.:. Da Blog .:.: Snow Job

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Sunday, July 18, 2004

Snow Job

Over 15 years ago, a favorite college professor, whose specialty was literature in translation, remarked that Eskimos had a great number of words for snow. I, being in awe of his command of linguistics, never actually followed up on that reference. Not that I would have taken the time -- it was a passing remark in an introductory class used to illustrate the value of a multi-linguistic education. Why, someone who had mastered many languages could probably even have higher qualiy, more specific thoughts than a provincial mono-linguist. A hard point to disagree with, given this anecdotal example -- it's only logical. But more than a decade later, I remember the discussion, and still feel inadequate as one who has only one language stored in my brain with which to feebly converse and presumably cogitate.

The fine folks at Memepool remember the concept as well -- although I had no idea there was such controversy over this anecdotal way (that seems self-evident at first blush) of telling us that you could express more complex ideas if you were familiar with more words.

Nobody, especially linguists, seem able to agree on just how many words the Eskimos have for snow:

Is it 52? 31? 100? Does it really matter? And does "Ontology truly beget philology?" Or can you think about things you don't have words for? Perhaps a more important question: how could anyone tell? If you can't express it to others, it surely must not exist. But you know, the French have no general word for "berries," yet somehow they conceived of a way to combine them all and create a delicious compote.