# Short, low and their connotations.



## ilverbo

Dear forum members,


I am studying the term SHORT/LOW in different languages and check which connotations does it have and why they are usually negative.
In Hebrew you express _short_ and _low_ with the same word (נמוך); In Italian it's the word: BASSO.
Can you tell me the word/s in your language?
- does your language make a distinction between "short" and "low"?
- what connotations does it have? (low culture for example) 
- do you know any expressions or terms with this word?
- does it have any synonymous? 
- do you know the etymological source of the word?
- do you have a special verb for "becoming low"? (like ABBASSARE in Italian?)


Thanks alot,
il.V.​


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## francisgranada

In Hungarian

alacsony - low (basso), opposite to tall (also fig. p.e. culture)
rövid - short (corto), opposite to long
alsó - low (inferiore), indicating rather the position and not the dimension (also p.e. in a hierarchy)

rövidülni (verb) - to become shorter (as opposite to longer)
alacsonyodni (verb) - to become lower, to degrade, to humiliate oneself (not exactly "abbassare", which is more general); this verb is tipically used with the prefix le- (down).


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## Ben Jamin

POLISH
- does your language make a distinction between "short" and "low"?: YES: “krótki” and “niski”
 “krótki” means short distance, little length, and short time 
- what connotations does it have? (low culture for example): “niski” has a connotation of physically low, but also “base”, “mean”, “low, humble”
- do you know any expressions or terms with this word?
There certainly are many, I cańt recall any specially significant
- does it have any synonyms? 
“not long” and “not high”
- do you know the etymological source of the word?
“krótki” is related to both Latin (curtus) and germanic (short, kurz)
- do you have a special verb for "becoming low"? (like ABBASSARE in Italian?)
“zniżać” – making lower, “zniżać się”  (reflexive) – to lower own height above the ground (about birds or airplanes) or to lower the moral standards, obniżać “to lower” (an object or price),  “zaniżać” to tell a wrong (too low) amount, “uniżać się” to humble oneself


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## ilverbo

Thank you! 
*btw with synonymous I also meant if there are more words in your language to express the same meaning.
Best,
il.V.


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## arielipi

Think of it as having same pronunciations but different words, its hard for israelis to differ these sounds,because we have the 5 vowel system.
Ayin and alef are in my opinion like-semi thing of that( the word et can be written in 3 ways) 
short/low and all such are to distinguish between these collaborations(I manage to notice every time its a Q perfectly - why would it differ between  a k or a c? dont know, it just does)


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## franz rod

ilverbo said:


> In Hebrew you express _short_ and _low_ with the same word (נמוך); In Italian it's the word: BASSO.]



In Italian it's not the same word.
You can use the word basso for a person or a mountain or a hill, but if you're talking about distance, time, objects, you have to use the words breve or corto.
Verbs:  abbassare, abbreviare, accorciare.


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## Lugubert

ilverbo said:


> In Italian it's the word: BASSO.


In the Italian dictionary I have at hand, "short" translates as corto, breve, basso, brusco, secco, insufficiente, and more. In Swedish, short and low respectively translate into pages of alternatives, depending on the context, so what are you looking for?



> Can you tell me the word/s in your language?


Too many to reproduce here.



> - does your language make a distinction between "short" and "low"?


Considering the many translations, there are probably some overlapping, but you make it a comparison of synonyms of synonyms, which can reach into approaching infinity. If you had defined two semantic fields and possible words for it, you might have made it easier at least for me.



> - what connotations does it have? (low culture for example)


See below.



> - do you know any expressions or terms with this word?


"This"? Of course. Books of rather each of them.



> - does it have any synonymous?


Which "it"?



> - do you know the etymological source of the word?


_*The*_ word??? For both (?), see below.


> - do you have a special verb for "becoming low"? (like ABBASSARE in Italian?)


Abbasare "lower, turn down". Yes, several. Like _sänka, fira, dämpa, dra ner_ to mention a few.

Anyway, for first impressions, I'd go for short as in a short distance or a short person. Swedish _kort_, cognate with the mentioned Latin curtus, from PIE root *sker- "to cut," with notion of "something cut off" (cf. Skt. krdhuh "shortened, maimed, small)

Low corresponds fairly well to Sw "låg" as for (again from etymonline) low: [...] from  O.N. lagr "low," or a similar Scandinavian source (cf. Swed. låg, Dan. lav), from P.Gmc. *lega- "lying flat, low" (cf. O.Fris. lech, M.Du. lage, Du. laag "low," dialectal Ger. läge "flat"), from PIE *legh- "to lie".

"Short" = _kort_ must be quite neutral in Swedish.

I don't automatically regard any "low" = _låg_ compound as negative or pejorative. Low caste is how the not twice born are (supposed to be) looked upon in India, for "lower classes", whatever that may mean, we use _underklass_, again not bad by definition, but sometimes even used as a badge of honour in political discussions.

"Low" culture vs. "high" culture (_lågkultur/högkultur_) has suffered some intense discussions, where "low" culture not infrequently has been described as a culture more "true" to the "real" people compared to a culture supposedly artificially promoted by the upper/ruling classes.​


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## apmoy70

ilverbo said:
			
		

> - does your language make a distinction between "short" and "low"?


In Greek, yes it does. 
Short is: 
A/ «Kοντός, -ή, -ό» /kon'dos kon'di kon'do/ (masc. fem. neut) an adjective deriving from the Classical adj. «κοντός» (kŏn'tŏs), also found elsewhere as «κονδός» (kŏn'dŏs) --> _short_; PIE base *kent-, _to prick_ cognate with Lat. centrum; Welsh cethr, _nail_; Old High German hantag, _sharp_.
B/ «Βραχύς, -χεία, -χύ» /vra'çis vra'çia vra'çi/ (masc. fem. neut) an adjective deriving from the Classical one «βραχύς» (brā'xūs)--> _short_; PIE base *mregh-u-, _short_ (cf. Skt. मुहु (muhu), _suddenly_; Lat. brevis > Fr. bref, Sp. breve, Eng. breve/brief).  
A is what is used in the vernacular/colloquial language. B is more bookish.
Low is:
«Χαμηλός, -λή, -λό» /xami'los xami'li xami'lo/ (masc. fem. neut.) an adj. deriving from the Classical adv. «χαμαὶ» (xā'mæ)--> _on the ground, to earth_ with obscure etymology.


			
				ilverbo said:
			
		

> - do you know any expressions or terms with this word?


Many, a few I have in mind:
-«Κοντόχοντρος, -η, -ο» /kon'doxondros kon'doxondri kon'doxondro/ (masc. fem. neut.)--> _chubby_, a compound; lit. _short-fat_ 
-«Βραχύσωμος, -η, -ο» /vraçisomos vraçisomi vraçisomo/ (masc. fem. neut.)--> _short of body_, a compound; lit. _short-body_
-«Χαμηλοβλεπούσα» /xamilovle'pusa/ (only fem.)--> _demure_, a compound; lit. _low-gaze_
-«Χαμομήλι, χαμόμηλο» /xamo'mili/ (neut.) and /xa'momilo/ (neut.)--> _camomile_, a compound; lit. _earth-apple_ 


			
				ilverbo said:
			
		

> - do you have a special verb for "becoming low"? (like ABBASSARE in Italian?)


Verb «χαμηλώνω» /xami'lono/--> _to become low (intr.), lower, reduce, deaden, dim_


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## ancalimon

Turkish:

low:  alçak , basık, düşük  ("basık" from "bas" meaning "flat, to step on, to press on,...") (düşük from "düş" meaning "to fall down, to decline, ...") (alçak is related to "alt" meaning "under" ultimately from "al" meaning lower~under...  alçak also means "a vile person", "low altitude")

short:  kısa  (from "kıs" meaning "to reduce, to lower)


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## ilverbo

Thanks a lot for all your quick and useful answers! 
Will be back with some answers after I finish to read all of them more carefully. 
Best,
il.V.


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## ilverbo

Ben Jamin, I have a question regarding the POLISH verb: “zaniżać” = to tell a wrong (too low) amount - - > do you mean that it's done on purpose? can you give example/s?
Apmoy70 / GREEK: PIE base *kent-, _to prick_ cognate with Lat. centrum; Welsh cethr,_nail_; Old High German hantag, _sharp_. - - > I didn't understand this part...
Lugubert / SWEDISH: (_lågkultur/högkultur_) has suffered some intense discussions - - > these debates were held in political context? linguistic? can you tell me more about it? like even names and dates maybe or some reference in English?

Anyone knows anything regarding the latin word HUMILIS? Does it have the same connotation like the English HUMILIATION?
Anyone knows SHORT/LOW in any African/tribal language?

Thanks to all of you for the interesting facts!
il.V.


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## aruniyan

ilverbo said:


> Ben Jamin, I have a question regarding the POLISH verb: “zaniżać” = to tell a wrong (too low) amount - - > do you mean that it's done on purpose? can you give example/s?
> Apmoy70 / GREEK: PIE base *kent-, _to prick_ cognate with Lat. centrum; Welsh cethr,_nail_; Old High German hantag, _sharp_. - - > I didn't understand this part...
> Lugubert / SWEDISH: (_lågkultur/högkultur_) has suffered some intense discussions - - > these debates were held in political context? linguistic? can you tell me more about it? like even names and dates maybe or some reference in English?
> 
> Anyone knows anything regarding the latin word HUMILIS? Does it have the same connotation like the English HUMILIATION?
> Anyone knows SHORT/LOW in any African/tribal language?
> 
> Thanks to all of you for the interesting facts!
> il.V.





In Tamil

*Kuru* = Short.

*Keel* = Low (lower level)
*Thaal* = Low (To go below/under)

some words related to keel, KeelOr(lower people), Keelpadi(obey) etc...


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## apmoy70

ilverbo said:


> Apmoy70 / GREEK: PIE base *kent-, _to prick_ cognate with Lat. centrum; Welsh cethr,_nail_; Old High German hantag, _sharp_. - - > I didn't understand this part...


Hi ilverbo,

Well in the archaic pre-Classical Greek language, the masc. noun «κοντός» (kŏn'tŏs) from PIE base *kent-, _to prick_ was the name of the secondary weapon, the pike, hoplites carried with them, together with their main weapon which was the «δόρυ» (neut. noun 'dŏrŭ)--> _spear_. The «κοντός» was shorter than the «δόρυ»; in the Classical language the noun produced the adj. «κοντός, -ὴ, -όν» which since then is used to describe anyone/anything with short stature. 


ilverbo said:


> Thanks to all of you for the interesting facts!
> il.V.


You're welcome


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## ilverbo

Aruniyan - thanks. Do you mean "lower people" as short people or from lower class?
Apmoy70 - Thanks for the further clarification. What does: *kent- mean?


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## aruniyan

ilverbo said:


> Aruniyan - thanks. Do you mean "lower people" as short people or from lower class?



KeelOr, Keel Makkal refers poor people(lower class).


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## ilverbo

Thanks aruniyan


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