[Dragaera] Reck my rede

Steve Rapaport steve at romlin.com
Sat Sep 2 01:53:41 PDT 2006


Cool --

Living in Sweden now I get a new perspective on Germanic languages and old
English words.    I'd never before seen an English cognate to the Swedish
"råd", meaning "advice or counsel", but thanks to you and Shakespeare, I
believe I have now.  (Looked up German, seems to be "raten")

"Reck"  is more obvious, looks like cognate to the English "reckon"(figure),
the German "Rechnung" (reckoning or adding up), and the Swedish "att räcker"
(to suffice).

Thanks!


>
> Hey Mark, I couldn't find "She wouldn't wreck her own reed" (from
> somewhere around the middle of /Athyra/) at your Jokes and Allusions
> page.  This was especially strange since I'd have sworn I'd seen it
> there.
>
> Ophelia: ...But, good my brother,
> Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
> Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven;
> Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
> Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
> And recks not his own rede.
>
> /Hamlet/, I. 3.
>
> Jerry Friedman is posting this to the list for anyone who missed it.
>



More information about the Dragaera mailing list