| 词源 |
Arawak. This language of the Arawak people of the Lesser Antilles is unique because it developed into a separate “fe- male language.” Many years before Columbus landed, fierce South American Caribs had invaded the islands, butchering and eating all the male inhabitants and claiming their wom- en. In retaliation, the women devised a separate female language based on Arawak, refused to speak Carib, and for generations thereafter maintained silence in the presence of all males. |