Wikipedia says the following in its entry for "internment"

"the English term concentration camp was first used in order to
refer to the reconcentrados (reconcentration camps) which were set
up by the Spanish military in Cuba during the Ten Years' War
(1868�1878)."

Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place? What
is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I don't
understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".

"To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or sheltered
them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate hundreds of
thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held cities behind
barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/concentration-camps-existed-
long-before-Auschwitz-180967049/

Is something being centered differently as in "concentric"?

Is something more "concentrated" than being dilute?

On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 GMT, Pamela
<pamela.private.mailbox@gmail.com> wrote:

>Wikipedia says the following in its entry for "internment"
>
> "the English term concentration camp was first used in order to
> refer to the reconcentrados (reconcentration camps) which were set
> up by the Spanish military in Cuba during the Ten Years' War
> (1868–1878)."
>
>Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place? What
>is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I don't
>understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".

"In the so-called "Creciente de Valmaseda" incident, the corps
captured farmers (Guajiros) and the families of Mambises, killing them
immediately or sending them en masse to concentration camps on the
island." (Wiki)

No mention of "reconcentration", but I imagine that it refers to
"re-education" of the peasants as an innocuous term for the world's
press and public opinion.

> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or sheltered
> them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate hundreds of
> thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held cities behind
> barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."
>
> https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/concentration-camps-existed-
> long-before-Auschwitz-180967049/
>
>Is something being centered differently as in "concentric"?
>
>Is something more "concentrated" than being dilute?

Le jeudi 27 janvier 2022 à 17:35:54 UTC+1, Pamela a écrit :
> Wikipedia says the following in its entry for "internment"
>
> "the English term concentration camp was first used in order to
> refer to the reconcentrados (reconcentration camps) which were set
> up by the Spanish military in Cuba during the Ten Years' War
> (1868–1878)."
>
> Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place? What
> is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I don't
> understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
>
> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or sheltered
> them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate hundreds of
> thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held cities behind
> barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."
>
> https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/concentration-camps-existed-
> long-before-Auschwitz-180967049/
>
> Is something being centered differently as in "concentric"?

? It's just that rural inhabitants were (by definition) "concentrated",
i.e. mostly present, in the countryside and that by being massively
relocated, they become "reconcentrated" in cities.

>
> Is something more "concentrated" than being dilute?

On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 09:00:26 -0800, Mack A. Damia
<drsteerforth@yahoo.com> wrote:

>On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 GMT, Pamela
><pamela.private.mailbox@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>Wikipedia says the following in its entry for "internment"
>>
>> "the English term concentration camp was first used in order to
>> refer to the reconcentrados (reconcentration camps) which were set
>> up by the Spanish military in Cuba during the Ten Years' War
>> (1868–1878)."
>>
>>Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place? What
>>is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I don't
>>understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
>
>"In the so-called "Creciente de Valmaseda" incident, the corps
>captured farmers (Guajiros) and the families of Mambises, killing them
>immediately or sending them en masse to concentration camps on the
>island." (Wiki)
>
>No mention of "reconcentration", but I imagine that it refers to
>"re-education" of the peasants as an innocuous term for the world's
>press and public opinion.

This is merely my best guess, but the concentration camps in China are
called re-education camps.

On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 +0000, Pamela wrote:

> Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place? What
> is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I don't
> understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
>
> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or sheltered
> them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate hundreds of
> thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held cities behind barbed
> wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."

To "concentrate" means to gather something widely scattered or diluted
into a smaller space, which is what was done in that case by the Spanish,
and also by the British in the Anglo-Boer War, and by the Portuguese in
the Mocambique War of Liberation.

The term may go back earlier, though, to Jesuit missionaries in South
America, who tried to concentrate their converts into Christian
communities called "reducciones" (not sure of spelling) to reduce the
influence on them of the pagan society around them. Such communities were
shown in the film "The Mission".

--
Steve Hayes http://khanya.wordpress.com

On 01:49 28 Jan 2022, Steve Hayes said:

> On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 +0000, Pamela wrote:
>
>> Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place?
>> What is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I
>> don't understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
>>
>> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or
>> sheltered them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate
>> hundreds of thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held
>> cities behind barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."
>
> To "concentrate" means to gather something widely scattered or
> diluted into a smaller space, which is what was done in that case by
> the Spanish, and also by the British in the Anglo-Boer War, and by
> the Portuguese in the Mocambique War of Liberation.
>
> The term may go back earlier, though, to Jesuit missionaries in South
> America, who tried to concentrate their converts into Christian
> communities called "reducciones" (not sure of spelling) to reduce the
> influence on them of the pagan society around them. Such communities
> were shown in the film "The Mission".

I can accept a lot of that but why the "re-" in "reconcentration"?

"Concentration", as you explain, is one thing but "reconcentration" seems
to be another. Maybe there is something in Spanish language usage which is
not translating well into English.

* Pamela:

> On 01:49 28 Jan 2022, Steve Hayes said:
>
>> On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 +0000, Pamela wrote:
>>
>>> Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place?
>>> What is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I
>>> don't understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
>>>
>>> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or
>>> sheltered them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate
>>> hundreds of thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held
>>> cities behind barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."
>>
>> To "concentrate" means to gather something widely scattered or
>> diluted into a smaller space, which is what was done in that case by
>> the Spanish, and also by the British in the Anglo-Boer War, and by
>> the Portuguese in the Mocambique War of Liberation.
>>
>> The term may go back earlier, though, to Jesuit missionaries in South
>> America, who tried to concentrate their converts into Christian
>> communities called "reducciones" (not sure of spelling) to reduce the
>> influence on them of the pagan society around them. Such communities
>> were shown in the film "The Mission".
>
> I can accept a lot of that but why the "re-" in "reconcentration"?
>
> "Concentration", as you explain, is one thing but "reconcentration" seems
> to be another. Maybe there is something in Spanish language usage which is
> not translating well into English.

I find that quite possible. There's a number of French words where I
wonder why they have re-:

ramasser - to gather
rappeller - to call (on the phone)
rassembler - to assemble/gather
renseigner - to inform
rejoindre - to join

--
- There's someone here wanting to audition. - OK, Who is he?
- Well, it's not exactly a he. - OK, Who is she?
- Well, it's not exactly a she. ... it's sort of a they.
- You mean there's more than one? - Not really.
- Good grief, it's a triple-header.
-> <https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Tom,_Dick,_and_Harry>

On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 6:13:02 AM UTC-7, Pamela wrote:
> On 01:49 28 Jan 2022, Steve Hayes said:
>
> > On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 +0000, Pamela wrote:
> >
> >> Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place?
> >> What is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I
> >> don't understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
> >>
> >> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or
> >> sheltered them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate
> >> hundreds of thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held
> >> cities behind barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."
> >
> > To "concentrate" means to gather something widely scattered or
> > diluted into a smaller space, which is what was done in that case by
> > the Spanish, and also by the British in the Anglo-Boer War, and by
> > the Portuguese in the Mocambique War of Liberation.
> >
> > The term may go back earlier, though, to Jesuit missionaries in South
> > America, who tried to concentrate their converts into Christian
> > communities called "reducciones" (not sure of spelling) to reduce the
> > influence on them of the pagan society around them. Such communities
> > were shown in the film "The Mission".

> I can accept a lot of that but why the "re-" in "reconcentration"?
>
> "Concentration", as you explain, is one thing but "reconcentration" seems
> to be another. Maybe there is something in Spanish language usage which is
> not translating well into English.

"Re-" is a common intensifier in Spanish and these days can be a word in
itself, as in "re difícil" meaning 'very difficult'. "Frijoles refritos" are
thoroughly fried, not fried twice. So maybe it was "thorough concentration".

--
Jerry Friedman

On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 6:59:54 AM UTC-7, Quinn C wrote:
> * Pamela:
> > On 01:49 28 Jan 2022, Steve Hayes said:
> >
> >> On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 +0000, Pamela wrote:
> >>
> >>> Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place?
> >>> What is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I
> >>> don't understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
> >>>
> >>> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or
> >>> sheltered them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate
> >>> hundreds of thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held
> >>> cities behind barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."
> >>
> >> To "concentrate" means to gather something widely scattered or
> >> diluted into a smaller space, which is what was done in that case by
> >> the Spanish, and also by the British in the Anglo-Boer War, and by
> >> the Portuguese in the Mocambique War of Liberation.
> >>
> >> The term may go back earlier, though, to Jesuit missionaries in South
> >> America, who tried to concentrate their converts into Christian
> >> communities called "reducciones" (not sure of spelling) to reduce the
> >> influence on them of the pagan society around them. Such communities
> >> were shown in the film "The Mission".
> >
> > I can accept a lot of that but why the "re-" in "reconcentration"?
> >
> > "Concentration", as you explain, is one thing but "reconcentration" seems
> > to be another. Maybe there is something in Spanish language usage which is
> > not translating well into English.

> I find that quite possible. There's a number of French words where I
> wonder why they have re-:
>
> ramasser - to gather
> rappeller - to call (on the phone)
> rassembler - to assemble/gather
> renseigner - to inform
> rejoindre - to join

You could also remark that "refrigerate" doesn't mean "chill again".

--
Jerry Friedman

On Fri, 28 Jan 2022 13:12:36 GMT, Pamela
<pamela.private.mailbox@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 01:49 28 Jan 2022, Steve Hayes said:
>
>> On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 +0000, Pamela wrote:
>>
>>> Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place?
>>> What is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I
>>> don't understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
>>>
>>> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or
>>> sheltered them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate
>>> hundreds of thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held
>>> cities behind barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."
>>
>> To "concentrate" means to gather something widely scattered or
>> diluted into a smaller space, which is what was done in that case by
>> the Spanish, and also by the British in the Anglo-Boer War, and by
>> the Portuguese in the Mocambique War of Liberation.
>>
>> The term may go back earlier, though, to Jesuit missionaries in South
>> America, who tried to concentrate their converts into Christian
>> communities called "reducciones" (not sure of spelling) to reduce the
>> influence on them of the pagan society around them. Such communities
>> were shown in the film "The Mission".
>
>I can accept a lot of that but why the "re-" in "reconcentration"?
>
>"Concentration", as you explain, is one thing but "reconcentration" seems
>to be another. Maybe there is something in Spanish language usage which is
>not translating well into English.

I don't know.

Maybe similar to the "re" in "reducciones".

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

Le vendredi 28 janvier 2022 à 14:13:02 UTC+1, Pamela a écrit :
> On 01:49 28 Jan 2022, Steve Hayes said:
>
> > On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 +0000, Pamela wrote:
> >
> >> Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place?
> >> What is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I
> >> don't understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
> >>
> >> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or
> >> sheltered them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate
> >> hundreds of thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held
> >> cities behind barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."
> >
> > To "concentrate" means to gather something widely scattered or
> > diluted into a smaller space, which is what was done in that case by
> > the Spanish, and also by the British in the Anglo-Boer War, and by
> > the Portuguese in the Mocambique War of Liberation.
> >
> > The term may go back earlier, though, to Jesuit missionaries in South
> > America, who tried to concentrate their converts into Christian
> > communities called "reducciones" (not sure of spelling) to reduce the
> > influence on them of the pagan society around them. Such communities
> > were shown in the film "The Mission".
> I can accept a lot of that but why the "re-" in "reconcentration"?
>
> "Concentration", as you explain, is one thing but "reconcentration" seems
> to be another. Maybe there is something in Spanish language usage which is
> not translating well into English.

M-W gives the following definitions for "reconcentration":

---
Definition of reconcentration
1: the action of reconcentrating or the state of being reconcentrated
(...)
2: the action or policy of concentrating the rural population in or about towns
for convenience in political or military administration (as in Cuba during the
revolution of 1895–98)

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconcentration
__

But obiously, the second sense is derived from the first, since, as
I said earlier, the population was previously concentrated in rural
areas. The addition of the re- prefix quite makes sense, in Spanish
as well as in English, to indicate the duplication of that state.

On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 2:10:14 PM UTC-5, Bebercito wrote:
> Le vendredi 28 janvier 2022 à 14:13:02 UTC+1, Pamela a écrit :
> > On 01:49 28 Jan 2022, Steve Hayes said:
> > > On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 +0000, Pamela wrote:

> > >> Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place?
> > >> What is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I
> > >> don't understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
> > >>
> > >> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or
> > >> sheltered them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate
> > >> hundreds of thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held
> > >> cities behind barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."
> > >
> > > To "concentrate" means to gather something widely scattered or
> > > diluted into a smaller space, which is what was done in that case by
> > > the Spanish, and also by the British in the Anglo-Boer War, and by
> > > the Portuguese in the Mocambique War of Liberation.
> > > The term may go back earlier, though, to Jesuit missionaries in South
> > > America, who tried to concentrate their converts into Christian
> > > communities called "reducciones" (not sure of spelling) to reduce the
> > > influence on them of the pagan society around them. Such communities
> > > were shown in the film "The Mission".
> > I can accept a lot of that but why the "re-" in "reconcentration"?
> > "Concentration", as you explain, is one thing but "reconcentration" seems
> > to be another. Maybe there is something in Spanish language usage which is
> > not translating well into English.
>
> M-W gives the following definitions for "reconcentration":
>
> ---
> Definition of reconcentration
> 1: the action of reconcentrating or the state of being reconcentrated
> (...)
> 2: the action or policy of concentrating the rural population in or about towns
> for convenience in political or military administration (as in Cuba during the
> revolution of 1895–98)
>
> https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconcentration
> __
>
> But obiously, the second sense is derived from the first, since, as
> I said earlier, the population was previously concentrated in rural
> areas. The addition of the re- prefix quite makes sense, in Spanish
> as well as in English, to indicate the duplication of that state.

Wow. You'll go to any lengths to try to "prove" that language is
"logical" -- one of the great French myths.

I have never encountered the English word. The few times it has
been used that have been quoted here strongly suggest that it's
borrowed from Spanish (and maybe American Spanish in particular),
and Jerry has clearly shown that in Spanish re- does not generally
mean 'again' (but sometimes it does?) but is simply an intensifier.

The refried beans are a disappointment, though.

Le vendredi 28 janvier 2022 à 21:12:08 UTC+1, Peter T. Daniels a écrit :
> On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 2:10:14 PM UTC-5, Bebercito wrote:
> > Le vendredi 28 janvier 2022 à 14:13:02 UTC+1, Pamela a écrit :
> > > On 01:49 28 Jan 2022, Steve Hayes said:
> > > > On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 +0000, Pamela wrote:
>
> > > >> Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place?
> > > >> What is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I
> > > >> don't understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
> > > >>
> > > >> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or
> > > >> sheltered them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate
> > > >> hundreds of thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held
> > > >> cities behind barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."
> > > >
> > > > To "concentrate" means to gather something widely scattered or
> > > > diluted into a smaller space, which is what was done in that case by
> > > > the Spanish, and also by the British in the Anglo-Boer War, and by
> > > > the Portuguese in the Mocambique War of Liberation.
> > > > The term may go back earlier, though, to Jesuit missionaries in South
> > > > America, who tried to concentrate their converts into Christian
> > > > communities called "reducciones" (not sure of spelling) to reduce the
> > > > influence on them of the pagan society around them. Such communities
> > > > were shown in the film "The Mission".
> > > I can accept a lot of that but why the "re-" in "reconcentration"?
> > > "Concentration", as you explain, is one thing but "reconcentration" seems
> > > to be another. Maybe there is something in Spanish language usage which is
> > > not translating well into English.
> >
> > M-W gives the following definitions for "reconcentration":
> >
> > ---
> > Definition of reconcentration
> > 1: the action of reconcentrating or the state of being reconcentrated
> > (...)
> > 2: the action or policy of concentrating the rural population in or about towns
> > for convenience in political or military administration (as in Cuba during the
> > revolution of 1895–98)
> >
> > https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconcentration
> > __
> >
> > But obiously, the second sense is derived from the first, since, as
> > I said earlier, the population was previously concentrated in rural
> > areas. The addition of the re- prefix quite makes sense, in Spanish
> > as well as in English, to indicate the duplication of that state.

> Wow. You'll go to any lengths to try to "prove" that language is
> "logical" -- one of the great French myths.
>
> I have never encountered the English word. The few times it has
> been used that have been quoted here strongly suggest that it's
> borrowed from Spanish (and maybe American Spanish in particular),
> and Jerry has clearly shown that in Spanish re- does not generally
> mean 'again' (but sometimes it does?) but is simply an intensifier.
>
> The refried beans are a disappointment, though.

"Re" used as an intensifier in Spanish is (Argentine) slang
and obviously doesn't match the register of the text discussed.
Besides, -re indicating duplication is productive in both Spanish
and English. Why would one look any further?

On 29/01/22 01:57, Jerry Friedman wrote:

> "Re-" is a common intensifier in Spanish and these days can be a word
> in itself, as in "re difícil" meaning 'very difficult'. "Frijoles
> refritos" are thoroughly fried, not fried twice. So maybe it was
> "thorough concentration".

"Refried beans" is a common phrase in English. I'm now beginning to see
that I've misunderstood it all these years.

Biscuits are still cooked twice, though.

--
Peter Moylan Newcastle, NSW http://www.pmoylan.org

On Fri, 28 Jan 2022 06:57:58 -0800 (PST), Jerry Friedman
<jerry_friedman@yahoo.com> wrote:

>On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 6:13:02 AM UTC-7, Pamela wrote:
>> On 01:49 28 Jan 2022, Steve Hayes said:
>>
>> > On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 +0000, Pamela wrote:
>> >
>> >> Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place?
>> >> What is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I
>> >> don't understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
>> >>
>> >> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or
>> >> sheltered them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate
>> >> hundreds of thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held
>> >> cities behind barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."
>> >
>> > To "concentrate" means to gather something widely scattered or
>> > diluted into a smaller space, which is what was done in that case by
>> > the Spanish, and also by the British in the Anglo-Boer War, and by
>> > the Portuguese in the Mocambique War of Liberation.
>> >
>> > The term may go back earlier, though, to Jesuit missionaries in South
>> > America, who tried to concentrate their converts into Christian
>> > communities called "reducciones" (not sure of spelling) to reduce the
>> > influence on them of the pagan society around them. Such communities
>> > were shown in the film "The Mission".
>
>> I can accept a lot of that but why the "re-" in "reconcentration"?
>>
>> "Concentration", as you explain, is one thing but "reconcentration" seems
>> to be another. Maybe there is something in Spanish language usage which is
>> not translating well into English.
>
>"Re-" is a common intensifier in Spanish and these days can be a word in
>itself, as in "re difícil" meaning 'very difficult'. "Frijoles refritos" are
>thoroughly fried, not fried twice. So maybe it was "thorough concentration".

Or....."re-education" where you have to re-concentrate on the new
program.

reconcentrate
in British English

VERB (transitive)
to cause (the mind, thoughts, efforts, etc) to be concentrated "again"
on a particular purpose or goal.

"Re-education".

I knew you'd get it sooner or later.

Le vendredi 28 janvier 2022 à 21:12:08 UTC+1, Peter T. Daniels a écrit :
> On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 2:10:14 PM UTC-5, Bebercito wrote:
> > Le vendredi 28 janvier 2022 à 14:13:02 UTC+1, Pamela a écrit :
> > > On 01:49 28 Jan 2022, Steve Hayes said:
> > > > On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 +0000, Pamela wrote:
>
> > > >> Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place?
> > > >> What is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I
> > > >> don't understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
> > > >>
> > > >> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or
> > > >> sheltered them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate
> > > >> hundreds of thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held
> > > >> cities behind barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."
> > > >
> > > > To "concentrate" means to gather something widely scattered or
> > > > diluted into a smaller space, which is what was done in that case by
> > > > the Spanish, and also by the British in the Anglo-Boer War, and by
> > > > the Portuguese in the Mocambique War of Liberation.
> > > > The term may go back earlier, though, to Jesuit missionaries in South
> > > > America, who tried to concentrate their converts into Christian
> > > > communities called "reducciones" (not sure of spelling) to reduce the
> > > > influence on them of the pagan society around them. Such communities
> > > > were shown in the film "The Mission".
> > > I can accept a lot of that but why the "re-" in "reconcentration"?
> > > "Concentration", as you explain, is one thing but "reconcentration" seems
> > > to be another. Maybe there is something in Spanish language usage which is
> > > not translating well into English.
> >
> > M-W gives the following definitions for "reconcentration":
> >
> > ---
> > Definition of reconcentration
> > 1: the action of reconcentrating or the state of being reconcentrated
> > (...)
> > 2: the action or policy of concentrating the rural population in or about towns
> > for convenience in political or military administration (as in Cuba during the
> > revolution of 1895–98)
> >
> > https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconcentration
> > __
> >
> > But obiously, the second sense is derived from the first, since, as
> > I said earlier, the population was previously concentrated in rural
> > areas. The addition of the re- prefix quite makes sense, in Spanish
> > as well as in English, to indicate the duplication of that state.
> Wow. You'll go to any lengths to try to "prove" that language is
> "logical" -- one of the great French myths.
>
> I have never encountered the English word. The few times it has
> been used that have been quoted here strongly suggest that it's
> borrowed from Spanish (and maybe American Spanish in particular),
> and Jerry has clearly shown that in Spanish re- does not generally
> mean 'again' (but sometimes it does?) but is simply an intensifier.
>
> The refried beans are a disappointment, though.

Something obvious that I had overlooked so far just came
into my realization. It is that in the passage quoted by
the OP, i.e.

"the English term concentration camp was first used in order to
refer to the reconcentrados (reconcentration camps) which were
set up by the Spanish military in Cuba during the Ten Years' War
(1868–1878)."

we learn that concentration camps were named after
"reconcentration camps". The question that naturally
springs to one's mind is "Why was the re- suffix
lost in the process"?

And my answer is: because precisely, the
people placed in "concentration camps" (as
opposed to "reconcentration camps") weren't
previously concentrated anywhere, as they had been
rounded up from many different cities and even countries.

QED.

On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 3:44:05 PM UTC-5, Bebercito wrote:
> Le vendredi 28 janvier 2022 à 21:12:08 UTC+1, Peter T. Daniels a écrit :
> > On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 2:10:14 PM UTC-5, Bebercito wrote:

> > > But obiously, the second sense is derived from the first, since, as
> > > I said earlier, the population was previously concentrated in rural
> > > areas. The addition of the re- prefix quite makes sense, in Spanish
> > > as well as in English, to indicate the duplication of that state.
>
> > Wow. You'll go to any lengths to try to "prove" that language is
> > "logical" -- one of the great French myths.
> >
> > I have never encountered the English word. The few times it has
> > been used that have been quoted here strongly suggest that it's
> > borrowed from Spanish (and maybe American Spanish in particular),
> > and Jerry has clearly shown that in Spanish re- does not generally
> > mean 'again' (but sometimes it does?) but is simply an intensifier.
> >
> > The refried beans are a disappointment, though.
>
> "Re" used as an intensifier in Spanish is (Argentine) slang

There are probably not _terribly_ many Argentines in New Mexico.

> and obviously doesn't match the register of the text discussed.
> Besides, -re indicating duplication is productive in both Spanish
> and English. Why would one look any further?

On 22:58 28 Jan 2022, Peter Moylan said:

> On 29/01/22 01:57, Jerry Friedman wrote:
>
>> "Re-" is a common intensifier in Spanish and these days can be a word
>> in itself, as in "re difícil" meaning 'very difficult'. "Frijoles
>> refritos" are thoroughly fried, not fried twice. So maybe it was
>> "thorough concentration".
>
> "Refried beans" is a common phrase in English. I'm now beginning to see
> that I've misunderstood it all these years.

Interesting.

On 29/01/22 23:57, Pamela wrote:
> On 22:58 28 Jan 2022, Peter Moylan said:
>
>> On 29/01/22 01:57, Jerry Friedman wrote:
>>
>>> "Re-" is a common intensifier in Spanish and these days can be a
>>> word in itself, as in "re difícil" meaning 'very difficult'.
>>> "Frijoles refritos" are thoroughly fried, not fried twice. So
>>> maybe it was "thorough concentration".
>>
>> "Refried beans" is a common phrase in English. I'm now beginning to
>> see that I've misunderstood it all these years.
>
> Interesting.

More detail: I've tended to assume that it means "fried leftovers". The
refried beans that I've experienced have tended to support this theory.

--
Peter Moylan Newcastle, NSW http://www.pmoylan.org

On 13:17 29 Jan 2022, Peter Moylan said:

> On 29/01/22 23:57, Pamela wrote:
>> On 22:58 28 Jan 2022, Peter Moylan said:
>>
>>> On 29/01/22 01:57, Jerry Friedman wrote:
>>>
>>>> "Re-" is a common intensifier in Spanish and these days can be a
>>>> word in itself, as in "re difícil" meaning 'very difficult'.
>>>> "Frijoles refritos" are thoroughly fried, not fried twice. So
>>>> maybe it was "thorough concentration".
>>>
>>> "Refried beans" is a common phrase in English. I'm now beginning to
>>> see that I've misunderstood it all these years.
>>
>> Interesting.
>
> More detail: I've tended to assume that it means "fried leftovers".
> The refried beans that I've experienced have tended to support this
> theory.

Whilst that reading might technicaly be correct, I suspect the
misinterpreted meaning of "refried" has become so commonplace that it
has taken over the original.

It's sort of a "false friend" in our own language.

On 27/01/2022 18:17, Mack A. Damia wrote:
> On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 09:00:26 -0800, Mack A. Damia
>> No mention of "reconcentration", but I imagine that it refers to
>> "re-education" of the peasants as an innocuous term for the world's
>> press and public opinion.
>
> This is merely my best guess, but the concentration camps in China are
> called re-education camps.

I wonder does anybody ever get released from those "re-education"camps
in China when they have been re-educated?

* Bebercito:

> M-W gives the following definitions for "reconcentration":
>
> ---
> Definition of reconcentration
> 1: the action of reconcentrating or the state of being reconcentrated
> (...)
> 2: the action or policy of concentrating the rural population in or about towns
> for convenience in political or military administration (as in Cuba during the
> revolution of 1895–98)
>
> https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconcentration
> __
>
> But obiously, the second sense is derived from the first, since, as
> I said earlier, the population was previously concentrated in rural
> areas.

I'm not convinced. Usually, in rural areas, they're pretty spread out by
comparison.

--
They're telling the truth. [...] I know what you mean. There's
another truth that they're not telling. But newspapers never
do, that's not what they're for.
-- James Baldwin, Giovanni's Room

On Sat, 29 Jan 2022 14:08:12 +0000, Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news>
wrote:

>On 27/01/2022 18:17, Mack A. Damia wrote:
>> On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 09:00:26 -0800, Mack A. Damia
>>> No mention of "reconcentration", but I imagine that it refers to
>>> "re-education" of the peasants as an innocuous term for the world's
>>> press and public opinion.
>>
>> This is merely my best guess, but the concentration camps in China are
>> called re-education camps.
>
>I wonder does anybody ever get released from those "re-education"camps
>in China when they have been re-educated?

Probably like our prisons. If you behave yourself, show that you have
changed "for the better" and toe the line, there will be some kind of
parole.

On Sat, 29 Jan 2022 09:58:07 +1100, Peter Moylan
<peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:

>On 29/01/22 01:57, Jerry Friedman wrote:
>
>> "Re-" is a common intensifier in Spanish and these days can be a word
>> in itself, as in "re difícil" meaning 'very difficult'. "Frijoles
>> refritos" are thoroughly fried, not fried twice. So maybe it was
>> "thorough concentration".
>
>"Refried beans" is a common phrase in English.

Yes.

>I'm now beginning to see
>that I've misunderstood it all these years.

I've long known that it didn't mean "refried, but until Jerry pointed
it out, I didn't realized it meant "thoroughly fried."

On Fri, 28 Jan 2022 06:57:58 -0800 (PST), Jerry Friedman
<jerry_friedman@yahoo.com> wrote:

>On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 6:13:02 AM UTC-7, Pamela wrote:
>> On 01:49 28 Jan 2022, Steve Hayes said:
>>
>> > On Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:35:34 +0000, Pamela wrote:
>> >
>> >> Why was that term "reconcentration camp" used in the first place?
>> >> What is "reconcentration"? There's further explanation below but I
>> >> don't understand the literal meaning of "reconcentration".
>> >>
>> >> "To isolate rebels from the peasants who sometimes fed or
>> >> sheltered them, he thought, it would be necessary to relocate
>> >> hundreds of thousands of rural inhabitants into Spanish-held
>> >> cities behind barbed wire, a strategy he called reconcentracion."
>> >
>> > To "concentrate" means to gather something widely scattered or
>> > diluted into a smaller space, which is what was done in that case by
>> > the Spanish, and also by the British in the Anglo-Boer War, and by
>> > the Portuguese in the Mocambique War of Liberation.
>> >
>> > The term may go back earlier, though, to Jesuit missionaries in South
>> > America, who tried to concentrate their converts into Christian
>> > communities called "reducciones" (not sure of spelling) to reduce the
>> > influence on them of the pagan society around them. Such communities
>> > were shown in the film "The Mission".
>
>> I can accept a lot of that but why the "re-" in "reconcentration"?
>>
>> "Concentration", as you explain, is one thing but "reconcentration" seems
>> to be another. Maybe there is something in Spanish language usage which is
>> not translating well into English.
>
>"Re-" is a common intensifier in Spanish and these days can be a word in
>itself, as in "re difícil" meaning 'very difficult'. "Frijoles refritos" are
>thoroughly fried, not fried twice. So maybe it was "thorough concentration".

The word comes from the Spanish name for the dish—frijoles refritos.
In Spanish "refritos" means "well fried".

"Well-fried".