A Smelly Question

A discussion of the peculiarities of languages and the differences between them.
User avatar
Slava
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 8013
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:31 am
Location: Finger Lakes, NY

A Smelly Question

Postby Slava » Sat Feb 01, 2014 7:13 pm

The American Scholar asks "Why so Few English Words for Odors?"
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

Perry Lassiter
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 3333
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:41 pm
Location: RUSTON, LA
Contact:

Re: A Smelly Question

Postby Perry Lassiter » Sat Feb 01, 2014 8:52 pm

However we do use a number of adjectives before the word smell, as a visit to any thesaurus will quickly show. Pungent, acrid, metallic (often in ref to blood), pleasant, flowery, etc.
pl

User avatar
Slava
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 8013
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:31 am
Location: Finger Lakes, NY

Re: A Smelly Question

Postby Slava » Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:09 pm

True, but do not these words describe the effect of the smell, not the smell itself? I gather that's the gist of the piece.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.


Return to “Languages of the World”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests