@ in Finnish

According to a BBC trivia programme last night: @ in Finnish is
called "the meow sign" because it looks like a cat with its tail
curled round it. Comments from the Finnish contingent here?

==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === http://www.campin.me.uk ====
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Jack Campin - bogus address kirjoitti:
According to a BBC trivia programme last night: @ in Finnish is
called "the meow sign" because it looks like a cat with its tail
curled round it. Comments from the Finnish contingent here?


It's not the official name of the sign, but yes, it's called "the meow
sign" - "miukumerkki", "miukumauku" or just "miuku".

In Swedish it's called "trunk a" (snabel a), as in an elephant's
trunk...
--
Christine in Finland
christal63 (at) gmail (dot) com

Christine BA wrote:

Jack Campin - bogus address kirjoitti:

According to a BBC trivia programme last night: @ in Finnish is
called "the meow sign" because it looks like a cat with its tail
curled round it. Comments from the Finnish contingent here?

It's not the official name of the sign, but yes, it's called "the meow
sign" - "miukumerkki", "miukumauku" or just "miuku".

I love how words for "cat" in many different and unrelated languages
all over the world have some kind of "mew" (miu) sound in them. It's
not at all surprising, I just like it. Although I do wonder where cat/
chat/gato/gatto and other related words came from!

In Swedish it's called "trunk a" (snabel a), as in an elephant's
trunk...

Oh, I can see that, too. Maybe spraying itself with some water.

--
Joyce ^..^

To email me, remove the XXX from my user name.

I do wonder where cat/chat/gato/gatto and other related words
came from!

Arabic, or some proto-Semitic language closely related to it.

==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === http://www.campin.me.uk ====
Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557
CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts
****** I killfile Google posts - email me if you want to be whitelisted ******

Jack Campin - bogus address wrote:

I do wonder where cat/chat/gato/gatto and other related words
came from!

Arabic, or some proto-Semitic language closely related to it.

Hmm. Here's what dictionary.com says:

bef. 900; ME cat, catte, OE catt (masc.), catte (fem.); c. OFris,
MD katte, OHG kazza, ON ko;ttr, Ir cat, Welsh cath (Slavic *kotu,
Lith kate~, perh. Gmc), LL cattus, catta (first attested in the 4th
century, presumably with the introduction of domestic cats); ult.
orig. obscure

FWIW. It's probably not universally agreed-upon. I'd welcome other
etymologies that anyone else knows about. Considering that domestic
cats were introduced far before the 4th century, I'd expect the history
of the word to go back a lot further, too. (That would point to your
origin, since they were first domesticated in the Middle East.)

--
Joyce ^..^

To email me, remove the XXX from my user name.

On 2009-06-10, wrote:

I love how words for "cat" in many different and unrelated languages
all over the world have some kind of "mew" (miu) sound in them. It's
not at all surprising, I just like it. Although I do wonder where cat/
chat/gato/gatto and other related words came from!

Cattus is Latin. I don't know where that came from.

Bud

On Jun 10, 6:23*pm, wrote:

I love how words for "cat" in many different and unrelated languages
all over the world have some kind of "mew" (miu) sound in them. It's
not at all surprising, I just like it. Although I do wonder where cat/
chat/gato/gatto and other related words came from!


The Chinese pronounciation for the word cat is "mao"

Winnie