#calling things like quilting 'crafts' instead of art is more complicated than misogyny | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pearl-kite · 2 years

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I think I've rambled about this before but I can't find it (because of course I can't, it's tumblr)

Sometimes you see people talking about how things like quilting and embroidery, things called crafts, are considered either a lesser or alternate form of art, if they're called art at all. I think I've seen people call this a form of misogyny, because it always seems to be the arts done by women in a household.

And that could definitely be a part of it, but it also just goes to linguistics itself.

The word for art in Old English is cræftas. So craft IS art.

In 1066, William the Conqueror rode up into England from Normandy, which spoke an old form of French.

When you get two cultures now forced together like that, language evolves. Speakers begin taking the Germanic roots of Old English and the Romantic roots of French to create a new (more terrible and obnoxious) form of English - Middle English.

Now, the upper class consists of the conquerors who speak more French and locals who learn it to fit in and keep their power. That form of French becomes the language of the elite. Those that can't afford the time or money to learn it stick with the more Germanic roots of Old English.

But they share ideas, and suddenly you have two ways to say the same thing: sheep and mouton, cow and bœuf, pig and porc. Not just food, either: a cordial reception and a hearty welcome.

arts and cræftas

It's not only that 'crafts' are a thing done predominantly by women, it's that quilt-making and weaving are things done by the working class, the people who would call it cræftas. Meanwhile, sculpture and painting are things done by those who can afford the time or money to do so, the ones who would call them arts.

Anyway, etymology is cool, linguistics is cool, language affects us more than we realize, that's all

#kite rambles #this doesn't really have A Point in the sense that I want to prove anything #it's just something I think about occasionally and think is neat #tumblr about to make me post this on my art sideblog just because I reblogged some of my art over there please don't ಠ_ಠ #linguistics #I'm like 99% positive I wrote something like this up before but I can't find it #so yeah #this is all off the top of my head memory from my History of the English Language course I took in undergrad #so if there's something off that's why please don't be mean about it #I know it's more complicated than this and maybe that's the point #calling things like quilting 'crafts' instead of art is more complicated than misogyny #but yeah #uh #idk where I'm going with this now #I call middle english a more terrible and obnoxious form because that's where a lot of the standard rules disappeared #old english was actually fairly... mmmm.... formulaic? like the rules made more sense #the whole i before e except after c and when sounding like a? that's middle english and william the conqueror's fault #yeah fine to reblog if you want o3o #just was thinking after that reblog bait about my blog's title o3o

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