Linguistics: Ambiguous words

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Ambiguous words

Printed From: History Community ~ All Empires
Category: Scholarly Pursuits
Forum Name: Linguistics
Forum Discription: Discuss linguistics: the study of languages
URL: http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1929
Printed Date: 28-Apr-2024 at 22:02
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Topic: Ambiguous words

Posted By: Teup
Subject: Ambiguous words
Date 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?

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Whatever you do, don't

Replies:

Posted By: Capt. Lubber
Date Posted: 30-Jan-2005 at 08:59

Originally posted by Teup

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

I think sie can mean "she" as well

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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

Posted By: Teup
Date 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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Whatever you do, don't

Posted By: Infidel
Date Posted: 01-Feb-2005 at 20:00

Yes, like "es gibt" - "there is"...

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An nescite quantilla sapientia mundus regatur?