Message-Id: <9202111010.AA15376@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
Date:         Tue, 11 Feb 1992 09:39:13 GMT
Reply-To: CJ FINE <cbmvax!uunet!BRADFORD.AC.UK!cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu!C.J.Fine>
Sender: Lojban list <cbmvax!uunet!CUVMA.BITNET!cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu!LOJBAN>
From: CJ FINE <cbmvax!uunet!BRADFORD.AC.UK!cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu!C.J.Fine>
Subject:      Re: states/provinces/counties
To: John Cowan <cowan@SNARK.THYRSUS.COM>,
        Eric Raymond <eric@SNARK.THYRSUS.COM>,
        Eric Tiedemann <est@SNARK.THYRSUS.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <no.id>; from "Mark E. Shoulson" at Feb 7, 92 9:44 am
Status: RO

Dave re Ivan:
>
> >You have my emphatic vote against translating names or parts of names.
> >That NY is called Nueva York in Spanish means that a Spanish speaker
> >will recognise {la cnino.iork} (or whatever) as NY.  But it won't mean
> >anything to a Russian or Bulgarian lojbani, unless he knows English
> >and is aware that "new" means `{cnino}'.  He will expect {la niu.iork.}
>
> I think I agree here.  Would anyone here agree if I said that Jesus was
> born in the House of Bread (or Breadhouse or some such city-sounding name?)
> Didn't think so.  But that's what Bethlehem means, place of bread.  And how
> much are you going to translate?  "York", going far enough back, comes from
> "place of boars", I am informed.  Nobody would want to refer to N.Y. as
> "new boarplace" or something.

As I have already indicated in another mail, I agree too. Incidentally,
"York" is "place of boars", but not originally - the sequence went
something like this:
        Eborac - Celtic, of unknown meaning (latinised as Eboracum)
        Eoforwic - Anglo-Saxon folk-etymology: place of boars
        Jorvik - Danish (Viking) transformation - half-meaningless
        York

        kolin
                        c.j.fine@bradford.ac.uk