IliveonsaturdaysIn an extinct Australian Aboriginal language, Mbabaram, the word for "Dog" is almost exactly the same as the English word for "Dog". The similarity is a complete coincidence.
The similarity is a complete coincidence.
That’s what they want you to think.
That’s what they want you to think.
That’s what they want you to think.
TropicalDingdong
LackingC10H12N2OI think there was an entire episode of Ancient Aliens that delved into this subject.
They noted the word ‘dog’ was spelled and spoken similarly by many ancient cultures across the world, but nobody knows why because the cultures had no contact with eachother.
…or something like that.
Oh fer tha luvva dog.
BraveSirZaphodTo expand on this, in linguistics, when you notice a similarity between two words, there are three main possibilities.
The first two are fun because they're evidence of some kind of historical connection, which can sometimes stretch back further than the historical record. Sanskrit in India having a lot of similarities to Greek and Latin is the classical example there (and controversial if you're a Hindu nationalist). Coincidence can be disappointing when you think you've discovered some exciting historical connection, but the dangerous bias that has to be kept in mind is that generally, if you're looking for something, you will find it.
I love the analysis done by zompist, here: www.zompist.com/chance.htm
In summary, having a few purely coincidental similar words is extremely likely. In fact, if there were no such similarities that would be weirder, from a mathematical perspective… especially (but not necessarily) if you stretch what might be considered a “similar meaning”, which people often do.
You forgot universals, words that wind up with a common derivation in a lot of languages. For example, “Mama” is a common word for mother in completely unrelated languages, because it’s derived from babies frequently making mmm sounds first.
Also animal names derived from the sounds said animals make IIRC Crow is an example of this
I kinda touched on that under coincidence, which is admittedly stretching it a bit, but I also think "universals" is a bit of an overly strong name for the phenomenon.
But it is true that there are some underlying elements of human biology and psychology that can cause some interesting effects as well, though I think people have a tendency to exaggerate them.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouba/kiki_effect
This is a pretty classic example of it.
DeceptichumHow? Dingos aren’t dogs, so how did they have a word for a species that they hadn’t seen before colonisation?
Interesting question, I hadn’t thought about that. I assume they mean dingos.
"Australia’s Indigenous community has had a long relationship with dogs, dating back to the dog’s ancestor, the dingo. Dingo fossils in Australia date back thousands of years, and the first British settlers in 1788 recorded dingoes living with Indigenous Australians"
outbacktails.com/…/the-important-role-dogs-play-i…
And dingos are a dog breed
The important role dogs play in Indigenous communities – celebrating NAIDOC Week 2022
NAIDOC Week runs from Sunday 3 July to Sunday 10 July in 2022. It’s a special week held in the first week of July each year to celebrate Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) culture, history and achievements. It’s an ideal time for us to look at the importance of dogs to Indigenous communities. Dogs and Indigenous communities Australia’s Indigenous community has had a long relationship with dogs, dating back to the dog’s ancestor, the dingo. Dingo fossils in Australia date back thousands of years, and the first British settlers in 1788 recorded dingoes living with Indigenous Australians. Dingoes also feature prominently in the cultural Dreamtime stories of Indigenous Australians, and are recognised as a native animal under Australian law. Domestic dogs were introduced into Australia upon British settlement. Dingoes were then actively discouraged from farm areas as they tended to prey on sheep and cattle. Dogs largely replaced dingoes in terms of human companionship in the fledgling colony as a result. Today, there are more than 5 million dogs in Australia, but it’s estimated that there are only 10,000 to 50,000 dingoes. It’s hard to get an exact figure with dingoes being such free, roaming animals. Australia’s Indigenous population is approximately 800,000. Today, there is also no real distinction between dingoes and dogs in Indigenous culture. In some communities, both dingoes and dogs are believed to be reincarnations of ancestors, as well as protectors from bad spirits. Dingoes and dogs have also tended to be highly valued in Indigenous communities over the years for their hunting and protecting skills, especially in remote communities. The Aussie Desert Dogs Many Indigenous communities in Australia are in very remote areas, posing a challenge for access to veterinary care for the dogs in these communities. The Aussie Desert Dogs is a not-for-profit organisation run by Gloria Morales in Yuendumu that does important work in this area. It works to improve the health of all companion animals in Indigenous communities, including dogs of course. If you’re interested in helping both dogs and Indigenous communities, you can purchase one of our Aussie Desert Dog Toys with 10% of sales going back to the This important charity. You can also find out more about all of this year’s NAIDOC activities around Australia here.