[2677] in tlhIngan-Hol
The origin of the name Ferengi
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Thu Jan 20 22:25:31 1994
Reply-To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@klingon.East.Sun.COM>
From: mark <mark@dragonsys.COM>
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@klingon.East.Sun.COM>
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 94 18:05:20 EST
Last June the question was raised on the LINGUIST list of the origin of the
Thai word "farang" 'Caucasian, Westerner'. The responses fill 6 pages of
printout, and some of them do mention Star Trek.
Very briefly, the word seems to have come from pre-French and moved through
the Mediterranean and on to the south and east. Its meanings in dozens of
languages from Greek to Vietnamese generally correspond to 'European', but
also include 'Westerner', 'goods, stuff, things such as might be brought by
traders' [Bahasa Indonesia], and 'aggressive Westerner' [Thai, as I read the
comment]!
So there could very well be a connection between "Ferengi" and "farang" and
its relatives, meaning, say, 'aggressive trader' ;-)!
-- marqem
Mark A. Mandel
Dragon Systems, Inc. : speech recognition : +1 617 965-5200
320 Nevada St. : Newton, Mass. 02160, USA : mark@dragonsys.com
P.S.: This document was dictated with DragonDictate v2.0.
