Uralic Languages Word-Association Game

[Linguaphile]

valimissüsteem
electoral system

välisministeeriüm
foreign ministry, ministry of foreign affairs

[h34]

омбомастор / ombomastor
foreign country, foreign state
(омбо = foreign, strange, мастор = country, state)

[Linguaphile]

vȭrkēļ
foreign language

[h34]

мутер / muter
dictionary

мут word + -ер nominal suffix (collective nouns)

[Naava]

mutteri
nut (fastener)

(From Swedish mutter, from German Mutter)

[h34]

mutrivõti
wrench

[france-eesti]

violinkulcs
treble clef

(litterally: violin key)

[Linguaphile]

bassivõti
bass clef

(literally: bass key)

[Naava]

C-avain
C-clef

(literally: C key)

[france-eesti]

fagott
Bassoon

[Linguaphile]

pasuuna
trombone

[Naava]

trumpetti
trumpet

[Linguaphile]

metsasarv
French horn

[Naava]

hirvi
elk (Alces alces)

[Linguaphile]

hirv
deer (Cervus elaphus)

[h34]

кöр / kör
reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)

[Naava]

hirv
deer (Cervus elaphus)

Ok I decided to check what the names for different kinds of deer are and this is so confusing. Look:

poro
- I was taught in school that this is 'reindeer' in English but looks like that's the closest match rather than a literal translation because the concept doesn't exist in English at all??
- basically it's a tamed version of Rangifer tarandus tarandus but IMO if you're going to call them by the same name, then we should start calling dogs 'wolves' too (ok I'm just kidding here)
- here's a pic:

► Show Spoiler

peura
- also a reindeer (???)
- I'm pretty sure we were taught it's a deer in school (??????)
- fancy name: Rangifer tarandus
- here's a prototypical peura (in my opinion):

► Show Spoiler

kauris
- roe deer (how is this a deer and not a reindeer wtf)
- looks like a peura to me except that if I see an animal like this, I know it must be a peura because roe deer live only in Southern Finland
- a pic:

► Show Spoiler

hirvi
- elk in BrE, moose in AmE, except that American and European hirvi are different (sub)species so that's not quite accurate
- here's a hirvi in its natural habitat aka waiting in the bushes until you get closer, then crossing the road by jumping in front of your car & giving everyone involved a heart attack

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saksanhirvi
- literally German elk/moose
- lat. Cervus elaphus
- why is this a deer in English???
- it's just like a hirvi but with fancier antlers

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kanadanhirvi
- Cervus canadensis
- lit. Canadian elk/moose
- that's what the Americans mean when they say elk
- why why why
- just stop borrowing words from every single language that exists and we could avoid moose/elk problems
- no pic because I don't have a prototypical image of whatever you want to call them because they don't live here

This was completely offtopic but I hope it was educational.

[Linguaphile]

hirv
deer (Cervus elaphus)

Ok I decided to check what the names for different kinds of deer are and this is so confusing. Look:

poro
- I was taught in school that this is 'reindeer' in English but looks like that's the closest match rather than a literal translation because the concept doesn't exist in English at all??
- basically it's a tamed version of Rangifer tarandus tarandus but IMO if you're going to call them by the same name, then we should start calling dogs 'wolves' too (ok I'm just kidding here)
- here's a pic:

► Show Spoiler

peura
- also a reindeer (???)
- I'm pretty sure we were taught it's a deer in school (??????)
- fancy name: Rangifer tarandus
- here's a prototypical peura (in my opinion):

► Show Spoiler

kauris
- roe deer (how is this a deer and not a reindeer wtf)
- looks like a peura to me except that if I see an animal like this, I know it must be a peura because roe deer live only in Southern Finland
- a pic:

► Show Spoiler

hirvi
- elk in BrE, moose in AmE, except that American and European hirvi are different (sub)species so that's not quite accurate
- here's a hirvi in its natural habitat aka waiting in the bushes until you get closer, then crossing the road by jumping in front of your car & giving everyone involved a heart attack

► Show Spoiler

saksanhirvi
- literally German elk/moose
- lat. Cervus elaphus
- why is this a deer in English???
- it's just like a hirvi but with fancier antlers

► Show Spoiler

kanadanhirvi
- Cervus canadensis
- lit. Canadian elk/moose
- that's what the Americans mean when they say elk
- why why why
- just stop borrowing words from every single language that exists and we could avoid moose/elk problems
- no pic because I don't have a prototypical image of whatever you want to call them because they don't live here

This was completely offtopic but I hope it was educational.

Yeah. I know that Estonian hirv is deer (except when it's elk lol), but I will probably never manage to keep straight the cognates in the other languages - which is elk and which is deer and which can be both and so on.
I don't even worry about the moose/elk thing. Deer/elk seems to be confusing enough in Finnic languages.
At one point I thought I had it straight that the cognates of hirv and põder were simply reversed in some of the languages, but it's more complicated than that. There's overlap and there's the scientific taxonomy and there's popular usage which doesn't really follow scientific taxonomy. There's local animals with native names and there's distant animals named by analogy. Long story short, I'm always getting the non-Estonian cognates of hirv and põder mixed up with each other and probably always will!


Oops, I forgot which thread I'm in. So here is the next word:
põhjapõder
reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)


As for what people tend to think, I think in the US there are probably quite a few people who would be surprised to learn that reindeer are real animals rather than mythical animals that fly. I mean, first kids are surprised to learn that Santa doesn't really exist, then a bit later they are surprised to learn that reindeer actually do. The whole Christmas-gift-delivery thing makes it quite confusing.
by the way: põhjapõder "northern põder" is "reindeer" (Rangifer tarandus), while your average non-põhja põder is "elk, moose" (Alces alces)

[h34]

кöра-даддя / köra-daddja
reindeer sleigh

[Linguaphile]

пуазшэ / puadzše
to be considered rich in reindeer; to be seen as having a good herd