[Lexicog] bat

[Fritz Goerling]

How this differs from the positive connotations of "bat" in Chinese:

The Chinese have conferred a number of laudatory
 names on this mouse-like mammal, such as 'embracing wings, heavenly

 rat, fairy rat, night swallow,' and use it as a symbol of happiness

 and long life because its name 'fu' in Chinese happens to be a

 homonym which means both 'bat' and 'prosperity.' (see the original

quote from Noah Jacobs' book)



Fritz Goerling




  In most dialects of Carrier "bat" is -t'az (variously with or
  without the prefix 'u), but in the Lheidli dialect, spoken
  around Prince George, this has been replaced by the
  innovation liyab dut'ai "devil bird", where dut'ai is
  "bird" (etymologically, "winged one") and liyab is
  from French "le diable".

  --
  Bill Poser, Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania
  http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~wjposer/ billposer at alum.mit.edu


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