Re: /nj/ vs. /J/ [was Re: sounds I can't find!!!]

On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 14:52:54 +0200, Andreas Johansson <andjo@...> wrote:
[Russian language]
> How did they arrive at /kanak/ for "New Caledonian"?
Fairly straightforwardly, I imagine; it's the self-designation of the
inhabitants (or of a people which make up a large proportion of
inhabitants -- not sure whether all New Caledonians are Kanaks).

Hm... according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Caledonia, Kanaks
only make up 44% of the population. But still a sizeable proportion.

I imagine the name is cognate to Hawaiian "kanaka" and Maori "tangata"
(sp?), meaning "person".

FWIW: In German, "Kanacke" means is a derogative word meaning roughly
"foreigner". I was a bit surprised when I read a travel guide to the
South Pacific and realised that this word probably derives from the
name of the Kanak people; I had thought it was more or less a nonsense
word.

Cheers,
--
Philip Newton <philip.newton@...>