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From: jeff@rtech.ARPA (Jeff Lichtman)
Newsgroups: net.nlang,net.women
Subject: the word "love" in English vs Hungarian
Message-ID: <116@rtech.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 29-Jan-85 03:54:04 EST
Article-I.D.: rtech.116
Posted: Tue Jan 29 03:54:04 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 2-Feb-85 00:47:19 EST
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Organization: Relational Technology, Berkeley CA
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Xref: watmath net.nlang:2507 net.women:4324


	Some Hungarian friends of mine tell me that in the Hungarian language
there are two words for "love": one for familial or platonic love, and one for
sexual love (i.e. the feeling that lovers have toward one another).  They have
lived in the U.S. for years, and say that the lack of a distinction in English
still bothers them.
	I think that this lack of distinction in English has probably screwed up
more people that the he/she problem.  How many men hesitate to say that they
love another man, fearing that someone might think they were gay?  And how many
men are unable to even *think* that they love other men?  Of course, the fear
of homosexuality has more to do with this that the language, but I think the
blurring of the meanings of "love" makes it hard for homophobic men to express
affection for each other.  This "love" problem has probably even gotten in the
way of platonic friendships between members of the opposite sex, by convincing
people that love between men and women is impossible without sexual feelings.
	What do you think?  Is my reasoning sound, or would having two words
for love create just as many problems?  Am I overestimating the effect of
language on behavior?
	By the way, I'm no expert on Hungarian.  The only Hungarian word I know
is "porcivo", which means vacuum cleaner.  The literal translation is "dust
sucker".
-- 
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
aka Swazoo Koolak