Kangaroo

[hobbes]

Ok, I heard this on Extreme Animals today.

When explorers came to Australia and first saw these jumping marsupials, they asked a native Aboriginal(sp?) what they were called.

He said "kangaroo", meaning "I don't understand your question". Kind of an interesting story about a word we take for granted.

Wonder if it's true?

[Bender]

Originally posted by hobbes@26 May 2003 - 02:05
He said "kangaroo", meaning "I don't understand your question
Like: "I know notting, I'm from Barcelona."? :D




I've heard this story many times before, and I'm still waiting for confirmation on it.
Google didn't enlighten me, so please help us out... please. :blink:

[clocker]

Originally posted by Bender@25 May 2003 - 18:34





I've heard this story many times before, and I'm still waiting for confirmation on it.
Google didn't enlighten me, so please help us out... please. :blink:
Hang in there.

I'm searching for the original Aborigine...

[Lilmiss]

yeah, ive heard this too...so it must be true! ;)
...sneaky aborginees....god knows what boomarang means!!!?!!!

[Guillaume]

Originally posted by lilmiss@26 May 2003 - 01:37
god knows what boomarang means!!!?!!![/color]
" Keep your head down, stupid white man!"

[Petri]

From dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=kangaroo)...

A widely-held belief has it that the word kangaroo comes from an Australian Aboriginal word meaning “I don't know.” This is in fact untrue. The word was first recorded in 1770 by Captain James Cook, when he landed to make repairs along the northeast coast of Australia. In 1820, one Captain Phillip K. King recorded a different word for the animal, written “mee-nuah.” As a result, it was assumed that Captain Cook had been mistaken, and the myth grew up that what he had heard was a word meaning “I don't know” (presumably as the answer to a question in English that had not been understood). Recent linguistic fieldwork, however, has confirmed the existence of a word gangurru in the northeast Aboriginal language of Guugu Yimidhirr, referring to a species of kangaroo. What Captain King heard may have been their word minha, meaning “edible animal.”

[Lilmiss]

yeah, ive heard this too...so it must be true! ;)
...sneaky aborginees....god knows what boomarang means!!!?!!!

[clocker]

Sorry Hobbes.
Sorry Bender.

He claims he was misquoted.
http://www.insidetheoutback.com/media/outback_jpgs/aborigine.jpg

as near as I can tell ( and he was hard to understand ) "kangaroo" really means...
" How can I tell if the people downloading from me are sharing or not? I HATE leeches!"

or something to that effect...disappointing really, I guess that thread will NEVER die out...

[hobbes]

No!!!!

The story is TRUE!!!

True
True
True

http://www.bigbrotherskw.com/_borders/lonely.jpg

[Bender]

Thanks Petri, I think I am going to believe your story. :D

[clocker]

there, there...http://toddlerstoday.com/graphics/kidcry.jpg