LL-L 'Etymology' 2006.08.07 (05) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 07 August 2006 * Volume 05
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From: Theo Homan <theohoman at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L 'Etymology' 2006.08.06 (04) [D/E/LS/German]

..
>Incidentally, Mike Szelog translated "wren" into
>Latin as "passer".
>What's the Latin for "sparrow" then? :)

Vriendelike Groete,
Vlad Lee

Hello,

About passer = sparrow: If my memory serves me, then
passer is used in the Latin psalms and this word got
translated in Dutch as 'mus' = sparrow.

But the mus / sparrow didn't arrive in the Netherlands
until after the middle ages [from the Black Sea area].
So in the middle ages our munks were singing about an
exotic bird, but nowadays about a native bird.

re wren: Does anybody have any knowledge since when
the wren is a native bird in the Lowlands?

vr.gr.
Theo Homan 

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

Theo,

I'm not sure if there are any theories as to the origin of the wren.  What I find
interesting, though, is that there is only one species considered native in
Eurasia: the winter wren (_Troglodytes troglodytes_, with several Eurasian
subspecies) and that all other species are American.

I guess that, strictly speaking, the Latin name ought to be _troglodytes_, but
it's really Greek (meaning "cave dweller" I believe) and is a zoological name. 
Wrens are passerine (of the large order of _Passeriformes_), thus are considered
"sparrow-like."  In that sense I can see why Mike made that choice, just
generalizing it to the idea of "little bird."

The fact (?) that Latin of Roman times has no word for "wren" or uses a Greek
loanword makes me wonder if the bird was unknown or new then.  Given the relative
profusion of wrens in North America, I wonder if the winter wren or its ancestor
didn't also enter Europe later, possibly from Northeastern Asia via the Black Sea
region.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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From: 'Global Moose Translations' <globalmoose at t-online.de>
Subject: LL-L 'Etymology' 2006.08.07 (04) [E] 

Ben wrote:
>Gabriele and list, were there really ostriches in Europe. I thought that
>they were a tropical/subtropical bird.

Of course you are right, Ben. I just felt like adding that bit when I retold
the story, wondering whether I could get away with it... :-)

Gabriele Kahn

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