harnad@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (S. R. Harnad) (07/12/89)
It is a well known fact that the Eskimos have many words for snow. How many do they have, and what is your source? Please reply to harnad@princeton.edu and I'll post the results. -- Stevan Harnad INTERNET: harnad@confidence.princeton.edu harnad@princeton.edu srh@flash.bellcore.com harnad@elbereth.rutgers.edu harnad@princeton.uucp CSNET: harnad%confidence.princeton.edu@relay.cs.net BITNET: harnad1@umass.bitnet harnad@pucc.bitnet (609)-921-7771
thom@dewey.soe.berkeley.edu (Thom Gillespie) (07/12/89)
In article <9364@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> harnad@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (S. R. Harnad) writes: > >It is a well known fact that the Eskimos have many words for snow. How >many do they have, and what is your source? > >Please reply to harnad@princeton.edu and I'll post the results. > >-- >Stevan Harnad INTERNET: harnad@confidence.princeton.edu harnad@princeton.edu I lived in Alaska for 7 years and was lucky to spend a year in the village of Kivalina on the Chukchi Sea about 70 miles north of the arctic Circle. I've heard that they have 37 different words for snow and ice but I'm not sure where I've heard it. It may have been in "Hunter's of the Northern Ice" by Richard Nelson, an anthropologist. He spent 2-3 years living in Wainright up near Barrow and studying survival skills. The book is very good. There is also a chance that another anthropologist named Van Stone mentioned the fact in one of his articles. You might also read Oswalt's book on the Eskimos, or you might try ot reach Ray Barnhardt, Judith Kleinfeldt or Pat Dubbs at the University of alaska in Fairbanks. Might be hard to figure out how many words are used for snow or ice because the language varies so much from village to village and between the Yupik and Inupik people. The language isn't really written, it is spoken. There is a written version of the versions but not many people read it, there was never a good supply of writing material in the arctic...takes too long to carve down bone. also probably only the traditional hunters had all the words because they needed them for survival, traditional hunters are in short supply because of fish & Game, religion and US education systems. Good luck. Brr! Thom Gillespie