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

From:Philip Newton <philip.newton@...>
Date:Monday, August 16, 2004, 13:31
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@...>