[Lexicog] Turkey

[David Costa]

A word in common usage in Guatemalan Spanish is 'chompipe'. I'm sure someone
has worked out where that's from, but I don't happen to know about it.

The Proto-Algonquian word for 'turkey', *pele:wa, can be etymologized as
literally meaning 'flier'.

Dave C


I always found it fascinating that the words for "turkey" are usually quite
different across Europe and even among the Latin languages themselves, e.g.,
Spanish (Cast.) pavo, Italian tacchino, French dinde or dindon, Portuguese
peru'.  Different Spanish-speaking countries also borrowed indigenous words
that they use in preference to the conquistador's Castilian word, as Jimm
pointed out, such as guajolote in Mexico.

For what it's worth, the Biloxi word is ma (yoka), which seems to be related
to the word for chicken, maxi.  The Cherokee words are gvna (v pronounced
aN) and kalagisa.  Not sure if that helps anything.

Dave

Louis Garcia <Louis_Garcia at littlehoop.cc> wrote:
The Spirit Lake Dakota (Ft. Totten, ND) call the turkey Zizica [zee
-zee'-cha(another puzzle as the name means nothing).



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