even MORE non-Siouan digressions about cats

[David Costa]

> Now I'm wondering what other Algonquian languages would have been represented
> 500 years ago along the northeast coast, especially from New England to the
> Gulf of St. Lawrence area.  Do we have, or can we predict, the form of the
> *pe$iwa etymon in these languages?  Also, what about their terms for hares and
> rabbits? Are any of these at all "puss"-like?

Well, as long as you're ASKING... :-)

I won't bore people with all the data, but the closest the 'rabbit' word
comes in any of these languages to the 'cat' word is that some of these
languages have reflexes of Proto-Algonquian */wa:po:swa/ 'rabbit' (like
Micmac /wapus/). But that word originally meant something like 'white game
animal' in Proto-Algonquian, segmented as */wa:p-/ + /-o:swa/, so I don't
think it relates to the 'puss' words in any way.

The 'mountain lion' etymon that pops up in the northernmost languages here
is sort of interesting, tho I can't say if Gordon Day's 'much tail'
etymology is really correct.

best,
David

**********************


Micmac:

pittalu 'lion'
kajuwewj, miyawj, tqoqwe:j 'cat' (last specifically 'domestic cat')
tqoqwej 'bobcat'

(yes, a length distinction in the final-syllable vowels really is supposed
to signal this meaning difference. 'j' = alveopalatal affricate, 'q' = velar
fricative [x])

Maliseet-Passamaquoddy:

psuwis 'cat'
p at su 'bobcat'
pihtal 'lion'
apiq at sik@n 'lynx' (I don't know the etymology of this one)

('q' = /kw/; '@' = schwa, here substituted for LeSourd's 'o')

Penobscot:

p@`so 'bobcat'
p@`s at wis 'bobcat kitten, domestic cat'
pi'htAlo 'mountain lion'

('A' = alpha, ` = grave accent, ' = acute accent)

(can't find the Penobscot 'lynx' word)

Western Abenaki:

bitto^lo 'cougar' (Gordon Day says = 'much tail'; 'o^' = nasal vowel)
b at zo 'wildcat, bobcat, lynx'
wigw at di, wikwti 'bobcat, lynx' (Gordon Day says = 'no tail')
minowiz 'a cat' (French 'minou' + Abenaki diminutive)

(the resemblance of /wigw at di/ to the Miami-Illinois 'lynx' word is
interesting, but probably just an accident)

Massachusett:

<qunnonou>, <qunnonoo> 'lion' ('long tail')
<poopohs> 'cat'

Narragansett:

<pussou^gh> 'the wildcat'

(probably phonemic /p at s@w/, regular from PA */pe$iwa/)

Nipmuck:

<p8sp8s>, <s88is> 'chat'
<pes88is> 'loup cervier'

Munsee:

po':$i:$ 'cat'
la:we:wapo':$i:$ 'bobcat' (/la:we:wi:/ = 'wild')

(don't know what the 'cougar' word is)