Re: CHAT: various infotaining natlang tidbits

>From: Jonathan Chang <Zhang2323@...>
>In a message dated 2000/06/15 03:12:18 AM, Romilly wrote:
>
> >Don't recall anything that might have been Korean; nor do I
> >recall many Vietnamese words creeping into Engl.   Perhaps later, when
>there
> >were more of us over there.  Probably mostly unprintable.  How about
>"hooch"
> >'native hut'?
>
>     What about _gook_? that has some currency in certain circles
>*bittersweet
>snafle*  Someone - an Asian - once told me it originally came from a
>mispronounced Vietnamese hill tribe word.
Of course that's considered a very offensive term.  I thought the word came
from Korean -- the last word in the official names of both North Korea and
South Korea happens to be _guk_ (either a rounded or unrounded back high
vowel).  South Korea's official name is _taehan minguk_, while North Korea
is something like _chosun [something something] kongwa guk_.

But I wouldn't argue Asian word etymologies with an Asian.  ;)

DaW.
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