What I Learned Today
Portmanteau and treaty of Westphalia, now that's a combination.
In modern day French portmanteau is a coat rack, however in England it was a type of suitcase. A suitcase with two halves that were hinged together. I remember seeing such a thing in my grandmother's attic years ago. Lewis Carroll used it to describe a pair of words linked together such as the word "portmanteau". So that slithy means lithe and slimy. Animatronics is another example of a portmanteau word.
The Treaty of Westphalia on the other hand was a watershed event that I was unaware of. It ended the religious wars in Europe (in particular the 30 years war) and led to the modern concept of national sovereignty. The entities of Europe were now states and endowed with certain rights. The princes religion was the states religion. The national entities could make treaties as they saw fit. This was a hallmark in history and is referred to by a surprising roster of people. Lewis ÂAtiyyatullah of al Qaeda said in 2004; "the international system built-up by the West since the Treaty of Westphalia will collapse; and a new international system will rise under the leadership of a mighty Islamic state". Hitler blamed 200 years of German disunity on the treaty. The birth of diplomacy and the concept of "balance of power" are also linked to the treaty of Westphalia. Lastly let me note that the treaty was actually negotiated in two cities, Munster (for the Catholics) and Osnabruck (for the Protestants), which indicates how poisoned the climate was. Presumably the world is progressive and that our current political system is better, although the Communists and the Islamicists don't believe boundariesies either.
Portmanteau and treaty of Westphalia, now that's a combination.
In modern day French portmanteau is a coat rack, however in England it was a type of suitcase. A suitcase with two halves that were hinged together. I remember seeing such a thing in my grandmother's attic years ago. Lewis Carroll used it to describe a pair of words linked together such as the word "portmanteau". So that slithy means lithe and slimy. Animatronics is another example of a portmanteau word.
The Treaty of Westphalia on the other hand was a watershed event that I was unaware of. It ended the religious wars in Europe (in particular the 30 years war) and led to the modern concept of national sovereignty. The entities of Europe were now states and endowed with certain rights. The princes religion was the states religion. The national entities could make treaties as they saw fit. This was a hallmark in history and is referred to by a surprising roster of people. Lewis ÂAtiyyatullah of al Qaeda said in 2004; "the international system built-up by the West since the Treaty of Westphalia will collapse; and a new international system will rise under the leadership of a mighty Islamic state". Hitler blamed 200 years of German disunity on the treaty. The birth of diplomacy and the concept of "balance of power" are also linked to the treaty of Westphalia. Lastly let me note that the treaty was actually negotiated in two cities, Munster (for the Catholics) and Osnabruck (for the Protestants), which indicates how poisoned the climate was. Presumably the world is progressive and that our current political system is better, although the Communists and the Islamicists don't believe boundariesies either.
posted by garrison at 2:14 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home