Liberty v Security

[minionofmidas]

ha!  yes you do!  well, I never get direct quotes quite right exactly.

an interesting irony is that during the so-called Dark Ages on the European continent and in Great Britian, the arabs led the world in medicine and science and technology.  It's no coincidence that so many of our modern science words begin with the definite article al known to speakers of both surviving semitic languages, arabic and hebrew.  I.e., aldehyde, alcohol, algebra, alkaline, and acid (yes, that's the alluded form, written alif laam, but pronounced with a "silent" laam in both semitic languages).

Not to mention medieval and modern poetry. Also indebted far more to Arabic than Roman or Greek or whatever predecessors. "Rhyme" is another one of these Arabic loan words.

[minionofmidas]

And another thing I recently learned...just like "occidental" is a loan-translation of "maghrebine" and "palestinian" is the same word as "philistine", "arabian" and "european" is etymologically the same word too...both just mean "westerner", the one in Phoenician, the other in Arabic.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

" and "palestinian" is the same word as "philistine",

I've known *that* since I was about 12

[minionofmidas]

" and "palestinian" is the same word as "philistine",

I've known *that* since I was about 12

That's the most obvious one, isn't it? But the Arab-Europe thing really phased me when I read it. Apparently the term was at first used (by the Arabs) only for people living in Western Arabia.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

That's the most obvious one, isn't it?

Yep

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Words can be odd like that. Know where "Appalachians" comes from?

[angus]

And another thing I recently learned...just like "occidental" is a loan-translation of "maghrebine" and "palestinian" is the same word as "philistine", "arabian" and "european" is etymologically the same word too...both just mean "westerner", the one in Phoenician, the other in Arabic.

yeah, but it starts with the letter Faw in arabic, and not a PH, so it's Falestine, which may either be rendered philistine or palestine in greco-roman.

also, I was never sure whether, in proper english, it's pronounced as Palestayn (last syllable rhyming with Ayn as in Ayn Rand) or Palesteeeen (last syllable rhyming with Bruce Springsteen).   Can any english majors confirm the correct pronunciation for me?