In a message dated 2/22/2016 9:23:12 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
profdritchie@xxxxxxxxx writes: quotes: "Post-partum and pre-natal
fascinated me
earlier. Both are of Latin (or French/Latin) origins, both appeared in
the oed
citations in the first half of the19th century, but I can't seem to find
out why there were two different Latin words for birth used ... [Any
insight?]..." and comments: "the question becomes why is the same moment
described
in different ways? Why at one moment whatever “natal” means literally,
and why in another “partum,” separation”? I wrote that multiple views
of
one event or thing are quite normal in a language—lots of words for snow
and
all that—but I couldn’t explain the difference between natal and partum.
I
’m not implying that it’s hard to explain, merely that I don’t have the
Latin for the judging.
I think it was Witters who said that 'dying' (or 'death', his German was
confusing at times) was not part of one's life. Nor 'being born' (but this
is the post-Wittgensteinians refudiated).
It may relate to Caesar, so-called for having a special 'partum'.
While 'partum' may be cognate with the 'part' in 'se-paration', the main
difference with 'natal' is in the active versus the passive attitud, or
'vox', if you must.
Note that we rarely say:
i. I am born.
But even
ii. I was born.
sounds underinformative. It's like Descartes, "I think; therefore, I
exist".
iii. I was born in the Hebrides.
seems informative enough, although for Grice you would need to specify
which of them.
In any case, while (iii) is in the passive voice,
iv. My mother bore me in the Hebrides.
sounds casual.
So 'partum' has a passive ring to it.
The 'Natal' root ('gnatus' originally) is directed towards an active view
of the thing, at least for the Romans: the acting of coming to life.
The fact that the Latin verb is 'deponent' can only complicate things for a
Griceian -- but perhaps not a Roman.
In Old Celtic, the roots for 'partum' and 'natal' should be explored too.
Cheers,
Speranza
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