LL-L 'Etymology' 2006.08.06 (01) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 06 August 2006 * Volume 01
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From: Robert Kelly <kelly at bard.edu> 
Subject: LL-L 'Etymology' 2006.08.05 (02) [E]

Wren.  The etymological Robert (vol. 3) implies, but doesn't outright say, that
the bird is called kinglet (roitelet in French) because of its small size.  It
was likely the smallest of common birds in northern Europe -- so its name of
Little King might be the gentle irony of calling a very tall man Shorty (or Klein...)

RK

----------

From: David Barrow <davidab at telefonica.net.pe> 
Subject: LL-L 'Etymology' 2006.08.05 (02) [E]

>From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
>Subject: Etymology
>
>Dear Lowlanders,
>
>While dealing with the Sorani Kurdish translation, the latest addition to our
>anniversary site (http://www.lowlands-l.net/anniversary/\), I started wondering
>why the idea of "king" is so widespread in naming the wren. I can understand
>commonalities in naming it after its habitat and food sources, also its size
>(hence the idea of "little thumb"), but the "king(let)" part mystifies me. Does
>any of you have any answer or idea? Furthermore, the origin of the word "wren"
>is unclear, and I wonder if there are any theories.
>
Ron,
According to etymonline:

wren
O.E. wrenna, metathesis variation of earlier werna, a W.Gmc. word of
uncertain origin. Cf. Icel. rindill, O.H.G. wrendo, wrendilo "wren." The
bird's name in other languages usually denotes "royalty" (cf. L.
regulus), in reference to its golden crest.

>Below please find a list in semantic order. I have marked non-Germanic language
>varieties by means of *.
>
>Regards,
>Reinhard/Ron
>
>***
>
>WREN ([diminutive]):
>*Cornish (wrannen)
>English (wren)
>English, Middle (wrenne)
>English, Old (wrenna, werna)
>Gothic (wrainda)
>Saxon, Old (wrendo, wrendilo)
>Scots (wren)
>
>"KING" [diminutive]:
>Brabantish, Merchtem (köningske)
>*Castilian (Spanish) (reyezuelo)

Here in Peru one variety is known as the 'cucarachero' the 'cockroacher'

Further research makes me think the Spanish 'reyezuelo' is in fact in
English the 'kinglet' from a different family though related order of birds

see:

reyezuelo = kinglet
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/macdonalds/296/r/r1/reyezuelosencillo.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinglet

wren = chochín
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wren
http://www.usuarios.com/ib305742/ch/ch1/chochin.htm

I don't know how this fits in with the 'king' name in other languages

>Cleves Franconian, Solingen (Köünsken)
>Flemish, Western, Roeselare (keuninkske)
>*French (roitelet)
>German, Old (kuninglīhhīn)
>*Kurdish (? malučka, meluçke)
>*Norman, Jersey (raîté)
>*Walloon (roytea)
>
>"FENCE KING":
>Cleves Franconian, Saarn (Tuunköönich)
>German, Lower Bavarian (Zaunkini)
>German, Modern Standard (Zaunkönig)
>German, Saar (Zaunkeenich)
>Low Saxon, Hadeln (Tuunkeunig)
>Low Saxon, Mennonite (Tünkjenikj, Tuunkjeenig, Tüntjeenich, Tun-Tjeenich)
>Low Saxon, Munsterland (Tuunküörning)
>Saxon, Middle (thunkonninck)
>Related:
>*Turkish (çitkušu "fence/hedge bird")
>
>"WINTER KING" ([diminutive]):
>Brabantish, Antwerp (winterkeunikske)
>Brabantish, Cuijk (winterkunningske)
>Flemish, Western, Nieuwpoort (wienterkeunienksje)
>Brabantish, Rosmalen (wenterkunningske)
>Cleves Franconian, Liemers (winterkoninkske)
>Cleves Franconian, Venlo (winterkeuningske)
>Dutch, Standard (winterkoninkje)
>Frisian, N., Feer/Föhr (wonterköning)
>Frisian, W. (winterkeninkje)
>Limburgish, Bilzen (wènterkiëninkske)
>Limburgish, Brunssum (wintjerkuuëningske)
>Limburgish, General (winterkuningske)
>Limburgish, Vliermaal (wénterkeuninkske)
>
>"NETTLE KING" ([diminutive]):
>Cleves Franconian, Mülheim (Nitelekünich)
>Low Saxon, Achterhoek (nettelkönninksken)
>Low Saxon, Mecklenburg (Nettelkönig)
>Low Saxon, Munsterland (Nettelkönning)
>Low Saxon, Westphalian (Niätelküanig)
>
>"FENCE CREEPER" ([diminutive]):
>Low Saxon, Northern (Tuunkrüper)
>Low Saxon, Eastern Friesland (Tuunkruper)
>Low Saxon, Hoogeveen (tuunkroepertie)
>Low Saxon, Norg (tuunkruperie)
>Low Saxon, Zuidwolde (tuunkroepertien)
>Related:
>*Turkish (çitkušu "fence/hedge bird")
>
>"THUMB" [diminutive]:
>Low Saxon, Stellingwerven (doempien)
>Low Saxon, Twente (duymke)
>Zeelandic, Kwadendamme (duumtje)
>Zeelandic, Oost Souburg (duumpje)
>
>"TURD THUMB" [diminutive]:
>Low Saxon, Groningen (keudeldoemke)
>Related:
>*Hungarian (ökörszem "bull grain/eye")
>*Turkish (bokluca bülbül "turd bulbul/nightingale")

What is a 'turd' in this context? because in English 'turd' means solid
bodily waste

David Barrow

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
>Subject: Etymology

Thanks a lot, guys!

Robert, if I'm right in assuming that this is your posting debut, please except
my welcome on behalf of everyone.  It's great to "hear" from you.

You're probably right: it's a tiny bird with "kingly" behavior, I guess, and this
is what the fable emphasizes as well: feisty and territorial despite its small
size.  However, now I see it's about the golden crest.  

The language varieties that use this idea in their names for the bird have had
direct and indirect contacts with each other ... except Kurdish!  I hope I'm
right in assuming dimininutive _malučka_ (_meluçke_) is based on the Arabic word
for king (Ù
لك > _malek_ ~ _maliyk_ ~ _maluk_ etc. in Kurdish dialects).  I can't
find equivalents of this bird name in Turkic, Arabic and Iranian, and this is why
I am surprised to find this name in Kurdish.

Thanks to you too, Dave.  Yes, I was reminded of "kinglet," too, which is why I
mentioned it in quotation marks.

> What is a 'turd' in this context? because in English 'turd' means solid
> bodily waste

That's what the Low Saxon dialect names and the Turkish name allude to I'm
afraid: LS _koedel_ ~ _Ködel_ ~ _keudel_ (all pronounced ["k9:d=l]), Turkish
_boklu_ 'shitty' + diminutive _-ca_ ([dZa]).  I've always assumed that these
names refer to our little friend's sparrow-like habit of retrieving undigested
seeds from animal waste.

By the way, I haven't figured out the Slavonic names so far.  In the absence of a
Sorbian translation I might mention for the benefit of our Slavicists that the
Upper Sorbian word for 'wren' is _(mały) kralik_ [("mawi-) "kralIk] "(little)
kinglet," Dutch _(klein) koninkje_).  I assume it's a German calque; but note
Serbo-Croatian _carić_ ("little tsar").  Lower Sorbian, however, has _stśěž_ and
its diminutive version _stśěžyk_, which appears to be related to Polish
_strzyżyk_, Czech _střízlík_.  (For those of you who aren't aware of this
already, Sorbian, a.k.a. Lusatian a.k.a. Wendish, denotes two West Slavonic
languages specific to Germany.)

Cheerio!
Reinhard/Ron

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