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Nomenclature question

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Posted by Deggesty on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 7:56 AM

Quoting Balt   "My experience - it takes so long for your screen to register the action after you hit the 'Submit Your Reply' buttion that you percieve that the initial hit didn't take and hit it again - the first hit added your reply to the data base, but you didn't know it." There used to be the feature that told us that we had already posted our comopsitions.

Johnny

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 10:04 AM

OK, let me "muddy the waters" even more.

Ever see that rip-roarin' old C.B. DeMille movie "Unconquered" with Gary Cooper?  Boris Karloff playing Indian chief Guyasuta pronounces "Niagara" as, here it comes...

"Ny-uh-gah-rah."

Which maybe is correct.  Who knows?  Just thought I'd throw that in.  Wink

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Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 11:56 AM

Flintlock76
"Ny-uh-gah-rah."

That's quite a can of worms you're trying to open.  Early maps have the name of the tribe rendered as Onguiarahronon or Niagagarega.  

Although perhaps that would be appropriate during periods of severe priming.

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Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 12:45 PM

Deggesty
Quoting Balt   "My experience - it takes so long for your screen to register the action after you hit the 'Submit Your Reply' buttion that you percieve that the initial hit didn't take and hit it again - the first hit added your reply to the data base, but you didn't know it." There used to be the feature that told us that we had already posted our comopsitions.

There still is - however, I think there is a timer it operates on.  Exceed the timer value and it isn't looking for a duplicate.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by tree68 on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 4:36 PM

Overmod

 

 
Flintlock76
"Ny-uh-gah-rah."

 

That's quite a can of worms you're trying to open.  Early maps have the name of the tribe rendered as Onguiarahronon or Niagagarega.  

Although perhaps that would be appropriate during periods of severe priming.

Anglicizing Native American words doesn't always go well.  As simple as Adirondack (bark eaters) may seem, there is an area of the park known as Ha-De-Ron-Dah, which sounds strangely similar...

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 5:32 PM

tree68
Overmod
 Flintlock76
"Ny-uh-gah-rah."

Although perhaps that would be appropriate during periods of severe priming.

Anglicizing Native American words doesn't always go well.  As simple as Adirondack (bark eaters) may seem, there is an area of the park known as Ha-De-Ron-Dah, which sounds strangely similar...

Throw into the mix that the early European explorers were French and so when the wrote down what the Indians named geographic feature (river, mountain, etc.), they wrote it using the phonics of 16th century French.  Then the English acquired the land, but used the maps already extant with French markings, and they pronounced the words with 17 century English phonitic understanding.

 

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by NKP guy on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 6:23 PM

   Although not an Indian word, how do you pronounce that wonderful class of Lima-built NKP steam locomotives?  Do you say BERK-shir or BERK-shy-er?   (I know, in England they would be called BARK-shirs).

   Favorite apocryphal story about Canada:  It is said that when Samuel de Champlain asked the Algonquins the name of their country, or what they called the place, it is said they replied "Kan-a da" or something similar, which, it turns out, actually means, "What did you say?" or, "Would you repeat the question?" which he dutifully wrote down as the correct term.  

   Have any of our resident Canadian brethern here heard this story while growing up (I'm looking at you, Miningman)?

 

 

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Posted by Deggesty on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 7:32 PM

I have the impression that if the English had reached the northern parts up the river from what is now New Brusnswick, they would have settled Kebeck.

Johnny

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 7:41 PM

That's funny, I thought it was "Kwee-beck."

And the locomotive?  I'd call it a "Berk-shirr," which is how they pronounce that Massachusetts mountain range the first one conquered.  

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Posted by Miningman on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 7:44 PM

You lookin' at me?

I don't see anyone else here so it's me! 

Ok the ' Official' government sanctified and imprimatur, put forth with great fanfare and emphasis by both the Pearson and Chrétien governments is as follows:

 The name “Canada” likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word “kanata,” meaning “village” or “settlement.” In 1535, two Aboriginal youths told French explorer Jacques Cartier about the route to kanata; they were actually referring to the village of Stadacona, the site of the present-day City of Québec. 

There are about 3 other versions of the same thing. All a little too cute, contrived, and methinks it all a bit too convenient. It serves a purpose and that's that, they push it pretty hard.  

I like the in depth research and reporting by the Canadian Gepgraphic Magazine early 2000's. They state the same skepticism over the official government version and claim it comes from early Spanish explorers who were looking only for Gold. After a  brief time and zero legacy their maps showed the Kanata which meant ' nothing there'  !!!  Meaning no gold, forget it. They left behind horses though, and some indigenous tribes moved into the Prairies, get around, and hunt Buffalo.

Of course ' nothing there' is never going to fly with the government so they had to make up a story. 

By the way we have huge gold resources. The Spanish were lousy prospectors. They just wanted pre-mined gold artifacts. The Native populations here could give a hoot about gold. Once prospectors arrived they were happy to show them surface showings. Back then you just rolled back the moss and there was a nice quartz vein with visible gold. 

One particular observant Native fella, from Manitoba, got filthy rich offering his services to these crazy people with gold fever.

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 7:54 PM

Well, the American Indians used to call gold "The yellow metal that makes the white man crazy!"  They weren't far wrong.

North American tribes that knew what gold was considered it worthless.  I mean, what do you do with a metal that won't hold an edge?  No good for knives, arrowheads, tomahawks, or any kind of tool. What good was it?  A very practical people.

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Posted by Erik_Mag on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 10:44 PM

NKP guy

   Favorite apocryphal story about Canada:  It is said that when Samuel de Champlain asked the Algonquins the name of their country, or what they called the place, it is said they replied "Kan-a da" or something similar, which, it turns out, actually means, "What did you say?" or, "Would you repeat the question?" which he dutifully wrote down as the correct term. 

Sounds ike the story for the origins of kangaroo. The setlers asked a native what that animal was and they replied "kangaroo", supposedly meaning "I don't know".

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Posted by Paul of Covington on Thursday, April 18, 2019 3:35 AM

   Wewanta, WV.    Story is that the residents sent a message to the postmaster: We want a post office.

_____________ 

  "A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner

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Posted by NKP guy on Thursday, April 18, 2019 12:54 PM

   Miningman, I enjoyed your Official account of the history of the word Canada; seems plausible enough to me.

   I had heard the version I shared earlier here from my Professor (a Canadian himself) in the History of Canada course (graduate level) I took in 1967, the Centennial year.  I'm sure Prof. Havran would be dismayed to know that I confused Jacques Cartier with Samuel de Champlain!  Thanks for correcting me.

   Here's another story about early Canada:  On his first voyage in 1534, Cartier, having reached the Gulf of St. Lawrence and viewing the bleak lands surrounding it, dolefully noted, "Fit only for wild beasts...This must be the land God gave to Cain."

   Best wishes to you, Miningman, and everyone else up there in British North America! 

   Now I'm going back to watching Canadian comedian Jeremy Hotz on YouTube.

 

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Posted by MidlandMike on Thursday, April 18, 2019 9:30 PM

The Canadian place name I always got a chuckle out of was Lachine, Que.  The explorer La Salle had thought the St Lawrance River might be the Northwest Passage to the Orient.  After he found out it wasn't, the locals named the area just above the head of navagation at Montreal as Lachine, which is french for China.

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Posted by D&HRetiree on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 9:35 PM

"Engine" is a term defined in the Operating Department Rule Book so would be used inTrain Orders. operating bulletins, general orders and official correspondence. Other than that the words are essentially interchangable 

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