The Language (and travel) Thread

[Carol the Dabbler]

Is that the title you're familiar with for that girl-and-the-wolf story?

 

[Caya]

The complete traditional title is Rotkäppchen und der böse Wolf, Little Red Cap and the Wicked Wolf.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Interesting.  I wonder if the "Riding Hood" version came from some other continental-European country, or if it's an English-language original.

Oh, wait, a number of internet sites state that the modern German word comes from Middle High German kappe, meaning "hooded cloak," so the story apparently dates back to that era -- but the modern English word "cap" comes from Latin by way of French, so it apparently never had the "hooded cloak" meaning.  This may explain why, even if the folk tale itself may have come into English from German, its English title has traditionally used the word "hood" rather than "cap," and thus preserved the original meaning better than the modern German version apparently does.

Martina (or other German speakers) -- what sort of head covering do the German illustrations show on the girl?

 

[Caya]

Both, actually. Sometimes it's a hooded cloak, sometimes just a cap, occasionally some kind of headscarf. (google "Rotkäppchen" and you'll see for yourself). Maybe it did start out as a hooded cloak and then morphed, just like the word did.

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 7/22/2024 at 6:11 PM, Caya said:

Sometimes it's a hooded cloak, sometimes just a cap, occasionally some kind of headscarf. (google "Rotkäppchen" and you'll see for yourself)

So I did that [here's a link], and you're quite correct.  Plus there was at least one instance of what I'd call a red bonnet -- sort of a cloakless hood held on with wide ribbons tied beneath the girl's chin:

There also seems to be a brand of wine -- whose ads sometimes feature a not-so-little girl!

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

I'm puzzled by a phrase (referring to clothing) in an ad that keeps popping up on my cell phone: "matching suit set."

How is that any different from a "suit"?  Has the meaning of "suit" (which I would define as a matching set of pants and/or skirt, jacket, and optional vest) changed over the past few decades?  Or are they making sure to be Perfectly Clear for No Apparent Reason (it's an ad for a Google app, not for clothing)?

 

[besleybean]

Yep. That seems way too many words! 

Ii is the clothing equivalent of two twins!

[Carol the Dabbler]

I got curious and poked around the internet a bit more.  Apparently it's now popular to offer suit pieces individually, in which case they're called "suit separates" or "mix and match" -- so perhaps "matching suit sets" really does serve to clarify when traditional suits are being offered.

Language does tend to change over time, especially when new concepts arise -- but it seems to be changing an awful lot recently!

 

[Caya]