Fun with Etymology

[jackofallgeeks]

GENE: You know, I just realized that Steampunk is just an extention of what Jules Verne started.
JOSH: And Jules Verne is an extention of Da Vinci.
ANDREW: Da Vinci is the original Steampunk!
GENE: Back before they used steam.
JOSH: And a punk was a lady who wore pants.
ANDREW: Actually, wouldn't a lady, by definition, not wear pants?
JOSH: Huh?
ANDREW: If she's wearing pants, she's not a lady.
JOSH: Bah, you and your semantics!
GENE: Actually, it's not just semantics. Lady is the feminine of lord. That's been forgotten these days.
JOSH: Mistress is the feminine of master. And dominatrix is the feminine of dominus.
GENE: No, it's the feminine of dominator; one who dominates.
ANDREW: Is that french?
GENE: No, it's latin. Dominatrix, dominator, domination...
ANDREW: ...And that's, what, a whole country who..?
GENE: No. That's the gerund.

Comments

[whtepckupprncss.livejournal.com]

you guys are geeks with a capital G.



are u three geeks coming to our house this lovely evening?

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

Uhm, yes, I believe that's the plan.
Do your parents not tell you anything?  :p

[polydad.livejournal.com]

I do not appreciate crude humor, nor do I generally find vulgarity to be clever or amusing. It is not wanted here, and I would appreciate if it were left off.

Okay. Noted and accepted. Apologies.

best,

Joel. Who seems to be unable to respond to your note directly, and is thus posting it here.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

Quite alright; first offender and all that.

[polydad.livejournal.com]

My intent was to extend the existing humor, and apparently I lacked the background to do so. Could you fill me in on the background, please?

best,

Joel

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

Oh, well, no real background; just me and my brothers being a little ridiculous. We have random conversations like this now and again, a little bit intelligent, a little bit just plain silly. I've been away at college for the last few years, and so when I got back here and started these moments up again, I thought I'd share them with my Journal, which had grown in the meantime.

[polydad.livejournal.com]

Ah. *Brothers*. Real people, in other words, not fictional fill-ins. I understand a bit better now, thank you.

best,

Joel

[surichan.livejournal.com]

::applauds, wipes tears from her eyes::

[xiombarg.livejournal.com]

You're not the first person to think that about Da Vinci. Check out Castle Falkenstein sometime.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

Well, I was being mostly facetious, but I wouldn't be surprised.

[nif.livejournal.com]

GENE: No. That's the gerund.
NIFER: No. Gerunds end in -ing. "Dominating" would be the gerund.
ANDREW: Oh, Nifer, you are so obnoxious with your grammar Nazi tendencies. Please stop leaving these inane comments on my journal.
NIFER: It's true. I am worthless.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

GENE: No. That's the gerund.
NIFER: No. Gerunds end in -ing. "Dominating" would be the gerund.
ANDREW: Oh, Nifer, you are so obnoxious with your grammar Nazi tendencies. Please stop leaving these inane comments on my journal.
NIFER: It's true. I am worthless.
ANDREW: Oh, Nifer, I love you. Have I ever told you that? Your intelligence is both intimidating and highly attractive.
NIFER: It's true. I am wonderful. You may continue worshiping me.
ANDREW: (continues)

[bsgnome.livejournal.com]

Actually, if I may argue the point, though in English a gerund indeed tends to be a word ending in -ing, in theory this need not be the case--just as a participle does not always end in -ed (in fact, the present participle ends in -ing). For the purposes of my argument, I'll say that a gerund is "a form of a verb used as an abstract noun."

As to dominatrix, dominator, and domination. I was, from the beginning, speaking in terms of the original Latin. Each of these are forms of the verb dominor used as nouns; dominatrix being the feminine agent, dominator being the masculine agent. Domination is a form used to express the action itself as an abstract thing.

Though gerund may not be the most technically accurate term for what sort of word domination is, it is the most appropriate word I could think of at the time I spoke.

[nif.livejournal.com]

I concede that your argument has a lot of merit. I would say that "domination" is simply a noun.
You have an impressive grasp of grammar which makes me warm and fuzzy inside.
I love splitting lingual hairs.
Nice to finally "meet" one of Andrew's brothers, by the way.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

Gene, Nifer; Nifer, Gene. There, now you've been formally introduced.
Gene's my favorite oldest younger brother, a really cool guy, and one who has a fascination with the structures and forms of language in general; I'm sure you guys could split hairs for hours.