Do Words Know?

[Leslie M]

DOES THE WORD DEMOCRACY KNOW IT IS NOT DEMOCRATIC? DOES THE WORD DICTATE KNOW IT CAN BECOME DICTATORIAL AND NOT HAVE MANY HAPPY FOLLOWERS? DO LOVE AND HATE KNOW THEY HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON?(THE LETTER E) DO WORDS KNOW THEY CAN BE FOREIGNERS?
I DON'T RECALL THE LAST TIME SPANISH GOT MAD AT ENGLISH BECAUSE THE LATTER HAD NO Ñ OR THE FORMER USED AN ACCENTUATED O IN THE WORD PULMÓN. DOES THE WORD god KNOW WHEN IT BECOMES GOD OR ALLAH OR YAHWEH? I WILL STOP HERE BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH WORDS AND LETTERS WILL NOT GET MAD AT ME THE PEOPLE WHO USE THEM MIGHT. WE ARE THE CULPRITS THAT CONDEMN WHEN WE USE WORDS TO HURT OURSELVES AND OTHERS AND WE ARE THE WINNERS WHEN WE RESPECT OURSELVES AND OTHERS WITH WORDS RESPECTULLY GRACED BY OUR THOUGHTS. IF ANYONE WISHES THEY CAN TRANLATE THIS JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT. THAT'S WHAT TRANSLATING SHOULD BE.

[Frank van den Eeden]

WETEN WOORDEN DAT ?
WEET HET WOORD DEMOCRATIE DAT HET NIET DEMOCRATISCH IS? WEET HET WOORD DICTEREN DAT HET DICTATORIAAL KAN WORDEN EN NIET VEEL GELUKKIGE VOLGELINGEN ZAL HEBBEN? WETEN LIEFDE EN HAAT DAT ZE NIETS GEMEEN HEBBEN? WETEN WOORDEN DAT ZE VREEMDEN KUNNEN ZIJN?
IK KAN ME DE LAATSE KEER NIET HERINNEREN DAT SPAANS KWAAD WERD OP ENGELS OMDAT DE LAATSTE GEEN Ñ HAD OF OMDAT DE EERSTE EEN ACCENT LEGDE OP HET WOORD PULMÓN. WEET HET WOORD god WANNEER HET GOD WORDT OF ALLAH OF JAHWEH? IK GA HIER STOPPEN WANT HOEWEL WOORDEN EN LETTERS NIET KWAAD OP MIJ ZULLEN WORDEN KUNNEN DE MENSEN DIE ZE GEBRUIKEN DAT WEL. WIJ ZIJN DE BOOSDOENERS DIE VEROORDELEN WANNEER WE WOORDEN GEBRUIKEN OM ONSZELF EN ANDEREN TE KWETSEN EN WIJ ZIJN DE WINNAARS WANNEER WE ONSZELF EN ANDEREN RESPECTEREN MET WOORDEN RESPECTVOL GESIERD DOOR ONZE GEDACHTEN.

[lauracipolla]

marianiles... loved your two pieces on Words. and feeling the need to represent my gender in the comments, since no girl participated in the other threat -or this one! I started wondering, do words know their own gender? at least in Spanish, where MESA is feminine, and CAR is masculine... but most importantly, are they aware of their power? how "BEAUTIFUL" can make my day, "THANKS" can start a friendship, and "HELLO" can mean a lot more... but "STUPID" can ruin somebody's life? do "PASS" and "FAIL" know they contain a life-sentence, much like "YES" or "NO"...?

I once heard a Mapuche (southern Argentina native) say that "YES" in their language was more than just an affirmative answer. it implied saying "no" to everything else. "If I say yes to a strawberry ice-cream", he explained, "I'm saying NO to all other flavors, and even to any other desert. If I say "YES" to you, I'm saying NO to the rest of the world..."

[Leslie M]

Hopefully the only threat you make is to read and comment on my musings

which I TRY to make as amusing and educating as possible.

In reference to the "awareness' of words, I would dare to say that yes they are. Now I can not prove this and I

know someone on the forum will doubt me but who can prove otherwise? Consciousness is everywhere according

to Quantum physics. Which probably is poetry to a scientist. Good "awaring" Aunque suene como un disparate.

[lauracipolla]

(sorry... I meant "thread", not threat... but if words have their own will... hmmmmmm).

;-)

[Carmen Maria]

If words have a will of their own, than translators are some sort of word tamers -I think sometimes translators do not even realise the responsibility their job carries, nor the danger of it.
Words can be as sharp as daggers and can hurt just as badly. And yet we love working with words and making them our friends.

[Leslie M]

Hola Carmen! Good point. I agree with you. They say the pen is mightier than the sword and for good reason.