Quote:
Originally Posted by bianca  Which reminds me: the word kangaroo is onomatopeic. It came into being in a funny way: the English colonists in Australia asked the aboriginers what was the name of that animal, and the answer was smth that the Englishmen made out to be: kangaroo (gangurru: "I don't understand"). Hence,...
Just like this one, there are many other myths applied to Aboriginal-sounding Australian words. Do you have similar examples from other languages, by any chance? |
I's just like to make sure I can understand it well: The aborigines didn't speak English and that's why they replied (to the question of the English about what the animal is called) "gangurru", thus "I don't know" in the aboriginal language and the English thought it was the name of the animal?