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kennen vs. wissen

Two things:
 
First, it's "kennen", not "können". "Kennen" means "to be acquainted with" and "können" means "to be able to"--in other words, it's the German equivalent of "can", and it can also be used to mean "to have (a skill)" as in "Ich kann Deutsch."
 
Second, I didn't know that "ko" could imply ability as well as knowledge. If this is true, then "ko" does not make a distinction between "wissen" and the real "können", as in "to know that something is true" versus "to have the ability to do something". How, then, would it make this distinction?
 
Geoff

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: MorphemeAddict@hidden.email < MorphemeAddict@hidden.email>
Date: 30-Nov-2005 17:32
Subject: [Ladekwa] können vs. wissen
To: Ladekwa@yahoogroups.com

 In a message dated 11/29/2005 9:49:15 PM Central Standard Time, grose12@hidden.email writes:


 
In German:

koennen:  "to know by personal acquaintance"
wissen:   "to know by learning or authority"

Given that one *can* break it down as I just did in English, no
doubt one can in the interlingua also.  But this seems a wee bit
English-parochial.  Even English used to make this distinction with
different words.


The Ladekwa words are "ko" and "gofwama":

ko [P/F-s verb] - know, have knowledge of, realize. "Ko" implies knowledge of an entity or an event, which in some cases may also imply ability if the focus itself represents some kind of ability or skill. Sya ko ligogyose gozwase = The students know about the teacher. See "gofwa" and "gofwama" for the sense 'acquaintance/someone you know', and "voko" for the sense 'familiar with'.  For the sense 'speak a language', use "tenzi". [Etym: "-ko" is the classifier for 'mental state']

gofwa [P/F-s noun] - acquaintance, someone that one knows or has met. See also "ko". [Etym: knowledge/wisdom/correct + social/economic/political relation]

gofwama - know, be acquainted with, be an acquaintance of.

gofwamba - introduce, present, acquaint. See also "vokomba".

stevo

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