Ribbit! (1965)

[Jonathan Lighter]

I see the OED lacks "arf" entirely, though "bow-wow" (more or less) goes back to _The Tempest_ and beyond.

JL

Tom Kysilko <pds at VISI.COM> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Tom Kysilko

Subject: Re: Ribbit! (1965)
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Quoting Jonathan Lighter :

> The late appearance of "ribbit" may be compared with the earlier, but still
> surprisingly recent, appearance of "quack," "honk," and "oink."

What interests me is that "ribbit" has attained this status as *the* answer to
the question "What does a frog say?" so recently. When I was a child, I
learned from my mother and Captain Kangaroo that froggies went "garump".
"Greedeep" (or some spelling thereof) has also had considerable currency in my
lifetime.

It might be interesting to compare the various English translations of the frog
noise in Aristophanes, THE FROGS. I believe Dudley Fitts used "Brekeke kesh"
or something similar.

--Tom Kysilko


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