Fwd: Smalls
I. Marc Carlson
IMC at vax2.utulsa.edu
Tue Nov 28 09:39:20 PST 1995
<Ysoulde at aol.com>
>In reading a Random House Ditionary of the English Language, the deffination
>for small is as follows...
^^^^^
Yes, ma'am, on the other hand, according to my OED, the word "Smalls"
doesn't exist, and "Small" as refers to children, is used as a modifier,
as in "small boy" or "small girl". Should we degender such terms
"a fat boy" or a "fat girl" and refer to them as simply "a Fat"? "Fats"?
As long as we are at it, though, what *else* does "Small" mean? And
therefore, what other ways are we labeling children?
>From the OED (2d Ed) [The two missing bits were not left out for any
particular reason, just that my machine and I don't always speak the
same English, and sometimes these things happen]
Small
*1* n.1 Obs. rare. A smack or blow; an onset, shock. (from 950)
*2*. (rare; Norw., Sw., and Da. smal, are perh. mainly from LG.),
Goth. smal-s; connexion with ON. and Icel. smá-r (Norw. and
Da. smaa, Sw. små) small, OHG. smâhi (MHG. smæhe)
insignificant, is doubtful, and relationship to forms outside
of Teut. (as OSlav. malu) somewhat uncertain. In the later
Continental languages the prevailing sense is that of
_slender', _narrow'. The form smale, representing OE.
disyllabic forms, is common in ME. and occurs as late as the
17th cent.]
A. adj.
I. 1. a. Of relatively little girth or circumference
in comparison with length; not thick, stout, or
fleshy; slender, thin. Now dial. exc. of the waist.
(from 750)
b. spec. Applied to the more slender portions of
the intestines; esp. small gut(s). (from 1000)
c. Of persons, etc.: Slender, slim; graceful.
Chiefly in gent(le) and small. Obs. (from 1250-
c1600)
2. Having little breadth or width in proportion to
length; narrow. Now rare. (from 847)
II. 3. a. Of limited size; of comparatively restricted
dimensions; not large in comparison with other
things, esp. of the same kind. Also used to
qualify such words as dimensions, size. Phr. small
is beautiful: expressing a belief that small-scale
institutions, systems, etc., are more desirable
than large-scale ones; also as adj. phr. (from 888)
Phr.
1973 E. F. Schumacher (title) Small is beautiful....
b. Of places, countries, etc. Also in phr. (it's a)
small world and varr.: a comment on an unexpected
meeting with an acquaintance or other similar
coincidence. (from 1000)
c. Of children, etc.: Not fully grown or developed;
young. Also, of a sibling: younger. small boy has
become fairly common in modern colloquial use, but
is felt to differ in connotation from little boy,
usually by suggesting greater activity and
independence, also small girl. (from 1250)
d. Of words: Short, simple. _Also of language:
Simple, plain. (from 1250)
4. a. Used with collective nouns, denoting the
limited size of the individual things, pieces, etc.
small print: freq. applied to the detailed
information or conditions qualifying the principal
text of a document, and printed in a smaller type;
also attrib. and fig. Cf. fine print (fine a. 7 i).
(From 1398).
b. Of money: Of little size and low value;
consisting of coins of low denomination. small
change: see change n. 7. (from 1561)
c. Of a family: Consisting of young children. small
help (from 1829)
5. Little in amount or quantity:
a. Of material things, or properties naturally
connected with these, as number, quantity, etc.
(from 1297)
b. Of immaterial things, as actions, faculties,
feelings, etc. The exact sense varies to some
extent with the n., and in some cases the reference
is rather to effect, force, or capacity than to
amount. (from 1300)
c. Used in the superlative for emphasis: The least;
the slightest. (from 1391)
d. Of words: Short, simple. _Also of language:
Simple, plain. (from 1250)
e. local. Of a river, water, etc.: Low, shallow.
(from 1791)
6. a. Only a little or slight amount or degree of
(something); not much; hardly any. (From 1386)
b. no small, great, considerable, marked; much, a
good deal of. Cf. no a. 2 b. (from 1584)
d. in the smallest, in the least. rare. (from 1603)
7. Of no great length; short, brief:
a. Of time. (from 1430)
b. Of journeys, distance, etc. (from 1450)
8. Composed or consisting of, containing, few
individuals or members; numerically little or weak.
_Also of years: Few. (from 1470)
III 10. a. Composed of fine or minute particles, drops,
etc. In later use chiefly of rain. (from 897)
b. Fine, as opposed to coarse, in various
applications. (from 1000)
c. Of air: Thin, rarefied. Obs.1 (from 1495)
11. Of cloth, yarn, garments, etc.: Fine in texture
or structure. Obs. exc. dial. In the case of cloth
it is sometimes difficult to decide whether
examples belong to this sense or to 2. (from 900)
12. Of low alcoholic strength; light, weak: a. Of
specific liquors, as ale, wine, etc., or diluted
forms of these. See also small beer. (from 1440)
b. Of drinks, beverages, or liquors in general,
sometimes applied to such as are non-alcoholic. In
quot. 1471 said of water in contrast to spirit.
c. In general use: Weak, thin. rare. (from 1676)
13. a. Of sound or the voice: Gentle, low, soft: of
little power or strength; not loud, harsh, or
rough. (from 1250)
b. Of vowels: Narrow, close; spec. in Gaelic
phonology of the vowels e and i, and of certain
consonants when in contact with these. (from 1599).
IV 16. a. Of persons: Low or inferior in rank or
position; of little importance, authority, or
influence; common, ordinary. Now rare. In early
use with ref. to military importance. (from 1205)
b. Having but little land, capital, etc.; dealing,
doing business, etc., on a small scale. spec., the
small man, the typical small businessman. (from
1746)
b. That is (such) to a small or limited extent,
degree, etc. Sometimes used to suggest the
converse of the noun. (from 1523)
18. Of things, etc.: Of little or minor
consequence, interest, or importance; trifling,
trivial, unimportant. With quot. 1483 cf.
Cotgrave's _Menues pensées,_idle, priuate, or
prettie thoughts.' (from 1340)
19. Not prominent or notable; humble, modest;
unpretentious. In later use chiefly in the phrase
in a small way. (from 1386)
20. a. Base, low; mean, ungenerous. (from 1824)
b. Incapable of large views or great actions;
small-minded, mean-souled. (from 1837)
c. As complement with feel and look: Humiliated,
mortified, injured in self-respect. Cf. sense 16 a.
(from 1784)
V 21. a. Special collocations: small ad, small
advertisement, a small advertisement in a
newspaper, usu. in a separate section devoted to
such and printed with lack of display; Small-Back,
Death, imagined as a skeleton; small balls, a
variety of ironstone; small body, in Printing (see
quot.); small-bourgeois adj. = petit bourgeois; so
small bourgeoisie....
So, while it is true that many children can be a bit of a Small (*1),
do you really want to indicate that they are of little importance,
common and ordinary?
>Therefore, I feel that I have every right to call my child a small, and to
>have everyone understand what I mean. The first place I heard a child
>reffered to as a small was in the S.C.A. Maybe someone should have a class on
>proper wording for our (?) times.
As a parent you are perfectly able to call your child whatever you please.
As for the SCA term, it is a neologism, and one that, while widely used,
is not universally excepted, and is considered by many to be an illiterate
usage, as well as an insult. The fact that it a) isn't *period* and b)
totally misses the point of changing the term in the first place not
withstanding.
"Mihi Satis Apparet Propter Diarmuit Ui Dhuinn
Se Ipsum Appetenda Sapientia" University of Northkeep/Company of St. Jude
-- St. Dunstan Northkeepshire, Ansteorra
(I. Marc Carlson/IMC at vax2.utulsa.edu)
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