Re: KU and GYN as oldest words for woman


"Franz Gnaedinger" <frgn@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote...

Some Australian aboriginal words from a small compilation
by Alexander Wyclif:

I assume you mean Alexander Wyclif Reed, the New Zealand publisher, who was
the author of books on Maori legends, books on Maori place-names, and
several children's books. Since he wasn't much interested in the Australian
aborigines, he probably didn't realise how ridiculous this list is. True,
many compilers of Australian wordlists had tin ears and couldn't even spell
their own language, but this bloke certainly takes the cake.

quei and cue-on-meme for a little girl,
quei-marla for an adolescent and a big girl, que-on-buntor
for girl, gin for woman, gunee for mother, kurtoo for wife,
kurunto for womb.

I see he includes "gin", which is Australian English for an aboriginal
woman, and comes from /diyin/, meaning woman or wife in Dharug, the Sydney
language.

Also, "gunee" is /gunay/, Wiradhuri (central western NSW) for mother.

And "kurtoo" is /gurdu/, Nyungar (Western Australia) for spouse (wife or
husband)

"Kurunto", not to mention "quei" and "cue-on" (however these monstrosities
were really pronounced), must come from yet other languages, somewhere else
in Australia.

Wow!

John.


.

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