Kaka (not the soccer player)

[Wilson Gray]

A lot of them. It's as common as "mama" and "papa." But Greek is
probably the relevant language, here. Cf. _kakós_ "bad," _kakkáein_
'take a dump."

-Wilson

On Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 9:25 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Kaka (not the soccer player)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> In what languages (whether owned up to or disowned) does "kaka" mean
> ... uhm ... "excrement, feces"?
>
> For what prompted this question, and general amusement, see
> http://ny.bloomsburyauctions.com/detail/NY014/383.0
>
> "Komrij, Kaka fonie" intrigued me.  If I wanted I could actually see
> this book (2006 edition) at my local large university library, which
> puts the very short title into one word and gives the following
> not-so-short title:
>
> Komrij's Kakafonie: oftewel, Encyclopedie van de stront: omvattende
> de symbolische waarde,de kont, het kakken, de kleur, de stank, de
> wind, het sanitair, de liefhebbers, satire & nonsens, stront en het
> boek, lexicografie, enz. enz. : verlucht met meer dan 100 duidelijke
> illustraties, waarvan sommige in kleur, & voorzien van een
> overzichtelijke bibliografie en een handig register: om telkens weer
> te kunnen raadplegen / samengesteld en ingeleid door Gerrit Komrij.
>
> Komrij's Kakafonie: in other words, Encyclopedia of the shit: the
> comprehensive symbolic value, the ass, the poop, colour, smells, the
> wind, the plumbing, the fans, satire & nonsense, shit and the book,
> lexicography, etc. etc. .: Illustrated with more than 100 clear
> illustrations, some in color, & equipped with a concise bibliography
> and a handy directory: to always be able to consult / composed and
> initiated by Gerrit Komrij.
>
> Not so bad for an automated translation by Google, and certainly
> gives the aroma.
>
> Joel
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
-Mark Twain

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org