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Le'vi-Strauss: How to strip wit & content
Sheldon Klein (sklein@CS.WISC.EDU)
Thu, 24 Aug 1995 17:32:08 -0500
How to strip wit & content from Le'vi-Strauss:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"
"On comprend enfin que les espe\ces naturelles no sont pas choisies parce que
<bonnes a\ manger> mais parce que bonnes a\ penser>" (Le Totemisme Aujourd'hui,
Presses Universitaire, Paris. 1965:128).
AND... credit where credit is due -- many thanks to Natalie Maynor, Professor of
English at Mississippi State University for her translation.
>>
>>"We can understand, too, that natural species are chosen not because they are
>>*good eating* but because they are *good thinking*. "
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
The New Cassell's French Dictionary offers the following idiomatic
translation of,
'Cela donne bien a\ penser' = "that offers food for thought."
'bien' is not 'bonnes', but perhaps Le'vi Strauss' intended something like
"We can understand, too, that natural species are chosen not because they are
good to eat, but because they are 'food for thought'."
However, in view of Le'vi-Strauss' discussion of totemism in Chapter 4
of The Savage Mind, University of Chicago Press, 1966, one might prefer,
"We can understand, too, that natural species are chosen not because
they are good to eat, but because they are good to think with."
The original version might just have embodied both interpretations.
__________________________________________________________________
Prof. Sheldon Klein sklein@cs.wisc.edu
Computer Sciences Dept. Linguistics Dept.
University of Wisconsin 1163 Van Hise
1210 W. Dayton St. University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin 53706 Madison, Wisconsin 53706
USA
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