This Is This

Although this is a contradiction in terms, we know what it means. This is because language is a fluid and organic thing that has little logic and only flimsy rules that can be broken, but only once people smarter than you agree and set new rules.

Access, for example, officially became a verb several years after the techies started using it.

I don’t often hand it to the French, language-wise, but they have one or two bon mots every now and then. In one of the rare examples of them having fewer words than the English, they bring us “amerrissage”.

Landing a plane is and “aterrisage”, meaning literally “going to the ground”, because “terre” means earth or ground. So a landing on water? No problem. Sea in French is “mer” so you get “amerrissage”. Admittedly, you could also have alacissage and arivierissage and even aoceanissage, but you get the idea.

You can’t do that in English. “Landing” - fair enough, but “watering” would be misleading.

Copilot: “Pull up!!!”

Pilot: “I’m trying!”

Copilot: “You’re going to get us all killed!!!!! You’re too low.”

Pilot: “It’s our only hope. I’m heading out to sea.”

Copilot: “To sea?!?!? What for?!!!!”

Pilot: “I’m watering.”

Copilot: “YOU’RE watering? I’ve just shat me pants.”

Also on This Is This
I was working up the gumption to say something and when Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries came on I leapt into action.
Read this post...

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 15th, 2006 at 8:53 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed, or leave a comment yourself.