[Algonquiana] a question I got

MONICA MACAULAY mmacaula at wisc.edu
Sat Sep 9 18:14:34 UTC 2023


Hi-

I got an email from a random person who is translating a book from Spanish into English. It took a while to figure out what she was asking, but I think what she's saying is that the author uses a word in Spanish, "bosquizarse," which would mean something like 'to forest (oneself)', i.e. go to the forest. She (the author) then claims it comes from "Algonquin," although I doubt she meant the language itself; more likely an Algonquian language. (?)

The translator found a reference to "On the Animal Trail" by Baptiste Morizot that says "They would say: ‘Tomorrow I’m heading off, I’m going to enforest myself (‘je vais m’enforester’)."

I think what she (the translator) is getting at is whether it could be a calque from some Algonquian language. I have never heard of anything like this, but I told her I'd ask around.

Totally off the wall or is there anything to it?

Monica


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