Re: THEORY: Languages divided by politics and religion

Herman Miller wrote:
>Actually it's Mbabaram whose word for "dog" is /dog/; Dyirbal is a related
>language, but its word for "dog" IIRC is /guda/. >
Is it possible the Mbabaram, for unknown reasons, have simply borrowed the
Engl. word??
Probably another chance resemblance:  Dyirbal /guda/ 'dog' :  Malay /kuda/
'horse'??  But only if the Dy. were on the north coast at some point, say
within the C.E., where there were occasional trading forays led primarily by
Makassarese/Buginese-- while neither language uses "kuda", there could have
been Malay-speakers and/or bilinguals (though I doubt horses) on board.  In
any case, the Australians had domesticated the dog (or brought it with them)
long before such putative contact with Malay--- so it just goes to show, how
careful one should be with such words.

Another?  (From a Natl. Geog. special about the Kakadu/Gagadu nature
preserve in northern Queensland/Gulf of Carpentaria area, IIRC)-- the sea
eagle was called "marawuti" and figured prominently in the mythology of the
local tribe.  It happens that /wuti/~/vuti/ means 'grasp, seize' in several
lgs. of Timor & other islands further east.  Mere speculation.....

Two possible Austronesian words vs. several hundred Australian langs.
doesn't seem to be a very compelling percentage.