"The name "zebra" in English dates back to c. 1600, from Italian zebra, perhaps through Portuguese." So are you trying to say it entered English from Italian and it entered Italian through Portuguese (Portuguese→Italian→English), or it entered English through Portuguese and entered Portuguese through Italian (Italian→Portuguese→English)?
The source is saying there're 2 different theories: either it's a portmanteau of Latin equus+ferus ("wild horse"), or it comes from the Congolese or Amharic word which entered Portuguese (which would make sense considering Portugal occupied almost the entire African coastline) which entered Italian. In either case, the word entered English through Italian around the year 1600 User:Dunkleosteus77 |
push to talk22:48, 24 June 2020 (UTC)reply
Fixed. Apparently, it coming from Congolese is wrong.
[1]
Are you sure there's a large agreement that it does not come from Congolese? Also if it didn't come from Congolese, then it didn't enter Italian via Portuguese, it would've already existed from Latin User:Dunkleosteus77 |
push to talk03:07, 25 June 2020 (UTC)reply
I don't have access to the current version of OED so I can't confirm.
Uanfala says it is. Also the word would not have already existed in Latin but came from the Latin word "equiferus" entered Portuguese as zebra and then Italian.
LittleJerry (
talk)
11:42, 25 June 2020 (UTC)reply
Italian is a Latin based language. If it already existed in Latin, then it would have existed in Italian without Portuguese influence. Your current source says "c. 1600, from Italian zebra, perhaps via Portuguese, earlier applied to a now-extinct wild ass, of uncertain origin, said to be Congolese [OED], or Amharic [Klein], but perhaps ultimately from Latin equiferus "wild horse," from equus "horse" (see equine) + ferus (see fierce)". Notice it uses the word "perhaps" to separate the 2 competing theories. OED denotes that the Oxford English Dictionary hypothesizes it came from Congolese, and Klein that the Klein Dictionary hypothesizes Amharic
[2]. I don't really see a consensus opinion preferring one theory over the other, so could
Uanfala perhaps copy/paste the entry for zebra here to verify? User:Dunkleosteus77 |
push to talk14:33, 25 June 2020 (UTC)reply
The current online edition (OED Third Edition, June 2018) gives the following etymology:
Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Italian. Partly a borrowing from Portuguese. Etymons: Italian zebra; Portuguese zebra, zevra. Etymology: < (i) Italian zebra (1591 in the passage translated in quot. 1597), and its etymon (ii) Portuguese zebra, zevra (1578 in the work ultimately underlying quot. 1653), apparently a transferred use of zevra, zevro kind of feral horse of the Iberian peninsula (12th cent.; compare note) < an unattested post-classical Latin form *eciferus < classical Latin equiferus wild or feral horse (Pliny) < equus horse (see hippo- comb. form) + ferus wild (see feral adj.1).
I hope this should clarify how an Italian word whose ultimate etymology is in Latin could have been borrowed from Portuguese. The OED gives some further details on e.g. the Spanish cognates, and the feral horse itself (such as the fact that it was apparently striped). Then it goes on to mention the proposed African etymology:
The word was formerly sometimes believed to be < an African language, probably based on early reports of the name being used by the inhabitants of the Kongo region (e.g. H. Ludolf 1681, in the passage paraphrased in quot. 1682); however, this is more likely to refer to the language of the Portuguese settlers in the region.
"recent (2013) phylogenetic evidence" it's best not to use recent because that's a pretty relative term. You could also say "A 2013 phylogenetic study" or "A 2013 study looking at phylogenetics", or maybe "DNA analysis" would be sufficient User:Dunkleosteus77 |
push to talk00:10, 23 June 2020 (UTC)reply
You start with a 2013 study, then go back to 2004, then say the quagga used to be a separate species (without mentioning when it was first described as such and when it was changed and what it is now). I think you should also put a paragraph on research history on which species were described when and why they were named as such (where did "quagga" come from? Who's Grevy and why does he have a zebra named after him?) User:Dunkleosteus77 |
push to talk16:55, 23 June 2020 (UTC)reply
You can most certainly find the original paper which proposed each hypothesis. I'm sure your source cites them so it shouldn't take very long to find. You could also add who first proposed them (like you did with the crypsis hypothesis) User:Dunkleosteus77 |
push to talk16:53, 23 June 2020 (UTC)reply
"The name "zebra" in English dates back to c. 1600, from Italian zebra, perhaps through Portuguese." So are you trying to say it entered English from Italian and it entered Italian through Portuguese (Portuguese→Italian→English), or it entered English through Portuguese and entered Portuguese through Italian (Italian→Portuguese→English)?
The source is saying there're 2 different theories: either it's a portmanteau of Latin equus+ferus ("wild horse"), or it comes from the Congolese or Amharic word which entered Portuguese (which would make sense considering Portugal occupied almost the entire African coastline) which entered Italian. In either case, the word entered English through Italian around the year 1600 User:Dunkleosteus77 |
push to talk22:48, 24 June 2020 (UTC)reply
Fixed. Apparently, it coming from Congolese is wrong.
[1]
Are you sure there's a large agreement that it does not come from Congolese? Also if it didn't come from Congolese, then it didn't enter Italian via Portuguese, it would've already existed from Latin User:Dunkleosteus77 |
push to talk03:07, 25 June 2020 (UTC)reply
I don't have access to the current version of OED so I can't confirm.
Uanfala says it is. Also the word would not have already existed in Latin but came from the Latin word "equiferus" entered Portuguese as zebra and then Italian.
LittleJerry (
talk)
11:42, 25 June 2020 (UTC)reply
Italian is a Latin based language. If it already existed in Latin, then it would have existed in Italian without Portuguese influence. Your current source says "c. 1600, from Italian zebra, perhaps via Portuguese, earlier applied to a now-extinct wild ass, of uncertain origin, said to be Congolese [OED], or Amharic [Klein], but perhaps ultimately from Latin equiferus "wild horse," from equus "horse" (see equine) + ferus (see fierce)". Notice it uses the word "perhaps" to separate the 2 competing theories. OED denotes that the Oxford English Dictionary hypothesizes it came from Congolese, and Klein that the Klein Dictionary hypothesizes Amharic
[2]. I don't really see a consensus opinion preferring one theory over the other, so could
Uanfala perhaps copy/paste the entry for zebra here to verify? User:Dunkleosteus77 |
push to talk14:33, 25 June 2020 (UTC)reply
The current online edition (OED Third Edition, June 2018) gives the following etymology:
Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Italian. Partly a borrowing from Portuguese. Etymons: Italian zebra; Portuguese zebra, zevra. Etymology: < (i) Italian zebra (1591 in the passage translated in quot. 1597), and its etymon (ii) Portuguese zebra, zevra (1578 in the work ultimately underlying quot. 1653), apparently a transferred use of zevra, zevro kind of feral horse of the Iberian peninsula (12th cent.; compare note) < an unattested post-classical Latin form *eciferus < classical Latin equiferus wild or feral horse (Pliny) < equus horse (see hippo- comb. form) + ferus wild (see feral adj.1).
I hope this should clarify how an Italian word whose ultimate etymology is in Latin could have been borrowed from Portuguese. The OED gives some further details on e.g. the Spanish cognates, and the feral horse itself (such as the fact that it was apparently striped). Then it goes on to mention the proposed African etymology:
The word was formerly sometimes believed to be < an African language, probably based on early reports of the name being used by the inhabitants of the Kongo region (e.g. H. Ludolf 1681, in the passage paraphrased in quot. 1682); however, this is more likely to refer to the language of the Portuguese settlers in the region.
"recent (2013) phylogenetic evidence" it's best not to use recent because that's a pretty relative term. You could also say "A 2013 phylogenetic study" or "A 2013 study looking at phylogenetics", or maybe "DNA analysis" would be sufficient User:Dunkleosteus77 |
push to talk00:10, 23 June 2020 (UTC)reply
You start with a 2013 study, then go back to 2004, then say the quagga used to be a separate species (without mentioning when it was first described as such and when it was changed and what it is now). I think you should also put a paragraph on research history on which species were described when and why they were named as such (where did "quagga" come from? Who's Grevy and why does he have a zebra named after him?) User:Dunkleosteus77 |
push to talk16:55, 23 June 2020 (UTC)reply
You can most certainly find the original paper which proposed each hypothesis. I'm sure your source cites them so it shouldn't take very long to find. You could also add who first proposed them (like you did with the crypsis hypothesis) User:Dunkleosteus77 |
push to talk16:53, 23 June 2020 (UTC)reply