Spreading and spreading: near synonyms?

[ThomasK]

We can spread lots of things. I got aware of that because Wallonian friends pointed out that they can répandre grains when sowing (in a very structured way to spread the seeds evenly) and that they can also éparpiller papers, simply all around.

I wondered how many verbs you have for spreading these things as direct objects (hoping my list is fairly complete):

a - seeds
b - paper (all around)
c - chocolate sprinkle
d - population (in a negative sense, like internally displaced people)
e - stuff to be sold in a shopwindow or ...
f - collective materials to individuals

I admit that I would not consider some of the above words as near synonyms, let alone synonyms... But that might be interesting about the "exercise. But add some more letters if you think of other things (and DOs).

 

[ThomasK]

For Dutch:
a - strooien, verspreiden (less specific - de perfective form (perfective prefix ver-) of spreiden, to spread
b - verspreiden, in het rond gooien/ rondgooien (FL), throwing around - Result (b2): veld bezaaid met (field lit. be-sown) with ...
c - hagelslag strooien (or also de boterham (slice of bread and butter) be-strooien met hagelslag)
d - verspreiden or (more neg.) uiteendrijven (drive apart)
e - uitstallen/ etaleren, ten toon spreiden (spread out..)
f - uitdelen (hand out [lit. "share"."part" out], distribute
The latter I would not consider (near) synonyms because in e we focus on the exposing/ exhibiting (show) and in f on the giving to individuals...

EXTRA
For those who are interested, I may be allowed to point out one interesting (West German?) phenomenon: ver- can have two meanings as a prefix:
- there is strooien (scattering, sprinkling), and there is ver-strooien, scattering fully. Ver-spreiden can be considered positive: spreading until everything is perfectly spread. So this is ver- as a prefix with perfective meaning (aiming at the result). ---- Therefore verwerken is to process by working, reaching the final result)
- or a negative one is verstrooid (distracted, scattered), iemand verstrooien, to divide X's attention by scattering it. Ver- as a pejorative prefix. (See also: ver-denken [think] is to suspect, to think negatively. Ver-horen [hear] is to interrogate someone like a spy, but funnily God can ver-horen you, which means really hear what you want and make it come true...)

 

[ThomasK]

Let me try for French and rely on @Yendred for the correction!

For Dutch:
a - répandre, maybe disperser
b - jeter, éparpiller? c c- suapoudrer des grains sur les tartines???
d - disperser des gens (chasser?)
e - étaler, exposer???
f - distribuer

@Yendred: thanks!

 

[Yendred]

a - répandre, maybe disperser

or semer /sə.me/.

b - jeter, éparpiller?

I'm not sure about jeter. It would be understood as to throw in the trash.

c- suapoudrer des grains sur les tartines???

saupoudrer /so.pu.dʁe/
The etymology is interesting: primarily it means to spread salt (sau = salt), and the meaning has extended to any powder you spread.
But oddly enough, "saupoudrer de sel" is still considered by some as a pleonasm.

d - disperser des gens (chasser?)

e - étaler, exposer???

exposer
étaler has a negative meaning, as if you were taking more space than necessary.

f - distribuer

or partager, répartir (not repartir).

 

[ThomasK]

or semer /sə.me/. Yes, but you can use semer only with seeds, don't you?
I'm not sure about jeter. It would be understood as to throw in the trash. (But I see: indeed, jeter could be misunderstood - whereas for that we have a prefix trick: weg-gooien, throw away, containing the dé- that means away: déporter, débris (I think)

saupoudrer The etymology is interesting: primarily it means to spread salt (sau = salt), and the meaning has extended to any powder you spread. But oddly enough, "saupoudrer de sel" is still considered by some as a pleonasm.

exposer ---- étaler has a negative meaning, as if you were taking more space than necessary. Really!?! Could you show that using a sentence where étaler would be perceived as wrong? Is it like when you brag about your skills?

or partager. But isn't there some difference between distribuer and partager. For example: that the former implies that you need no personal involvement, whereas partager (shares) requires some willingness?

Just trying, but thanks a lot for your additions/corrections!

 

[apmoy70]

Greek:

a-«Διασπείρω» [ðiaˈs̠piɾo̞] < Classical verb «διασπείρω» /diɐˈspeːrɔː/ --> to scatter, spread out, distribute, dissipate, a compound; prefix & preposition «διά» /diˈɐ/ + «σπείρω» /ˈspeːrɔː/.
b-«Διαμοιράζω» [ðiamiˈɾaz̠o̞] --> to distribute, share, divide into sections < Classical verb «διαμοιράζω» /diɐmøˈrɐd͡zɔː/ --> to divide into equal portions, cut up, a compound; prefix & preposition «διά» + denominative verb «μοιράζω» /møˈrɐd͡zɔː/ --> to share, divide, distribute < Classical feminine noun «μοῖρα» /ˈmø̃rɐ/.
c-«Πασπαλίζω» [pas̠paˈliz̠o̞] --> to sprinkle of unknown origin & etymology (possibly from the ancient feminine noun «παιπάλη» /pɐi̯ˈpɐlɛː/ --> the finest flour, flour dust (etymologically could be an intensive reduplication of the verb «πάλλω» /ˈpɐl.lɔː/)).
d-«Διασπείρω» (see (a)).
e/f-«Διαμοιράζω» (see (b)).

 

[Welsh_Sion]

Let me give you just the one in English that you might find surprising.

broadcast (vb.) Although you might think of this more like diffusing/spreading news or information via media programmes, probably the base meaning is actually to scatter seeds by hand - in much the same way that la semeuse does in a French context.

More later ...

 

[Panceltic]

We can spread lots of things. I got aware of that because Wallonian friends pointed out that they can répandre grains when sowing (in a very structured way to spread the seeds evenly) and that they can also éparpiller papers, simply all around.

I wondered how many verbs you have for spreading these things as direct objects (hoping my list is fairly complete):

a - seeds
b - paper (all around)
c - chocolate sprinkle
d - population (in a negative sense, like internally displaced people)
e - stuff to be sold in a shopwindow or ...
f - collective materials to individuals

I admit that I would not consider some of the above words as near synonyms, let alone synonyms... But that might be interesting about the "exercise. But add some more letters if you think of other things (and DOs).

In Slovenian:

a - sejati (impf.), posejati (pf.) (this means to sow seeds), additional option razsejati (pf.) which gives an impression of scattering it around

b - for paper I would actually use raztresati (impf.), raztresti (pf.) (the base verb tresti means to shake)

c - posipati (impf.), posuti (pf.) (this means to sprinkle)

d - razseljevati (impf.), razseliti (pf.) (the base verb seliti means to move your place of living)

e - razstavljati (impf.), razstaviti (pf.) (cf. razstava 'exhibition'), or maybe razporejati (impf.), razporediti (pf.) which gives an impreession of arranging in some kind of pattern/order (red)

f - deliti (impf.), razdeliti (pf.) (this means to share), or maybe with the loanword distribuirati

I can think of other meanings of 'spread' in English:

g - you can spread butter on the bread, which would be mazati (impf.), namazati (pf.), or razmazati (pf.) which gives an impression of making a mess

h - you can also spread your wings, or an illness can spread among people, this would be širiti (impf.), razširiti (pf.) (cf. širok 'wide')

 

[Roxxxannne]

a - sow (thinly), scatter, broadcast (see #7) seeds
b - spread, strew, scatter paper (all around)
c - sprinkle, scatter, strew, chocolate sprinkle
d - *population (in a negative sense, like internally displaced people)
e - placed, arranged, set up stuff to be sold in a shopwindow or ... possibly spread out
f - I'm not sure what collective materials are, but I use distribute among or give if, for example, I am asking five people each to read one chapter of a five-chapter book giving collective materials to individuals

* Are they displaced by a force of nature or by other people? What is the significance of 'internally'? I can think of lots of verbs for what happens to the population when a hurricane hits a city or a government decides to sequester or remove an ethnic group, but there are many other verbs I'd use for what those people do (or what is done to them) other than spread.

 

[Penyafort]

Catalan

A general common verb in Catalan is escampar [< prefix es- + camp 'field']:

(seeds) escampar llavors​

(salt, pepper...) escampar sal, escampar pebre​

(paper, leaves, litter...) escampar papers, escampar les fulles, escampar les escombraries​

(oil, water...) escampar oli, escampar aigua​

(news, lies...) escampar notícies, escampar mentides​

(people, troops...) escampar les persones, escampar les tropes​

etc​

​

Then, a bit more specifically, we can hear

a (seeds):

= disseminar [< Lat. disseminare, < dis-seminare 'sow'] (Also for disseminar: people, ideas, mistakes, etc)​

​

c (sprinkle):

= espargir [< Lat. spargere] (Also for espargir: liquid in drops, animals, clouds, mist, news, ideas, smell, etc)​

= ensalgar [< Lat. insalicare] (Also for ensalgar: salt, flour)​

= salpicar [probably < sal + picar]​

​

d (people):

= dispersar [< Lat. dispersus, part. of dispergere, < dis-spargere ] (Also for: efforts, attention, etc)​

= dispergir [same etymology, but a more uncommon form]​

Also,
- butter: escampar, estendre (this one also for arms, legs, wings, tongue...)
- news, rumours: escampar, esbombar, esventar, propagar
- news, facts: divulgar, difondre, propagar

 

[apmoy70]

...
Also,
- butter: escampar, estendre (this one also for arms, legs, wings, tongue...)
- news, rumours: escampar, esbombar, esventar, propagar
- news, facts: divulgar, difondre, propagar

- butter: «Αλείφω» [aˈlifo̞] --> to spread (a verb generally connected with fat) < Classical verb «ἀλείφω» /ɐˈleːpʰɔː/ --> to anoint with oil from a possible PIE root *h₂lei̯bʰ- ointment with cognate the Proto-Germanic *bilībaną > Eng. belive, Dt. blijven, Ger. bleiben.
- news, rumours: «Διακινώ» [ðiaciˈno̞] --> (it has a negative connotation) to distribute (drugs, contraband, rumours, fake news) < Classical verb «διακῑνέω-διακῑνῶ» /diɐkiːˈneɔː/ (uncontracted)-/diɐkiːˈnɔ̂ː/ (contracted) --> to move slightly, agitate, scrutinise; a compound; prefix & preposition «διά» /diˈɐ/ + verb «κῑνέω-κῑνῶ» /kiːˈneɔː/ (uncontracted)-/kiːˈnɔ̂ː/ (contracted).
- news, facts: «Μεταδίδω» [me̞t̠aˈðiðo̞] --> to broadcast, transmit < ByzGr v. «μεταδίδω» /metɐˈdidɔː/ < Classical v. «μεταδίδωμι» /metaˈdidɔːmi/ --> to give a share, distribute, communicate, transmit, a compound; prefix & preposition «μετά» /meˈtɐ/ + athematic verb «δίδωμι» /ˈdidɔːmi/.

 

[Welsh_Sion]

In Cymraeg/Welsh, it depends on 'what you spread' or 'what is spread' as you can see from this dictionary entry of the verb:

Geiriadur yr Academi | The Welsh Academy English-Welsh Dictionary 'spread'

 

[ThomasK]

In Slovenian:

b - for paper I would actually use raztresati (impf.), raztresti (pf.) (the base verb tresti means to shake)

I can think of other meanings of 'spread' in English:

g - you can spread butter on the bread, which would be mazati (impf.), namazati (pf.), or razmazati (pf.) which gives an impression of making a mess

h - you can also spread your wings, or an illness can spread among people, this would be širiti (impf.), razširiti (pf.) (cf. širok 'wide')

Thanks a lot. Now I think I recognize a prefix, raz- (which Polish also has, and maybe all Slavic languages): something like apart? "uit-een" in Dutch: "one falling a-part [out-one]", one falling in parts, almost "separating itself"... Isn't that the very essence of spreading?#c might be translated as uit-schudden (shake apart...). See my note in #2, but I focused on another prefix, forgot about "uit" (or "uiteen")...

Does the /sta/ refer to some kind of standing or putting?

Thanks for the additional suggestions, which I had not thought of because we do not associate them with "spreiden" as suchh, whereas other languages do (rightly so of course).

g - smeren (smear), or uitsmeren (razmazati), and yes, a mess might be implied (like when children eat chocolate-spread slices of bread). Just by the way: the way Apmoy uses a word like anointing when referring to "sandwich spread" is so amazing! But for sure, the parallel is logical indeed...
h - vleugels -/ (uit)spreiden >>>> een ziekte (disease) verspreidt zich

 

[ThomasK]

In Cymraeg/Welsh, it depends on 'what you spread' or 'what is spread' as you can see from this dictionary entry of the verb:

Geiriadur yr Academi | The Welsh Academy English-Welsh Dictionary 'spread'

indeed, but that is interesting, as for me: there is something like a basic concept and we notice [discover] that not all "spread" verbs fit into that underlying concept which we associate with one particular "root word", whereas we all understand that spreading "stuff" on bread is some form of spreading, whereas we use "smear" (smeren). In my view such explorations open my view on things: language used to refer to things and what we do with them confronts us with other "points of view". The reverse Sapir-Whorf?

 

[Panceltic]

Thanks a lot. Now I think I recognize a prefix, raz- (which Polish also has, and maybe all Slavic languages): something like apart? "uit-een" in Dutch: "one falling a-part [out-one]", one falling in parts, almost "separating itself"... Isn't that the very essence of spreading?#c might be translated as uit-schudden (shake apart...). See my note in #2, but I focused on another prefix, forgot about "uit" (or "uiteen")...

Does the /sta/ refer to some kind of standing or putting?

Thanks for the additional suggestions, which I had not thought of because we do not associate them with "spreiden" as suchh, whereas other languages do (rightly so of course).

g - smeren (smear), or uitsmeren (razmazati), and yes, a mess might be implied (like when children eat chocolate-spread slices of bread). Just by the way: the way Apmoy uses a word like anointing when referring to "sandwich spread" is so amazing! But for sure, the parallel is logical indeed...
h - vleugels -/ (uit)spreiden >>>> een ziekte (disease) verspreidt zich

You are right, raz- is something like dis- in English. It's a very common prefix for various verbs.

Yes, sta- is the root connected with standing. Stati (to stand), postati (to become), postajati (impf.), vstati (to stand up), vstajati (impf.), postaviti (to put sth in a place), postavljati (impf.), nastati (to come into being), nastajati (impf.) ...

 

[Roxxxannne]

indeed, but that is interesting, as for me: there is something like a basic concept and we notice [discover] that not all "spread" verbs fit into that underlying concept which we associate with one particular "root word", whereas we all understand that spreading "stuff" on bread is some form of spreading, whereas we use "smear" (smeren). In my view such explorations open my view on things: language used to refer to things and what we do with them confronts us with other "points of view". The reverse Sapir-Whorf?

Who do you consider to fall into the "we" category? I suspect many, if not most, English-speaking Americans use "spread" instead of "smear" for what one usually does with butter on bread.

 

[ThomasK]

I had been wishfully thinking of myself and lots of others speaking Dutch and who - as far as I know - would never (say that they) spread chocopasta (chocolate paste) on their bread. But that is something I always find so challenging: that some word that seem "so basic" in one language turn out to have a narrower OR a broader meaning - and/or are not that clear as such. There are people who think we have certain "basic verbs" referring to (underlying) universal concepts, but they are often proven wrong.

I looked for universals, but there was only one Wierzbicka who developed some semantic primes, and that list was by far not as long as what I would have though. But my gut feeling in general is that people can understand certain general meanings/... like giving and getting, or giving and taking, and understand gestures showing those meanings.

I did not mean to insult anyone by the way, no way! I love that kind of - what I would call - "eye openers"... And in fact it helps to know when we - or anyone! - teach people speaking a different language: sometimes we can prevent misunderstandings. (Like when I had a group of Dutch and German speakers, I had to pay attention when referring to cafés, as they are pubs with us, but coffee houses for older ladies and gentlemen)

 

[Roxxxannne]

And in the US a cafe can be a small restaurant, a bar, or a place to get coffee, tea, and pastries.
I'm certainly not insulted!

 

[ThomasK]

I was not so sure about the US term, happened to know the German "problem" better. But does that theory or view of mine make sense?

Not insulted: that is what was I hoped!