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BLOB_CASTLE · 4350 days ago · link · · parent · post: What phrases do we often say that have a deeper meaning? (All languages)
Yeah, that's the same in Spanish. "why" is "por que" which translates to "why for?" It's very interesting and I'm curious as to how it evolved to "why" for us.
Cyanomagenta · 4350 days ago · link ·
According to Wikitionary, "From Middle English, from Old English hwȳ, hwī (“why”, instrumental case of hwæt (“what”), literally “by what, for what”), from Proto-Germanic hwī (“by what, how”), from Proto-Indo-European kʷey, locative of *kʷís (“who”)." So, there's a unique word for "why" because there is.
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BLOB_CASTLE · 4350 days ago · link ·
I've always thought the life of a word is so interesting. It's insane to think of what had changed over time to cause such a universal change. I'm going to start saying "for what" instead of "why" now. New Year's Resolution.