If it matters to a tribe, a word emerges for it, a
single word whose meaning in other languages might need an entire phrase, or
even sentence, to encompass. (An extreme example is the Inuit’s 400 names for
snow, which turns out to be a hoax.)
single word whose meaning in other languages might need an entire phrase, or
even sentence, to encompass. (An extreme example is the Inuit’s 400 names for
snow, which turns out to be a hoax.)
We
are a rice culture, and it shows in our language. We distinguish among
palay
(unhusked rice),
bigas
(uncooked rice) and
kanin
(cooked rice). We have a specific word for cooking rice
(saing)
and another for letting rice cook a little further when it’s off the heat
(inin).
This led me to
amihan and
habagat
(both names of winds), and found other
wind names in other languages.