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ArchivesRe: Pagan alert!
in reply to a message by Mike C
Guys
Actually, if I recall something mentioned in my Wicca and Neopaganism class correctly, pagan is derived from Latin paganus which meant "from the country", almost like some English speakers use the words "hick" or "bumpkin". It's also like the Greek word that later became the English word "barbarian". I don't quite remember the exact word used during the height of Greek city-states, but I think PriaposLovs might be able to follow my train of thought.
No language is free of "borrowed" words and/or phrases. Whenever two cultures meet (or clash) some verbal exchanges are made (i.e., kangaroo from the Aborigines in Australia, ocelot from Nahuatl, Easter from Old High German, et cetera from Latin, etc.) Many place names in the United States will be an interesting language lesson in various American Indian languages.
Sorry about this rant here, but I'm in the midst of a college paper on the Repatriation Act and how it affects both American Indians and the honest museums or collectors.
Phyllis
Actually, if I recall something mentioned in my Wicca and Neopaganism class correctly, pagan is derived from Latin paganus which meant "from the country", almost like some English speakers use the words "hick" or "bumpkin". It's also like the Greek word that later became the English word "barbarian". I don't quite remember the exact word used during the height of Greek city-states, but I think PriaposLovs might be able to follow my train of thought.
No language is free of "borrowed" words and/or phrases. Whenever two cultures meet (or clash) some verbal exchanges are made (i.e., kangaroo from the Aborigines in Australia, ocelot from Nahuatl, Easter from Old High German, et cetera from Latin, etc.) Many place names in the United States will be an interesting language lesson in various American Indian languages.
Sorry about this rant here, but I'm in the midst of a college paper on the Repatriation Act and how it affects both American Indians and the honest museums or collectors.
Phyllis
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Replies
Some of these foreign names supposedly came from linguistic misunderstandings.
"Llama", for example. It's said an early Spaniard pointed to a llama and asked a Quechua Indian, "what's that called?" In Spanish, "called" would be "llamas", and that's the word the Indian repeated back. The Spaniard (not too bright, apparently) assumed it to be the animal's name.
Similarly with "kangaroo". This may have been an Aboriginal word for "I don't understand you", in reply to a similar question.
"Llama", for example. It's said an early Spaniard pointed to a llama and asked a Quechua Indian, "what's that called?" In Spanish, "called" would be "llamas", and that's the word the Indian repeated back. The Spaniard (not too bright, apparently) assumed it to be the animal's name.
Similarly with "kangaroo". This may have been an Aboriginal word for "I don't understand you", in reply to a similar question.
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The Nootka, a native tribe of western Canada, were named by Captain Cook who thought they were introducing themselves when in fact they were telling him to go away.
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Here's a funny side-note: In my Greek class our prof told us that the Greek word *barbaros* is onomatopoeic. That is, it was given in imitation of the language of the savages, which sounded like "bar bar bar bar" to the Greeks.
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Yep thats true! "Barbaros" is a linguistic and not a racist slur meaning "a non-speaker of Greek".
Regarding the previous point, there are several cases of parallel developments in different languages. For example, the word "lens" evolved from the latin "lentil" (both are presently called lentil in French) just as the Greek word for lens ("fakos") developed from the Greek word for lentil ("faki"). Another case is the analogy of "supposition" and "suppository" which also holds in Greek: "Hypothesis" and "Hypotheton" :P
Regarding the previous point, there are several cases of parallel developments in different languages. For example, the word "lens" evolved from the latin "lentil" (both are presently called lentil in French) just as the Greek word for lens ("fakos") developed from the Greek word for lentil ("faki"). Another case is the analogy of "supposition" and "suppository" which also holds in Greek: "Hypothesis" and "Hypotheton" :P
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