekeinos is used as a scornful "that one..." etc, If
>you listen carefully you can almost hear the venom drip from the lip).
>
>Thanks,
>
>Jim
>
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>Jim West
>
>jwest@highland.net
>
>
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