belaga or bela
ca, kivuye
Ubutumwa 18
ururimi: English
ceigered (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 17 Gitugutu 2011 07:13:50
Like a little kid
Timtim (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 17 Gitugutu 2011 08:36:29
ceigered:I always thought it was the way to use "bela" when referring to people who are in some way "eta"Absolutely. The -et suffix isn't pejorative unless clearly used as such, in the way that "little" isn't in English until somebody calls someone else "little man".
Like a little kid
It's a diminutive, giving an idea of smallness. I remember soliciting ideas for my cat's name from people elsewhere once, and sudanglo suggested Tigreto. He wasn't being disparaging (better not have been, Terry! *shakes fist*) but using the -et suffix to convey cuteness or smallness.
The principle holds with beleta too, although one could justify a second sense of "not being attractive enough to be classed as bela". That's just pointless though; usage dictates beleta to be a positive thing, similar to cute, the same as usage determines iom to generally mean a small amount rather than the purely logical "some indistinct amount".
Kalantir (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 17 Gitugutu 2011 21:59:15
Miland (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 18 Gitugutu 2011 09:19:13
Kalantir:Where does the word "adorable" fit in to all this?Adjectives like "X-able" in English often mean, not "capable of being X-ed" but "worthy of being X-ed". So "adorable" would be adorinda, just as "laughable" would be ridinda.
darkweasel (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 18 Gitugutu 2011 09:32:27
Miland:rindinda.ridinda, actually
Miland (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 18 Gitugutu 2011 09:35:32
darkweasel:ridinda, actuallyDankon, typo corrected. One day I may have to start using spectacles for this sort of thing.
sudanglo (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 18 Gitugutu 2011 10:45:39
Tigreto could be a term of endearment or just simply a miniature tiger.
However, when the stem of the word involves a positive value judgement the -eta forms are not so complimentary.
Consider 'boneta' or 'inteligenteta' or 'diligenteta' or 'amuzeta'.
Ĉu vi ŝatas tion, kara? Nu, ŝatetas - exit girlfriend in a huff.
ceigered (Kwerekana umwidondoro) 18 Gitugutu 2011 12:51:31
sudanglo:The meaning conveyed by -eta' in compound words depends on the stem to which it is affixed.Yeah but it's not the same really. When you compliment someone with a positive diminutive adjective, it's almost alluding to a far greater potential in a very reserved manner. Where as in the example you've given (albeit it ridindeta (in a good way!!)), that's bound to cause disappointment. Rather than using "-eta" to prevent embarassment by letting the other person know your feelings, it's better to at least match or improve on what they've said otherwise you're letting expectations down
Tigreto could be a term of endearment or just simply a miniature tiger.
However, when the stem of the word involves a positive value judgement the -eta forms are not so complimentary.
Consider 'boneta' or 'inteligenteta' or 'diligenteta' or 'amuzeta'.
Ĉu vi ŝatas tion, kara? Nu, ŝatetas - exit girlfriend in a huff.
My 2c anyway. Might need some more input before we get a whole dollar coin.