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Ambiguous words

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Teup View Drop Down
Earl
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Joined: 25-Jan-2005
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  Quote Teup Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Ambiguous words
    Posted: 26-Jan-2005 at 12:04

Why is it, that we have - at least in Dutch and German - ambiguous words for pronouns. Like this:

Dutch:

Zijn - 'to be', or 'his'

Zij - 'they', or 'she'

Het - 'it' or 'the'(neut.)

German (correct me if I'm wrong):

Sie - 'they', or 'you'(formal)

Ihr - 'you'(plural) or 'her' or 'their'

Sein - 'to be' or 'his'

There are probably more than I can think of right now. That 'mine' is both 1stPsSgGen. pronoun and an explosive may be coincidence, but for this, I think there's more to it. Any substitute vowel would suffice to lift the ambiguity. Why are so many ambiguous? Or is it coincidence after all?

Whatever you do, don't
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Capt. Lubber View Drop Down
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  Quote Capt. Lubber Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30-Jan-2005 at 08:59
Originally posted by Teup


Sie - 'they', or 'you'(formal)




I think sie can mean "she" as well
Loke, Attila, the grete conqueror,
Deyde in his sleep, with shame and dishonour,
Bleedinge ay at the nose in dronkenesse,
A captayin shoulde live in sobrenesse
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Teup View Drop Down
Earl
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  Quote Teup Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30-Jan-2005 at 10:15

You're right... hmm really, it doesn't make it easier and i really don't understand why they didn't pick different words instead.

Also, in German 'Es' means both 'it' and 'there' (in inpersonal passives, 'there is...')

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Infidel View Drop Down
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  Quote Infidel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01-Feb-2005 at 20:00
Yes, like "es gibt" - "there is"...
An nescite quantilla sapientia mundus regatur?
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