LINGUIST List 7.1380

Sat Oct 5 1996

Sum: Hebrew word for scooter

Editor for this issue: Ann Dizdar <dizdartam2000.tamu.edu>

Directory

1. "PXX06625niftyse", Summary: Hebrew word for scooter

Re: Summary: scooter

A few weeks ago, when I posted a question about the Hebrew word for
(the foot-pushed) SCOOTER, I did not expect that a summary might be of
interest to anybody except for myself. However, the answers I received
revealed something interesting.
- --------------------------------------------- 

The name for (the foot-pushed) SCOOTER in Hebrew is KORKINET. The word
seems to have been modeled on French TROTTINETTE or PATINETTE which
also mean (foot-pushed) SCOOTER, while *CORQUINETTE is a non-existing
word in French. The stem /KORK-/ can hardly be connected with any
Hebrew or French word, cf. <croquer> 'to eat by biting (e.g. an
apple), munch', etc. Some of the explanations I have received refer to
possible phonetic changes (t > k shift and metathesis), but it is also
quite possible that it was not TROTTINETTE that was altered, but
KORKINET was simply created by speakers of Hebrew on the analogy of
French TROTTINETTE or PATINETTE using an imaginary stem (i.e. KORK-).

Let me say thanks to the following people who kindly shared their
ideas with me (unfortunately, I lost one document and the name and
e-mail of the respondent):

Pascale Amozig pascaletovna.co.il
Edit Doron editvms.huji.ac.il
Jan Engh jan.enghub.uio.no
David Gaatone dgaatoneccsg.tau.ac.il
Uri Horesh urihorespost.tau.ac.il
Marc Picard picardconu2.bitnet
Marie-Lucie Tarpent Marie-Lucie.TarpentMSVU.Ca
Marina Yaguello mayaparis7.jussieu.fr


Best,

Laszlo

CSERESNYESI, Laszlo
Prof. of Ling.
Shikoku Gakuin University
765 Kagawa-ken, Zentsuji-shi,
Bunkyo-cho 3-2-19 (JAPAN)
TEL=FAX -81-877-63 5451