Not P but Moby-Dick (31)

[Ian Livingston]

Yes, Mike, that sounds right to me. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 30, 2023, at 1:31 PM, Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> The original meaning of "gape" and "yawn" are basically the same. According
> to the OED:
> 
> gape
> 1.a.i. To open the mouth wide, esp. in order to bite or swallow anything.
> Said also of the mouth.
> 
> yawn
> 1. To open the mouth wide voluntarily, esp. in order to swallow or devour
> something; in early use often, to have the mouth wide open; to gape. Said
> also of the mouth.
> 
> Later on, they diverged and took on more specific meanings:
> 
> gape
> 3.a. to gape on or upon, now more commonly to gape at: to stare at with
> open mouth, to gaze upon in curiosity or wonder.
> 
> yawn
> 4.a. To make involuntarily a prolonged inspiration with the mouth wide open
> and the lower jaw much depressed, as from drowsiness or fatigue.
> 
> But also:
> 
> gape
> 6.a. To yawn, esp. from weariness.
> 
> So I think here "gaped", "open-mouthed", and "yawning" all mean basically
> the same thing, which is closer to the original meaning than more
> specifically due to drowsiness or fatigue.
> 
> 
> 
>> On Mon, Oct 30, 2023 at 6:43 AM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> I just saw this and think you should not doubt the dictionary
>> definitions here. yawning means yawning, I would say.
>> 
>> See if there was an etymological difference back in the day of writing it.
>> OED.
>> 
>> On Tue, Oct 24, 2023 at 5:24 AM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> Out of the five existing translations I have at hand, three interpreted
>>> "gaped" as "open-mouthed", which makes "open-mouthed at times" redundant,
>>> while the other two interpreted it as "yawning", which doesn't seem right
>>> either. As a matter of fact, even the word "yawning" that follows doesn't
>>> seem to mean literally yawning, but only indicates his laid-back attitude.
>>> Is that correct?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Tue, Oct 24, 2023 at 12:39 AM Ian Livingston <igrlivingston at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> To gape is to stare, slack jawed, as if unimpressed by the field of
>>>> view—or speechlessly overwhelmed by it. One might gape with boredom or
>>>> wonder. The context is pretty clear in this case.
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>> 
>>>>> On Oct 23, 2023, at 8:03 PM, Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com
>>>> 
>>>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> From Chapter 48:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Besides he all the time looked so easy and indolent himself, so
>>>> loungingly
>>>>> managed his steering-oar, and so broadly gaped—open-mouthed at
>>> times—that
>>>>> the mere sight of such a yawning commander, by sheer force of
>>> contrast,
>>>>> acted like a charm upon the crew.
>>>>> 
>>>>> What's the difference between "gaped" and "open-mouthed" here?
>>>>> --
>>>>> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>>>> 
>>> --
>>> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>>> 
>> 
> --
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