Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Again with the Sex Part

I think that English did some good in naming genitalia.  For instance, penis and vagina do not sound like any other word.  It can't be easily confused with other terms.  
Italian however, likes to make their words similar to others.  I can envision the inventor of this language laughing as he thinks of words that will embarrass those who accidently speak them in public places. 
Not only is "mouse" one letter off of "vagina" which I have already shared, but "penis"  is "fava".  It doesn't seem that this would pose any problems to anyone, except for myself in a crowded grocery store.  For "fava" is a type of bean, is it not??  The ones that look like long pea pods?  We were looking for green beans when Meema found them and began filling a bag.  I was confused because they were not the green beans that I had known, but more like fava beans.  I began telling Meema that these were Fava beans.  As she said no a thousand times, I grew louder, convinced that I was right.  I kept repeated "fava" and pointing to the beans.  By then, people were staring, and again Meema had to pull me aside and explain that fava was "man sex part".  I was shouting "penis" in a crowded store.  What!!
Can't bad words and sexual terms be universal?  I think it would be a lot less confusing and embarrassing for all.

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