LL-L "Etymology" 2009.11.23 (02) [EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 22 November 2009 - Volume 02
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From: clarkedavid8 at aol.com
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2009.11.23 (01) [EN

I heard a story about the eymology of the word "kangaroo". When Captain Cook
reached Australia, just as this strange animal was spotted on the shore and
people were asking each other what it was, a Scottish crew member who was
stuck in the toilet shouted "Ah cann' ga' roo'" and the name stuck.  I am
sceptical about this story, as I can't remember any mention of toilets with
closing doors in the novels of O'Brien.

David Clarke

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
 Subject: Etymology

That's a good one, David. ;-)

I wonder if a book-size collection of folk etymologies has ever been
published.

Seriously, though, the etymology is unclear, according to the *Oxford
English Dictionary*:

  Cook and Banks believed it to be the name given to the animal by the
natives at Endeavour River, Queensland, and there is later affirmation of
its use elsewhere. On the other hand, there are express statements to the
contrary (see quots. below), showing that the word, if ever current in this
sense, was merely local, or had become obsolete. The common assertion that
it really means ‘I don't understand’ (the supposed reply of the native to
his questioner) seems to be of recent origin and lacks confirmation. (See
Morris *Austral English* s.v.)

By the way, in my last posting I left out a word:

Founded as a fishing village in 1535, Altona was given city rights by
Denmark's King Frederik III in 1664. It played an important role as a Danish
city that could be reached from Hamburg's city walls by just a short *walk*.
Altona used to house a major Jewish community. Because Hamburg severely
restricted the number of resident Jews until 1864 (with one break:
1811-1815), most Jews lived in Altona and worked in Hamburg which was
sometimes independent and sometimes under Prussian power.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

•

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