Re: [tied] Re: Birds

Penguin was a name first aplied to the Northern Hemisphere's Puffins and
Auks (family Alcidae), and later transferred to the Southern Penguins
(family Spheniscidae). In French the Great Auk is called Pingouin and the
penguin is called manchot.
Similar is the name "uncia" that was first used for the European lynx (lynx

> luncia > uncia), and after was transferred to South American jaguar (we

call it in Brazil onc'a, c' = c with cedilla, pronnounced /onsa/ ).

Joao SL
Rio

----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Woodson <wood2@...>
To: <cybalist@egroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2000 1:46 AM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: Birds


>
>
>
> Dennis King wrote:
>
> >
> > Piotr wrote:
> >
> > > Will "coot" and "grebe" do? I think they are both analysable as
> > > ultimately Brythonic, even if borrowed indirectly.
> >
> > I was actually thinking of "gull" and "penguin". My English
> > dictionary says "coot" is from Middle Dutch "coet" and leaves
> > it at that. For "grebe" it just gives French "grèbe", and my
> > small dictionnaire étymologique says "origine inconnue" for
> > "grèbe".
> >
> > "Gull" possibly, and French "goéland" certainly, can be
> > traced to Welsh "gwylan" and Breton "gouelan", which are
> > closely cognate with Irish "faoileán", OI "foílenn".
> >
> > "Penguin" is apparently Welsh "pen gwyn" (white head), not
> > from the color of the bird's head, which is not white, but
> > from the name of an island off Newfoundland on which they
> > congregated, and which was blazing white from all the bird
> > droppings. That's the story, anyway.
> >
> > Dennis King
>
> Dennis,
> The only problem with the penguin story is that penguins only live
> in the southern hemisphere. One possibility would be the Common Puffin
> which lives in that area.
> Steve
>
>
>
>