Aureolin or New Gamboge?

[kgkofmel]

For various reasons, I've been thinking about the meanings of "friend" and "community

Comments

[starcat_jewel]

"Friend" in particular is one of those words for which we could stand to be more like the apocryphal Eskimos with their umpty-ump words for different types of snow. As things are now in English, it's being asked to do entirely too much hauling -- which in turn opens up wide vistas for miscommunication.

[elizilla]

Mmm, I dunno. Having precise names for a lot of types of friends, could lead to a lot of wrangling and hurt feelings when there's disagreement about the precise level of friendship. I don't think the value of linguistic precision outweighs the potential for emotional drama there.