4 ms·
I do think this is a pretty amazing list, despite what the naysayers say. But my question is why? What practical purpose does this fine-grained vocabulary serve
by pmdulaney 5y ago
I do think this is a pretty amazing list, despite what the naysayers say. But my question is why? What practical purpose does this fine-grained vocabulary serve? Are the people coining these words bored out of their minds, like a patient in the doctor's office counting the holes in the acoustic tiles?
- SamoyedFurFluff 5y agoWe have fine-grained vocabulary for snow in English too. Ask any skiier. I can tell you for certain we have hundreds of words for flowing water in English but I never figured that English people were bored when they coined a brook vs a stream vs a spring.
- AlotOfReading 5y agoFor people living in the Arctic, ice and snow define the physical geography of their lives for over half the year and navigating that geography was/is essential to survival and recreation. Different kinds have different properties and different dangers to consider. Having distinct words for them is like saying mountain vs hill vs mesa, or river vs stream.