Re: Local wildlife

Herman Miller <hmiller@...> wrote:

> How many conlangers can claim the armadillo as a local mammal? The Tire=
lat
> word, "pinti", is a borrowing of the earlier Jarrda "binti".
Well, I just made it up, but I should've done it before, now that you
mention it: _dhu=E0lai_, which means 'hair[y]-shell'. At least the variet=
y
of armadillo that is found in Thaqulm. This is about the same species
as found in Argentina (_peludo_, lit. 'hairy' or _tat=FA carreta_, which
is the giant armadillo). I can't assure they are the same, since
both Earths have evolved differently, but both are about 1m long and
have some hair on their backs. This word appeared relatively late,
since the Dr=E1selhadh had never seen one before coming to their new
lands. But they already knew a species of pangolin, _lusal_ (etymology
unknown, maybe something to do with */luso:/ 'slimy, viscous', because
of their ant-catching tongues).

BTW the shells of _peludos_ are used to make a musical instrument (in
our Earth), called _charango_, similar to a guitar. And these animals
must have some negative connotation in the Argentine folklore, since
there's a saying _como peludo de regalo_ 'like a peludo as a gift',
to qualify something or someone that comes into the scene at the worst
possible moment, or that causes a lot of trouble with its presence
(like a white elephant). Any sayings involving animals in your langs?


--Pablo Flores
  http://draseleq.conlang.org/pablo-david/