Re: Gallopavo (was: Re: fruitbats)

Thank you, Charlie, for your educational post.

--- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, caeruleancentaur
> <caeruleancentaur@Y...> wrote:
>
> --- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, tomhchappell <tomhchappell@Y...>
> wrote:
>
> >And how do you say, in your conlang(s), the "chicken-peacock",
> >known in English as "the Turkey" (the bird formerly known as "the
> >Guinea-Fowl"), and in French as "l'Oiseau d'Inde" or "Dindon
> >Sauvage",and in Spanish as "Guajalote Norten~o"?
>
> >(Scientific name Meleagris gallopavo silvestris or Americana
> >sybestris auis)
>
> >(Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata;  Subphylum: Vertebrata;
> >Superclass: Gnathostomata;  Class: Aves;  Subclass: Neornithes;
> >Superorder: Neognathae; Order: Galliformes; Family: Phasianidae;
> >SubFamily: Meleagrididae; Genus: Meleagris; Species: gallopavo;
> >Subspecies: silvestris)
>
> In reality, the Spanish word for what in English is called a turkey
> is _pavo_.
Yes, the Spanish-language site
http://www.damisela.com/zoo/ave/otros/gall/phasianidae/meleagridinae/g
allopavo/taxa.htm
calls it "El Pavo Común".

> _Guajalote (norteño)_ is the Mexican word for the bird.
http://www.google.com/search?
q=cache:hX9xQf5vUxwJ:www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt%
3Fsearch_topic%3DTSN%26search_value%3D176137+gallopavo&hl=en

says
"Taxonomic Hierarchy
  Kingdom Animalia -- Animal, animals, animaux
   Phylum Chordata -- chordates, cordado, cordés
    Subphylum Vertebrata -- vertebrado, vertebrates, vertébrés
     Class Aves -- Birds, oiseaux
      Order Galliformes
            -- Fowls, gallinacées, Gallinaceous Birds, volaille
       Family Phasianidae
              -- cailles, faisans, Grouse, Partridges, Pheasants,
                 Quail, Turkeys
        Subfamily Meleagridinae  -- Turkeys
         Genus Meleagris Linnaeus, 1758 -- Turkeys
          Species Meleagris gallopavo Linnaeus, 1758
                  -- dindon sauvage, Guajolote norteño, Wild Turkey
           Subspecies Meleagris gallopavo silvestris Vieillot, 1817
"

I gather that, yes, /Guajolote Norteño/ is the Mexican name, or at
least an Ibero-American name.
However, it is a name in the Spanish language, which is the main and
official language spoken in Mexico. I didn't say the Gallopavo was
called "Guajolote Norteño" in /Spain/; I said the Gallopavo was
called "Guajolote Norteño" in /Spanish/. ;-)

> I presume the name is of Nahuatl origin.
>
> _Dindon_ and _dinde_ just have to have their origin in _d'Inde_.
Well, I thought of that, but since I couldn't back it up, I said
nothing.  I wouldn't be surprised if you were right.  Does anybody
have a way to find out for sure?

> I don't understand the confusion of turkey with guinea fowl.  They
> are two different species.
As for the fact that it was, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_fowl.

As for why, I quote from
http://www.ku.edu/carrie/texts/carrie_books/paksoy-6/cae22.html

"The homeland of the fowl known as Meleagris gallopavo or americana
sybestris auis, is the North American continent. The 1494 Tordesillas
treaty, forged by the Pope in Rome, granted the monopoly of commerce
originating from the newly discovered continent to the Portuguese (as
opposed to the Spanish). The Portuguese brought this fowl to their
Goa colony in India. Circa 1615, Cihangir (a direct descendent of the
founder of the Mughal empire in India, Babur [1483-1530] himself a
grandson of Timur [d. 1405] wrote his Tuzuk-u Jahangiri (Institutes
of Cihangir). In his book, Cihangir also described this fowl in
detail replete with a color drawing. Since Meleagris gallopavo
resembled the Meleagris Numida commonly found in Africa (especially
in Guinea), and already known in India, the former became known in
British India as the "Guinea Fowl" (see O. Caroe, "Why Turkey." Asian
Affairs. October 1970). Meleagris gallopavo was then introduced to
Egypt, a province of the Ottoman empire and entered the Turkish
language as "hindi" (from India). When traders took a breeding stock
from Ottoman ("Turkish") Egypt to Spain and the British Isles, the
bird was designated "Turkey."  As a result, the pilgrims landing on
Plymouth Rock in 1620 were familiar with "Turkey" when they
encountered it in their new home."

Also, look at the pictures on
http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/winkler/botw/numididae.html
and the videos on
http://www.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=1148
and see if they don't remind you of turkeys except for not having the
fantastic tails.

> In any case, I have not yet catalogued the New World avian fauna.
(By the way,
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Wild_Tur
key.html
says
"A native of North America, the turkey is one of only two
domesticated birds originating in the New World. The Muscovy Duck is
the other."  Are you going to call Muscovy Ducks something?  (/I/
haven't got that far yet.))
(Also by the way,
http://dict.die.net/meleagris%20gallopavo/
says
"The Mexican wild turkey is now considered a variety of the northern
species (var. Mexicana). Its tall feathers and coverts are tipped
with white instead of brownish chestnut, and its flesh is white. The
Central American, or ocellated, turkey (M. ocellata) is more
elegantly colored than the common species. See under Ocellated. The
Australian, or native, turkey is a bustard (Choriotis australis).")

Has anyone started naming any Australian species?

> I do have the following names for the Old World gallinaceous fowl.
The wryneck (/Jynx torquilla/, a Eurasian woodpecker) isn't
gallinaceous (it's in Order Piciformes); but
http://dict.die.net/meleagris%20gallopavo/
says
" Turkey bird (Zo["o]l.), the wryneck. So called because it
      erects and ruffles the feathers of its neck when
      disturbed. [Prov. Eng.]"
so it's Old World.

> µortôcen = common partridge "P. Perdix" (interestingly, the Latin
> word for partridge _perdix_ (and the word "partridge" for that
> matter) are cognates of the word "fart"!
>
> reecînen - common quail "C. coturnix"
>
> cââµen - ring-necked pheasant "Phasianus colchicus"
>
> cacûren - rock partridge "Alextorix graeca"
>
> cáþcacûren - hazel grouse "Tetrastes bonasia" câton = forest
>
> cûxren - Caucasian snowcock "Tetragallus caucasicus"
>
> crsnëcûxren - blackgrouse "Lyrurus tetrix" crsnin = black
>
> jegértëcûxren - rock ptarmigan "Lagopus mutus" jêgon, ice + êrton,
> earth = tundra
>
> mînen - peacock Pavo cristatus
>
> tetêrcen - capercaille Tetrao urogallus
Very pretty-sounding names!  Your conlang-speakers must like birds a
lot.

> tetâcen - guinea fowl Numididae sp.
Is this the "Meleagris Numida" from the above's "... resembled the
Meleagris Numida commonly found in Africa (especially in Guinea), and
already known in India ..."?
I believe that reference got the genus name and the species name
backwards.
Subfamily Numididae (Guineafowl), a subfamily of Family Phasianidae
(Quails and Pheasants etc.) in Order Galliformes, has six or seven
extant species in five genera, four extant and one extinct; the four
extant genera are Acryllium, Numida, Agelastes, and Guttera;
http://www.fmnh.helsinki.fi/users/haaramo/Metazoa/Deuterostoma/Chordat
a/Archosauria/Aves/Galliformes/Numididae.htm
gives the following subspecies among others in genus Numida:
"|--o Numida meleagris (Helmikana)
   |  |-- N. m. galeata (West African Guineafowl)
   |  |-- N. m. meleagris (Helmeted Guineafowl)
   "
I looked on
http://www.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=1148
and I have to say they look a
(mute laryngeal)(vowel)(geminated lateral)
of a lot like turkeys.

http://www.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/familia.phtml?idFamilia=39
doesn't have any pictures of Agelastes meleagrides.

----

Tom H.C. in MI

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