[85052] in tlhIngan-Hol
RE: Help with a project
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (nahqun@gmail.com)
Thu Sep 11 12:12:32 2008
From: nahqun@gmail.com
To: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
CC:
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:08:18 -0700 (PDT)
Errors-to: tlhingan-hol-bounce@kli.org
Reply-to: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
jatlh Voragh:
I'm told that a ukulele is named for the flea-like jumping movement of the player's fingers. The Hawaiian word for flea is *'uku lele* "jumping bug" -- which is the origin of the pun: {Sup} "jump" (v.) + {ghew} "bug" (n.)
From "Hawaiian Dictionary" Puki & Elbert 1986:
'uku.lele. n. Ukulele. /Lit.,/ leaping flea, probably from the Hawaiian-nickname of Edward Purvis, who was small and quick and popularized the instrument brought to Hawai'i by the Portuguese in 1879.
~naHQun
