Re: German Seen Spatially


Alan schrieb:

> I'm really trying to understand what you're saying. What do you mean when
> you say "the fundamentally two dimensional idea of motion or stillness about
> a plane" ---- what is "fundamentally 2 dimensional" about motion or
> stillness, and what do you mean by "about a plane" ...... and if you're
> "*not* referring to that "on" item in relation to the "2nd surface", then to
> what surface is it then (*not*)in relation to? Forgive me if I'm a bit
> dense, but please give me a couple examples, would you? (especially of the
> case you're referring to in which you would change "on" to "in" or "above").
> Thank you.

I think Alan although you are trying to understand the core meaning of
prepositions (originally adverbs) your way of thinking is very literal
(not lateral) indeed. You can also say "on a train, tram" which is
inside but the spatial IDEA of "on" is surface whether physical or
metaphorical and that counts. "At" is a point of where, when and what.
All these prepostions as you know have a temporal meaning too. What I
said about German is a general three-dimensional spatial orientation
(in) thinking. This is not just deducing from what my wife usually says
"da wo Platz ist" but a long-term observation as well. English can take
sth in two ways as for example:

We meet in the restaurant (room)
We meet at the restaurant (point)

In German only "in" is possible.

I also don't understand other pople's fuss about Whorf as if language
is completely detached from human life. Like everything else it is
there to meet or satisfy needs.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Love in Tennis
    ... Alan schrieb: ... to be of German origin". ... pointed out that the word came into French from Medieval Latin. ... Arabic (or even a Persian) etymology for that. ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: German Seen Spatially
    ... Alan schrieb: ... Is there some deeper level I'm ... All other prepositions take only the gerund. ...
    (sci.lang)