For example, in English the word right (opposite of left) and right (privileges, as in human rights) are homonyms. In Spanish, derecho/a also means both of those things. Don’t the concepts behind those words predate the cross-pollination of the two languages? Why do they share this homonym quality?

  • FuglyDuck
    link
    fedilink
    English
    221 year ago

    Wait ‘till OP finds out that Sinister was originally the word for “left”

    • Meanwhile, the French word for left is “gauche”.

      Which leads to a famous quip from a Canadian conservative politician some decades ago: “the Canadian left is more gauche than sinister”