FW: FW: rickshaw<--Japanese?

[Benjamin Barrett]

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Gally [mailto:tomgally at pa2.so-net.ne.jp]
Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2001 4:38 PM
To: Not Honyaku
Subject: Re: FW: rickshaw<--Japanese?


Benjamin Barrett wonders:

>Fact or fiction?

Nihon Kokugo Daijiten (2nd edition) identifies by name several
Japanese men
whom it credits with inventing the jinrikisha in 1869. Kokushi
Daijiten
basically agrees with that origin, though it also mentions that a
missionary named  $B%8%g%J%5%s!a%4!<%V%k (B (not "Scobie") has been
credited with
coming up with the idea as well.

The first citation for the word in Japanese is from a Japanese
periodical
in 1871. The first OED citation for "jinricksha, jinriksha" in
English is
from 1874 and the first for "ricksha, ricksha," which the OED
identifies as
an abbreviation of "jinricksha," is from 1887. The OED also says
that the
jinricksha was "First used in Japan c 1870."


Tom Gally           tomgally at pa2.so-net.ne.jp           (Yokohama,
Japan)