Holding, Touching

[extrapenguin]

Did some thinking on, like, the metaphors of language. Usually words for abstract things are related to words for concrete things. I realized that for a people that really isn't keen on cuddling or casual contact, Finnish has a bunch of touchy-feely words extended to abstract concepts.

Keitä tämä koskee? (Who does this concern?) koskea means touch. In Finnish, matters do not concern or affect you, they touch you.

Pidätkö minusta? (Do you like me?) pitää means like, but also to hold. Liking = holding.

Tunnetko heidät? (Do you know them?) In Finnish, if you know someone, you feel them. tuntea means to know someone, but also to feel a touch, feel an emotion. If you use the literal word for knowing, tietää, then you don't know someone, you know of them.

(Also, a bit of amusing parallel evolution, tietää comes from tie, road. Compare Chinese 知道 – 道 = tie.)

Comments

[trobadora]

This is fascinating, thank you for sharing!

[extrapenguin]

Glad you enjoyed my overthinking!

[isis]

Ooh, nifty! I love language stuff.

[extrapenguin]

Languages are cool! Especially the parts where they do things differently.

[pauraque]

Have you ever read Metaphors We Live By, by George Lakoff & Mark Johnson? Sounds like it would be up your alley.

[extrapenguin]

I might've read it in translation forever ago, but I've definitely read something on the topic (wrt the metaphors of words for knowledge) in Finnish.

[nnozomi]

Oh, that's really neat on all counts! I wonder what the background is.

[extrapenguin]

I guess for tuntea, it's people being packed together for winter? *g* And apparently "to know" = "to know the way" is a relatively common way for words for knowing to form, cross-linguistically.

Your card came in the mail! I am glad to have it.

[kat_lair]

Enpä ole tuotakaan ajatellut mutta totta!

[extrapenguin]

Välillä, jos ajattelee jotain liikaa, voi havaita jotain hauskaa. :D