I wished I could have put two reactions because your post was sublimely funny and totally on point. Think about the Norman Conquest.Qu'en est-il de la langue française ? Nous avons un homme et une femme. Je veux dire, fe-mme ? Pourquoi pas juste fe ?
De l'aide ?
I can't see that helping much, sorry
What's up with the English language? We have man and woman. I mean, wo-man? Why not just wo?
Help?
I'm curious now, so I asked ChatGPT's intake on this:What's up with the English language? We have man and woman. I mean, wo-man? Why not just wo?
Help?
Žena
In most Slovenian languages, the root of the word from which the word žena [woman] is derived (Russian: žená, Polish: żona) comes from the Indo-European root gen – (I give birth). It is interesting that the Sanskrit gena and gna mean goddess. In Greek we have gynḗ, abbreviated jani, and in Latin – genus, gigno (genus, to give birth). These words - in the meaning of mother goddess, also come into Gothic - qino, qens and Old Norse - kona, and then into Swedish - kvinna and English - queen. Wife, mother and queen, but also goddess - have the same root word.
The word žena [woman] is both a pan-Slavic and proto-Slavic word.
So let's start - жена́ жени́ться in Russian, in Ukrainian it is жона́, жинка, the Bulgarian version is жена́, жана́. Old Slavic woman, γυνή, Bolg., Srpska. žèna, Slovak žéna, Czech ženŷina, woman, Polish żona, Lusatian žona.
I.e. Russian is very similar: мушкарач (mushkarach)The words muž (husband), muško (male) and muškarac (man) came from the Indo-European root men-, meaning "to think". Muškarac (a man) is, therefore, "the one who thinks".
Women were honored and cherished in their three manifestations: the virgin-future-mother; the mother-nourisher; and the crone-mother of wisdom. Men were partners and protectors of women, thereby protectors of their own being since all were born and nursed by women. The male energy served the female because the female served the male; there was cycling energy, synergy, symmetry and balance.
- Knight-Jadczyk, Laura. The Apocalypse: Comets, Asteroids and Cyclical Catastrophes (pp. 118-119). Red Pill Press. Kindle Edition.
Totally agree! And this will be a challenge for the Greens, because they dislike clear wording!Also, Germans should really reconsider their sexist ways and not recognising their Gerwomans properly. It would be so much cooler if they just used a gender-neutral form, such as 'Gems'
Funny. When I was younger, I wrongly guessed that the etymology of woman was "womb-man"...Male = man
Female = iron (Fe) man, probably because they have vaginas that can birth 15lb babies
In Russian, it is similar but the word for man is мужчина (muzhcheena) and woman is женщина (zhensheena).I.e. Russian is very similar: мушкарач (mushkarach)