Thursday, August 13, 2009

Why Do We Say "Pay Attention"?

How do we "pay attention"?
With the brain? The eye? The hand? With time? With energy?

What does it cost to pay attention?
Does it pay to pay attention?

"Attend" means to assist, to take care of, to participate.
What are we assisting or participating in when we attend to something?

ATTENTION
Old French: atendre
= to expect, wait for, pay attention
Latin: attendere = give heed to, literally "to stretch toward," from ad (to) + tendere (stretch)

INTENTION
Old French: intendre = to direct one's attention
Latin: intendere, in = toward + tendere = to stretch

HEED
Old English: hedan = to take care, attend
West Germanic: hodjan
Old Saxon: hodian
Old Frisian: hoda
German: hüten = to guard, watch

BEHOLD
"lo and behold"
lo, loke = look and see
load = burden
loaded = rich
behold, behealdan= hold, keep
beholden = indebted

PAY
Old French: paiier
Latin: pacare = to please, pacify, satisfy, especially a creditor
Latin: pax (pacis) = peace

Japanese: chuui (atention) o harau (pay) = pay attention
okane (money) o harau (pay) = pay money

Spanish: atención de la paga = put attention
prestar atención = pay attention, watch, listen
poner atención = put attention

French: attention de salaire = pay attention
faire attention = do attention
attirer l'attention = draw attention
prêter attention = lend attention

German: achtgeben = pay attention, take care

Italian: attenzione di paga = pay attention

Dutch: besteed aandacht = pay attention

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