Language Question

[pasithea]

Watching a program on Easter Island and suddenly I wonder something rather abstract.

Supposedly all the trees died out 600 years ago... So.. Were there still words for trees, boats, wood, etc in the Rapanui language by the time Westerners arrived?

Comments

[glych.livejournal.com]

There were, according to a book on ancient linguistics I have talking about "dead languages." I don't remember the title of it because it's in storage right now. The word and concepts were understood the same way we know "about," Greek Fire without really knowing exactly what it was. It's the same thing as ancient stone carvings of men fighting and hunting lions as far north as Gaul (Northern France). People in Europe knew what a lion was after the European Lion became extinct, but didn't see one again until they started trekking into Africa and India.

The idea of "tree," was understood and there was a word for it, but the people never saw one until the Europeans arrived.

Cool, huh?

[dv-girl.livejournal.com]

Hm. I guess that holds for boats, but I'm not as sure about wood and trees.

'greek fire' gives us some ideas at least... It's greek and fire. We know what those things are.

How do you describe a tree to someone who's never experienced one? "It's like very tall grass"?

I suppose descriptions of things like fruits and nuts would be akin to descriptions of mana. "Sweet and delicious things that fell from the great trees."

I wonder if there's any documentation of how they felt upon seeing ships and trees? (I'm guessing it probably didn't really surmount the terror of slavers and disease, but it must have been something)

[paka.livejournal.com]

There are similar concepts out there, though I don't know about Rapanui specifically. The big Chinese ocean voyages brought back giraffes (there are paintings to back this up), and nobody knew how to describe them. The Greek description of a leucrotta - this badger headed beast with a lion's mane and bone ridges for teeth - sounds a lot like a spotted hyena from the perspective of people who had no idea what a hyena was. Albrecht Dürer's portrayal of a rhinocerous was done only off of reports.

And I think the most hilarious example of cultural weirdness was when Cook's men showed up in British Columbia. The locals had boats, but not huge sailing vessels, they had no rice, and of course they paddled facing forwards, not rowing like Europeans. So; they saw what were obviously fellow humans, but pale, living in massive boats like something out of myth, paddling like no living human would paddle, and eating what sure looked like maggots, and they came to the natural conclusion that they were, in fact, being visited by the honored dead. (This is part of why the initial interaction was so peaceful. Who's going to turn away their ancestors?)

[dv-girl.livejournal.com]

Who's going to turn away their ancestors?

Would you want a non-corporeal version of your parents hanging around while you're trying to make out?

[paka.livejournal.com]

These guys lived in huge assed longhouses. I'm pretty sure that they were already experts at sneaking off into the woods to make whoopee or gettin' it on while their relatives were elsewhere in the building.