Language evolution is sometimes ironic and leads to surprising outcomes. It is the case of the Latin verb ‘plicare’ which took on opposite\u00a0meanings in Romanian (‘a pleca’ – to leave) and Spanish (‘llegar’ – to arrive). The explanation is quite simple and it is proof that\u00a0the geographical area\u00a0a people\u00a0inhabits has a marked influence upon its\u00a0culture and language.<\/p>\n
As linguist Andreas Blank explains in an article about language change, the concept\u00a0of ‘plicare’ (to fold) was associated\u00a0in Romanian culture with the activity of folding tents before leaving. As mentioned in a previous post<\/a>, Romanian culture is\u00a0traditionally\u00a0linked to\u00a0nature and activities pertaining to the natural habitat. One such activity was shepherding, which entailed frequent relocating\u00a0and temporary dwellings (tents). Thus, the co-occurrence of folding tents with the activity of\u00a0leaving has led to a shift in the meaning of the verb ‘plicare\/pleca’.<\/p>\n In Spain, a country with a very strong naval tradition, the activity of folding was associated with sailing. More precisely, whenever a ship arrived at its destination, its sails were folded by the crew. Following the same pattern as in Romanian, Spanish has adopted the verb ‘llegar’ with the meaning ‘arrival’.<\/p>\n Funny how language evolves, isn’t it? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
![\"Share](\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\")
<\/a>