Stuart Mckelvie wrote: > As a historical note, my understanding is that "intelligence" is > dervied from the Latin "inter legens" that means "between reading" > or loosely "reading between the lines".
According to the OED: [ad. L. intelleg-, intelligent-em, pr. pple. of intellegre (later intelligre) to see into, perceive, understand, f. inter between, within + legre to bring together, gather, pick out, choose, catch up, catch with the eye, read. Cf. F. intelligent (Cotgrave, 1611).] In short, legere (or legens, as Stuart had it) does not mean only reading. It means to collect, or to choose. My little Langenscheidt Latin dictionary confirms this: lego, legi, lectus meant primarily "to collect of gather; to pass along or over; to choose, select," and only secondarily, "to read, recite." In any case, origin, as they say, is not essence. That the word may have once, in a now dead language and culture, meant something else, doesn't mean that it's descendent in anouther language and cultures means that today. To take an overworked example, note that "pedigree" comes from from the French phrase "pied de grue" -- "crane's foot." Surely no one would argue that this etymology has any impact on the way the term is used and understood in contemporary English. The first OED def'n of intelligence today is: "1. The faculty of understanding; intellect." Andthe first OED def'n of intellect is "1. That faculty, or sum of faculties, of the mind or soul by which one knows and reasons (excluding sensation, and sometimes imagination; distinguished from feeling and will); power of thought; understanding. Rarely in reference to the lower animals." Does language change over time? Yes. Might it be that the meaning of intelligence will be (has been?) stretched to include other mental activities not traditionally within its purview? Of course. But, do I think that the current over-extension of "intelligence" is mainly a marketing ploy? You betcha. Regards, -- Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] phone: 416-736-5115 ext. 66164 fax: 416-736-5814 http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
