The interpretation of little and the world of kink.
All one has to do is learn another language to understand how simplistic and narrow the English language is. Please do not mistaken my sentiment to mean
that the English language is easy to learn, on the contrary. Anyone I have ever met who has had to learn my native tongue as a second language often speaks of its difficulties and complications and I can not help but agree. The English language is full of discrepancies not to mention irrational reasons for how a word is spelled, take the word "knife" for instance, need I say more? But it is neither of those two annoyances which brings me frustration, rather, it is the lack of words in which my language contains.
In English we have only one word for love: Love. Now the word love can be used as a noun, a plural noun and even a verb; however, it is still one word, one word to describe so many different sensations, so many different levels of affection.
- strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties<maternal love for a child>
- attraction based on sexual desire: affection and tenderness felt by lovers
- affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests<love for his old schoolmates>
- an assurance of love<give her my love>
- warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion<love of the sea>
- the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration<baseball was his first love>
- unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another as in fatherly concern of God for humankind; brotherly concern for others; a persons adoration of God
In Spanish, the word love is both a noun and a verb; however, there are a minimum of four different words all which mean love but in varying degrees and pertaining to specific people/objects.
- amar(to love, to love romantically): Te amo. (Translation: I love you.)
- encantar(indicating strong like): Me encanto escribir. (Translation: I love to write.)
- gustar mucho(indicating strong like): Me gusta mucho este sofa. (Translation: I love this sofa.)
- querer(to love romantically, to want): Te quiero. (Translation: I love you.)
I know from all Master has told me that in German there are numerous ways of expressing love, all with a different word, all expressing different sentiments and I have also been told by my friend Tin that in Punjabi, the words a mother would use to her child when expressing love is different from the words a husband would express to a wife or the love of an object - each feeling has its own word to identify exactly what kind of love is being felt. I must confess that when I was typing the definitions of the word love I found myself rather surprised at how generic the definitions are as it seems to cover a great deal of meanings and affections.
Sometimes I believe it is because of our lack of words that people often misunderstand what a person is meaning, why communication is sometimes lost in translation and we find ourselves uncertain with what a person wants and or desires. My thoughts on my language were not random, rather they were spurred by a few comments Master has made over the last couple of days regarding his impression of what it means to feel little, of what it means to be in a little girl / daddy role play , of what it means to be in a little girl / daddy relationship. From all Master shared with me, he was under the impression that the little girl / daddy relationship (role play) stemmed from the girl actually being small in stature, being petite and that those fantasies, those desires could only be fulfilled when the woman was tiny in physical shape. Now I do not believe Master is the only person who shares in those thoughts, just as I am certain that there are many people who only role play or participate in "little girl" scenarios with short, petite women; however, from my own personal experience and from speaking with others as well as my education I would believe that the idea of "littleness" is not so much physical as it is mental.
And I think my definition, my view point varies from Master simply because the English language does not offer many alternatives for describing our feelings. When I looked up the definition to little I was, once again surprised, because there have been many times I have made the statement, "Master that makes me feel very little" yet the definitions of little do not correspond to how I was feeling, rather it was the closest thing I could think of. After dissecting my feelings as well as the Merriam-Webster dictionary, I believe a better term would be helplessness although that word is not completely accurate either.
I also think it is incredibly hard to find an accurate word for a persons desires, feelings, lusts with regards to the whole "little girl" situation because everyone appears to have an individual response to such an experience. For those who role play the little girl fantasies I would think many desire a small woman, someone who resembles a child or young teen for that can be part of the fetish. With that said I know many women who vary greatly in body shape and height and are very active in such exchanges.
I am guessing, not attempting to make a factual statement, but I believe there are differences between role playing the "little girl" behaviour and living a relationship where "little girl" behaviours are present throughout all exchanges including titles, (Dominant = Daddy, submissive or slave = little girl or daughter). Role playing is something foreign to me as I have only participated in such an activity once and I found myself giggling throughout the entire scene. I also do not role play with Master for he told me very early on in our relationship that he simply does not understand the reason behind it, there is no acting (for a lack of a better words) in his exchanges, all he shares, all he expresses is real and there is no need for false dialogue. This does not mean that either of us judge those who role play, to each his/her own, it simply means that we do not understand that exchange.
But I digress.
With role playing I would think that size, both height and weight might play an important role with ensuring the fantasy is executed to ones liking; however, an ongoing exchange of feeling "little girl" with a dominant might not have as much to do with size as it does with attitude, with a persons innate feeling and expression. I know many who like to dress up in the school girl uniform, who enjoy acting rebellious, be given a spanking only to return to every day life without feeling like a little girl. I also know many who do not dress up at all, who do not put pig tails in their hair and yet they call their loved one Daddy and very much feel "little" when conversing, when being intimate, even when shopping.
I think where the confusion comes from for my Master as well as others I have recently spoken with, has to do with our language and the fact that there simply are not enough words to adequately describe emotions. The term little seems to be common in this world of kink and yet my definition of little most certainly varies from the next, including the dictionary. And I think therein lies another problem, the fact that because we lack terminology we as a society have made up our own definitions to suit ourselves, to help us explain behaviours and feelings.
I know that in the past I have used the word little to describe my lack of control; however, the two do not equate and I think for me, that realisation finally sunk in just last night when Master and I were speaking about a particular response I had to something Master had done both earlier in the week and that very night. My reaction spurred the comment from Master of me not liking to feel little and for some reason his words did not connect. I did not feel little at all but I did feel helpless and over powered and although I can see how people would relate those sensations to being little, I did not. Now in the past I might have but because I had been contemplating terminology, the word little did not associate to me as I am not little.
When I think of the word little I think short, I think petite, I think small as well as young and I am not any of those. Now I can understand people associating feelings to those they felt when a child, especially feelings of helplessness but then wouldn't it be more accurate to say "I am feeling helpless, I am feeling a loss of control, I am feeling as I did when I was a child" rather than saying little? And please do not misunderstand, I do not believe this is a case of semantics nor do I think anyone is wrong for making the statement "I feel little". We all have our own vernacular; however, the reality is we often use words out of context and I believe the term little is one of them.
My words are not law, nor would I want them to be. I am not here to change others views; however, I do believe that if we understand our language just a little better we all will be able to communicate more effectively therefore ensuring all desires, all wants are reached. The initial lesson from this week was about using proper terminology; however, if I really sit back and think about it, there is a greater lesson within that and it has to do with asking for what I want and you really can not have one without the other.
*definitions from Merriam-Webster dictionary
Related reading:
- Perversions run deep. I could see her as I peered through the key...
Thursday,December 31,2009 at 6:05 pm
Thursday,January 7,2010 at 12:39 amslavey_m
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Though words in English have a set meaning, i think most of us use them as symbols to get across what we think or feel about a situation and not as a literal description of it. When we use a word like ‘little’ in describing little girl, we are putting our own beliefs on what its like to be a little girl into the statement. So some think of being a little girl as being a very vulnerable, helpless time in their life, others think of it as being totally carefree and blissfully happy. If you perceive children to be ignorant, then you are most likely to see the little girl of Daddy/little girl play that way as well.
As for love, you are right, we do need more words, but i think we don’t use the words we have enough. i can have a liking for something, an affection for it, a crush on it, even be in a love affair with it (like a new favourite dessert). With Master i love Him in both the noun and verb sense of the word, but it goes way beyond that. i also adore, desire, worship and feel devotion for Him. It is complete and runs to my core, i doubt there is any language in existence that has a word to describe that feeling. The closest i can think of is the archaic meaning of aweful — when something filled you with awe.
Thursday,January 7,2010 at 9:41 amHis Only
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slavey_m,
I think you hit the nail on the head with your sentiment, “not as a literal description” for I am an extremely literal person. I am so literal in fact that I have had to really work at being clear with people regarding what I mean and to ask what he/she means because often we are not speaking the same language. This has been a rather trying battle for Master for I take everything he says to heart and often he is not being literal.
I also think though that people truly do not understand definitions and use words at the wrong time, in the wrong context;however, they sincerely believe what they saying is correct.
As for the word love, I completely agree with you and believe that I do not only love Master but I too adore him and worship him and feel great devotion. Still, the word love is an extremely significant word and I rarely use it unless I know I mean it, unless it is the only way to describe what I am feeling.
I appreciate your insight and look forward to more.
~His
Monday,January 4,2010 at 5:52 pmviemoira
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I found this post very interesting, particularly how English can be misunderstood so easily by those who do not speak it primarily. I guess when you have grown up with English as your primary language and not been exposed to other languages much, it can be easy to overlook these valid points.
Monday,January 4,2010 at 8:49 pmHis Only
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viemoira,
I think studying languages certainly helps in understanding how simplistic the English language really is. After numerous conversations with different people regarding this topic I found it interesting just how many people make their own definitions up even without knowing they do. I think sometimes it is about really listening and asking questions to fully understand what a person means. I think it is best not to take things for face value, better to ask and be certain.
Thank you for stopping by. Please feel free to speak your voice whenever you desire.
~His
Saturday,January 2,2010 at 3:21 amJD
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Thank you for the well wishes. I’ve been reading your blog for several months now and this is the first time I’ve been moved to comment. I should also have said that reading your blog has been very inspiring. I really do admire you — maybe most of all for your tenacity.
Saturday,January 2,2010 at 5:36 pmHis Only
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JD,
I think in life we have our dignity, our integrity and tenacity, almost all else can be taken away or lost but those three things can remain with us forever if we so choose.
I do appreciate that you take the time to read my entries and even more that you took the time to comment. Life is about experience and I find sometimes it helps to learn through others.
I look forward to any other words you wish to share.
Much warmth,
~His
Friday,January 1,2010 at 6:11 pmJD
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I agree with Lauren. Being little isn’t about being helpless — for me anyway. When you’re a child, you often don’t understand how helpless you are. Being little is about feeling dependent and vulnerable. I find it very therapeutic to be little when I’m going through strong emotions that I can’t process even when I’m not little. It’s allowing my Daddy to take care of me, not being helpless without him.
With regards to the size issue, part of the appeal to me of imagining myself as having a more childlike body is that I was fully developed by 12 with an hourglass figure a lot of women have to waist-train to achieve. I’ve never felt connected to my stereotypical womanly body. The other part of it is that I’m (well, just-turned) nineteen, and my Dom/Daddy is 50. As he says, it’s ageplay even without regressing.
Friday,January 1,2010 at 6:56 pmHis Only
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JD,
To begin allow me to thank you for sharing your views on such a topic. I believe yours along with Lauren’s sentiments are exactly why there appears to be a variety of understandings and meanings within the kink culture (and most likely elsewhere). From what you shared as well as Lauren, I would say that I differ greatly from each of you and I probably do from many others as well which is why I turned to the dictionary to see what the actual definition was and interestingly it is nothing like what you are describing or Lauren described nor did it match the feelings I had when experiencing certain situations.
I think that our language is too simplistic, that we do not have enough words to accurately describe what it is we are feeling; therefore we will take already existing words and edit their meanings to what matches what we are feeling and thinking.
I value others views and opinions, I think it is always important to listen to what others have to say.
Thank you for sharing I hope to hear more from you in the future and I wish you and your Dom/Daddy all the very best.
~His
Thursday,December 31,2009 at 11:20 pmHis Only
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Hey Lauren,
As I am not fluent with Spanish either I confess it is a little difficult for me to explain except when I consulted my friends who are Spanish they said that what I was expressing was accurate. I shall have a little faith.
I think that many of the English speaking population often misuses words, I know I do as much as I dislike admitting that. And I believe you are right, we will modify a meaning to suit us and what we want.
For me, understanding a meaning, actually looking it up and dissecting it helped me to understand my feelings and to help express myself in a clear and concise way.
Us humans are rather interesting creatures, don’t you think?
Happy New Year!
~His
Thursday,December 31,2009 at 6:59 pmLauren
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I’m sort of confused. I don’t know Spanish at all, so please excuse my ignorance. But, the “strong like” definitions (encantar and gustar mucho) sound like they could be the same as “adore”? Anyway, I didn’t miss the point of this post and I do agree with you. Even when it comes to other words. I think this is why everyone gets caught up in the semantic-type games so often and how arguments are ignited on so many blogs.
I also understand why your master believed that the little girl/daddy dynamic would only include petite women. I’ve talked to women that thought the same thing about being submissive in general. They’d make comments about how they couldn’t partake in any D/s dynamic because they’re the same size as their partner.
I understand the confusion over “little.” I believe we all (especially submissives) have formulated our own definition. When I feel little, it’s not a feeling of helplessness to me. It’s more so dependence, feeling naïve, and in need of guidance. I enjoy being in that place once in a while despite how negative that may sound. I know others view “little” as being any time that they have felt degraded or humiliated. I doubt there will ever be a universal definition that we won’t want to modify to our own liking.