User talk:Picapica/archive0410

Why?

Why are you removing items from the list of completed translations in Wikipedia:Translation into English? -- Jmabel 21:12, Aug 1, 2004 (UTC)

Sheer ignorance on my part. Sorry, sir. I've put them back, sir. Won't do it again, sir. -- Picapica 10:56, 2 Aug 2004 (UTC)

It's my party

Should anyone be following it, the full "It's my party..." dialogue can be found on User talk:Ezhiki -- Picapica 22:56, 11 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Hi, Picapica! I am not sure if you want to continue this discussion, but if you do, please start a new section on my talk page. I desperately need to archive older talk (my talk page is getting too big), and our conversation is on very top. Thanks!--Ëzhiki (erinaceus europeaus) 19:57, Oct 1, 2004 (UTC)

Sorry, Ezhiki: I didn't realize you had replied to my last contribution to the discussion (I don't use the "watchlist" feature - that way paranoia lies!). Please don't let me hold you up from archiving it. I think the discussion has come to a natural conclusion now, but I'll know where to find it if I think of anything else to add. Cheers. -- Picapica 12:47, 2 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Etymological list of counties of the United Kingdom

On the above page you have left Dumfries as meaning Fort of the Friesians: could you please also list a meaning for the name Friesian so that the etymological root may be established? Many thanks. PS: also, my source (the Oxford Dictionary of Place Names) lists Derby as Deer farm, not animal farm. -- Graham ☺ | Talk 13:26, 8 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Hi, Graham.

Dumfries -- I will link Frisians to the relevant Wikipedia page; the etymology of the name Frisia (Friesland) itself is, however, not clearly established. If I find out anything I can believe in, I will add it.

Derby is from the Old Norse dýr (animal) + bý (settlement, village). Although the cognate Old English deor (animal, beast) gradually came to take over the meaning of O.E. heoret (hart, deer), the O.N. dýr never lost its original "animal" meaning. "Animal village" would be better (I will change it) -- I corrected "deer" to "animal", then couldn't resist the Orwellian result of retaining the word "farm"... -- Picapica 14:46, 8 Oct 2004 (UTC)

OK I'll leave Derby as it is: I have to say I did find the appearance of 'Animal Farm' on the page somewhat comical and disturbing; when asked to participate in an employees' questionaire at my place of work I voted for the entire works of George Orwell to be sent immediately to Room 101. Only a handful got the irony.

Incidentally your meaning for 'Kent' provides yet a third etymology for that word. If you check the history of the page the Kent entry has been changed a few times by different people depending on what their own sources say it means... -- Graham ☺ | Talk 17:11, 8 Oct 2004 (UTC)

I'm afraid I rather leapt in and changed the Kent entry before I had read the whole talk page, since I did think the previously shown reference to CENTurions so unlikely (compare another Wikipedia page which had the first element of Canterbury, Cantwarebyrig (Kent-men-fort) deriving from the Latin for "they sing"). Romans named districts after the tribes already in situ; the "locals" did not re-name themselves using Latin terms and concepts. Even Powys from pagus (hinterland) is a shortened form of Pagus somewhere: cf. such continental names as Pagus Rotomagensis (the "back-country" of Rouen). The theory that the Cantii were the "people on the corner" is attractive, since Latin canthus, rim (of a wheel), is one of the technological loan-words (like carrum, chariot) that the Romans borrowed from the Celts. However, the fact that the Indo-European root kand-/kend- (to shine, be bright, be white) turns up in other tribal names, such as that of the Cantabrii in Spain, persuades me that that is the best derivation. To be quite CANDid, I didn't realize my change might be regarded by some as inCENDiary! -- Picapica 09:38, 9 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Well I like that explanation, best of luck when Kenneth Alan spots it, that's all I can say... -- Graham ☺ | Talk 23:24, 9 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Maamme

I won't change your edit, Tuomas, but would just like to point out that "German-born" does not mean "born by Germans" (or even "born by a German" -- only his mother did the bearing!); it means "born in Germany". Pacius may or may not have retained his German nationality, but the fact that he carried out his life's work in Finland and supported Finnish nationalism means that he must be regarded as at least an "honorary Finn" at a time when Finland was not independent -- so that the epithet "German-born" is, I feel, quite appropriate (it also helps explain why, though baptized "Friedrich", he was and is known, as a composer, as "Fredrik"). An extract from the Encyclopaedia Britannica: Regarded as the Father of Finnish Music, German-born composer and violinist Fredrik Pacius... -- Picapica 10:47, 12 Oct 2004 (UTC)

You are right, of course, with regard to my faulty understanding of "German-born" — although I stubbornly would argue that this rather is a fault of the English language than of me! :-)) Thank you!

However, with regard to Pacius, I would be prepared to bet that most contemporary Finns considered him a German and not a Finn - not even a honorary. There were plenty of Finland-Swedes who "supported Finnish nationalism" (i.e. fennomans), but they were of course not considered Finns by their contemporaries. Ethnicity was something people took rather seriously back then, and in addition, I believe that one was rather pretty proud of each and every non-Finn who settled in Finland (as long as they weren't Russians or Swedes). I can not say surely how "most" Finns think of him today - I guess they do not think of him at all. /Tuomas 20:05, 21 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Maps

A sincere thanks for that info on the maps - agreed knowing the location is more important than the size and boundary - I have never really been happy about the Irish maps and meant to update them with better clearer images, but the time is prohibitive and it is difficult to get accurate source maps. I will pass your idea to Wikipedia talk:Irish wikipedians' notice board and hopefully implement it. Djegan 19:27, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)