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Log (n.)

Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 1:06 pm
by tcward
From etymonline.com:
log (n.)
1398, of unknown origin. O.N. had lag "felled tree" (from stem of liggja "to lie"), but on phonological grounds etymologists deny that this is the root of Eng. log. Instead, they suggest an independent formation meant to "express the notion of something massive by a word of appropriate sound." Logging "act of cutting timber" is from 1706. Logjam "congestion of logs on a river" is from 1885; in the figurative sense it is from 1890. Logrolling in the legislative vote-trading sense first recorded 1823, from the notion of neighbors on the frontier helping one another with the heavy work of clearing land and building cabins (as in phrase you roll my log and I'll roll yours). Log cabin in Amer.Eng. has been a figure of the honest pioneer since the 1840 presidential campaign of William Henry Harrison.
I'm not sure I understand the boldfaced text... From what sense it makes to me, I completely disagree.

I also was wondering if this word might be related to leg.

-Tim

Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 6:22 pm
by M. Henri Day
If I understand our good Doctor aright, what is implied here is that an Old Norse «a», as in lag, would not have evolved into an «o» in modern English (whereas, for example, a long «á», might well have done so). I don't know enough about this matter to have a definite opinion, but Dr Goodword's position seems to me weakened by what I believe to be the fact that the Old Norse word in question was not «lag», but «lág», and that Old Norse words containing «á» have often evolved into words written and pronounced with «å» (which corresponds to a long «o» sound in English) in modern Scandinavian languages. As a matter of fact, in nynorsk the noun låg both means log, and is pronounced like the English word. Perhaps our good Doctor would care to comment ?...

Henri

PS : As for English «leg», my bet would be that it derives from an Old Norse «leggr». The modern form «legg» refers in both nynorsk and bokmål not only to the lower leg (between knee and ankle), but also to the trunk (between the root and the branches) of a standing tree, so a connexion between «leg» and «log» does not appear too far-fetched....

Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 9:17 pm
by tcward
Thanks, Henri -- your reply does clarify what the article seems to be saying.

However, you may wish to correct your files; the quoted material was from the excellent Online Etymology Dictionary, not from Dr. Goodword.

-Tim

Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2005 9:11 am
by M. Henri Day
... the quoted material was from the excellent Online Etymology Dictionary, not from Dr. Goodword.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa ! You clearly indicated the source for the proposed etymology as the Online Etymology Dictionary. 猿も木から落る ! At any rate, I've now sent a little note to Douglas Harper on this matter, but nonetheless I should very much like to hear what Dr Goodword has to say....

Henri

Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2005 10:57 am
by Flaminius
ほう、猿ですか。鯨かとおもってましたが。少なくとも木に登れはしたというのですね。 :lol:

Flam

Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2005 1:14 pm
by M. Henri Day
猿の権現で木に登り, 鯨の権現で深海に泳ぎます....

Henri

Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2005 6:38 pm
by Apoclima
スピーチは人間の本質であるが、彼は間違いを作る!

Even the monkey sometimes falls from the tree!

Apo

Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2005 7:06 pm
by Brazilian dude
あなたたちの日本語 は私をいらいらさせています!

Burajirian dyuudo

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 3:26 am
by Apoclima
複雑なルールはいろいろあるだろうが、簡単に言えばだいたい日本で失礼なことはアメリカでも失礼である。 横柄な人!

あなたの親切な単語をありがとう!

拙い英語をどうぞお許しください。

Apo

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 10:42 am
by Brazilian dude
Apoclimaは私と話していますか。

ブラジリアン・ヂュウド

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 6:19 pm
by Apoclima
BD,

は私と話していますか。

I was having alittle fun, being alittle irritating, is all, BD!

I am completely in the dark about Japanese, except for some major features. I was solving the mystery of what you guys were talking about, and got carried away by my own mischieviousness.

Carry on!

Apo

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 1:59 am
by Flaminius
I am throwing in a up-to-date countenance of Japanese spoken by teens. Those with workable knowledge of the language, pls think thrice before sending invectives to me.

アゴラの人たちって超ヤバイ。アンリさんなんか、普通日本人でもそーいう言い方できっかってつーような日本語で、いっきょちょい。シトラン・アポクリマさんもキモイ。翻訳ソフトなんだろうけどバリ算数な文、考えてるし。

言語、んちゃら!

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 4:30 am
by Apoclima
DORO DORO

Apo

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 8:19 am
by tcward
I'm throwing up from flu and having to read all this Japanese! No, I'm kidding... I'm really just lying here like a log. No, I'm kidding again...

I really do have the flu, though... Otherwise I wouldn't have been disinhibited enough to type all this out.

-Tim :P
...just trying to tie it all together

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 5:15 pm
by Apoclima
Apparently its all about leprosy and Bali mathematics, oh, and sewers.

Flam's contemporary teen Japanese is especially resistant to my investigation.

Oh, well, perhaps we should start learning our kanji, Tim!

Apo

Flam, I love your use of invectives!