[Lexicog] Turkey

[Jimm GoodTracks]

I had not heard the story of the name "Turkey" being applied to the N.Am 
bird via Africa & the country of Turkey.  I would think that a name for the 
N.Am bird would have been well established by the earliest N & S. Am. 
colonists before the birds were imported/ deported to other continents. 
Surely, they would not have shiped an unknown "specimens" or "species" 
without calling them something.  After all, look at the label Columbus gave 
indigenous Native Americans as he came upon them and sent a captured 
shipment of them to Spain, i.e., "Indians", based on his false assumption 
that he landed in India.  (No need to get into the rest of his atrocities, 
the naming being the least one)

The Turkey, the indigenous large bird of the N & S.Am that is nonmigratory, 
but is considered for both a game (hunting) and poultry bird (domestically 
raised for eating).  The domestic bird is descended from the Mexican turkey, 
taken to Europe by the conquistadores in the 16th century.  The wild turkey 
is a woodlands bird, gregarious except at breeding time.  It is a good 
flyer.

The Spanish for Turkey, the bird, is:  "guajalote" and "guanajo" in Cuba. 
Another term is "pavo".
The Turkey-Cock that was mentioned above is "gallipavo".
I mention this as many Spanish names of  New World animals & birds were 
taken directly from the local indigenous languages, and thus may be a clue 
to the English designation.

For what it is worth, the N.Am central plains indigenous Ioway (Baxoje) name 
for Turkey is "tagro'gro", which leads one to think it is taken directly 
from the sounds that the turkey make.  On the otherhand, their related 
neighbors, the Otoe-Missouria, simply called the bird:  "waying'xanje" 
meaning -- big bird --.  The Ioway, Otoe-Missoria are indigenous to the 
present regions of  the states of Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas 
[presently, removed to NE Kansas and central Oklahoma].  They are a Siouian 
Family language, most closely related to the Winnebago (Hochank) of 
Wisconsin  [presently, of Wisconsin and Nebraska].

I have no idea what the the Eastern tribes of the present U.S. may have 
called the woodlands bird, which also may provide some clue as to the 
present name "Turkey".
Jimm

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nick Miller" <nick.miller at czech-translation.com>
To: <lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2005 4:12 AM
Subject: [Lexicog] Turkey


>
> Hi,
> Can anyone shed any light (or feathers) on the origin of "turkey", as in 
> the
> bird:
> I read that the Guinea Fowl was originally the so-called "turkey(-cock)"
> because it was imported from Africa through the country Turkey. Later, due
> to confusion, the native American bird gained the name.
> What confusion? It seems to be a rather "we don't actually know"
> explanation.
> Thanks,
> Nick Miller
>
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