[Cialug] [OT] Security and the browser

[Nathan Stien]

On Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 2:52 PM, Ralph Kessel <ralphkessel75 at yahoo.com>wrote:

> This to the view that linguistic/semantic factors determine how we view the
> world, eg the Eskimos/Inuit have over 20 words for snow.
>

The Eskimo thing is a popular misconception.  Cf. Wikipedia (I know, I know,
but it cites real sources):

"""
There are two principal fallacies in this legend. The first is that Eskimo
languages have more words for snow than English does, when they may have a
few more or fewer, depending on which Eskimo language is considered. These
words are viewed as pertaining to the same concept: for example, blizzards
and flurries are two different types of snow, but they are both recognized
as 'snow' in the general sense. Speakers of Eskimo languages categorize
different types of snow in a similar manner to English speakers.

The second fallacy comes from a misconception of what are to be considered
"words". As in other polysynthetic languages, the use of derivational
suffixes and noun-incorporation results in terms or language codes that may
include various descriptive nuances, whether describing snow or any other
concept. Because Eskimo languages are polysynthetic, they describe concepts
in compound terms or 'words' of unlimited length.

"""
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eskimo_words_for_snow
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