Birds

[londo_edan]

I like bird-watching in a very casual low-key way, but BI doesn't seem to classify all species (perhaps since not all are native in RI).

For example, a swan and a goose are very different types of water-fowl (in many respects).

So does anyone know why they're both referred to as Angsa ?

 

[jstar]

Perhaps the same reason why they call all rodents, tikus?

Now I thought that soang was swan. But 'she who knows everything best' tells me that angsa is (also) swan. So what is goose then? According to Wiki BI an 'angsa with a short neck'?! Makes no sense.

 

[londo_edan]

So what is goose then? According to Wiki BI an 'angsa with a short neck'?! Makes no sense.

Well they differentiate rodents a bit, I've heard a mouse called tikus and rats referred to as tikus tanah.

There's a market in Yogya, N on the road out of town near one of the pizza resto's and they sell eggs of all sizes - quail, hen, duck and then the biggest egg I've seen anywhere. I wanted to buy one to make the biggest telor goreng mata sapi ever, but the wifey running the stall couldn't confirm whether it was from a a swan or goose. I guess the latter but who knows - I could never bring myself to eat a swans egg - probably would be barred from re-entering the UK.

 

[jstar]

I could never bring myself to eat a swans egg - probably would be barred from re-entering the UK.

In a Chinese toko in western Europe I saw canned swan meat. Gloup. It was expired, but nothing some aceton can't solve. (Wow, a double pun.)

If it was really huge, it could have been an ostrich egg of course.

 

[londo_edan]

If it was really huge, it could have been an ostrich egg of course.

Now ostrich, there's a bird with high visibility here.

I was recently staying in a hotel in Padang, and out the back window was visible: bengkel burung unta !

 

[Joko]

This reminds me of something I noticed when I lived in Java years ago, and now that I'm back these last two weeks, I've noticed again.. There are so few birds here!

I've seen a few swallow-type birds, fast moving insect catchers. Kind of like bats with feathers. I've seen plenty of pigeons, but all of them in cages being sold in roadside markets. On the the beaches of the south coast, I saw no sea birds. Pigeons in the cities? Nope. Crows? Now, you might think of the crow as a temperate bird, not a tropical one, but there are thousands in Bangkok and millions of crows in Yangon.

Pigeons are regularly eaten here. I've eaten it. I don't know if crow is. Perhaps the difference is that Buddhists see feeding birds as a way to 'make merit', it's a good deed for them, improves their karma. Muslims, eh, not so much. Their charity goes to humans. Birds go in the cooking pot.

 

[john madden]

My in-laws say there were many, many birds when they were kids around 40 years ago, but that people have eaten them. I also wonder if the heavy, indiscriminate use of agricultural herbicides and pesticides has played a role.

 

[Terry MacArsey]

I've heard a mouse called tikus and rats referred to as tikus tanah.

Round our way rats are called tikus besar.

My wife's real name (not the name used on a daily basis) is Ratna so I taught my kids to remember the difference between mouse and rat by calling my wife a tikus besar.

I think that's one of many reasons why my wife isn't too upset to see me leave every year to go back to the UK.

Anyway, going back to topic, here I guess they would probably call a goose - angsa and a swan - angsa besar

 

[londo_edan]

Pigeons are regularly eaten here. I've eaten it. I don't know if crow is. Perhaps the difference is that Buddhists see feeding birds as a way to 'make merit', it's a good deed for them, improves their karma. Muslims, eh, not so much. Their charity goes to humans. Birds go in the cooking pot.

I think that's an over-simplification, for instance one of the ways Thai's like to make merit is to release caged birds, not seeming to realize it might be a good idea not to cage the poor little blighters in the first place. Especially sparrow's, the ubiquitous burung gereja which are as delightful in here RI and SEA ,as they are back in the UK.

Birds are eaten here though, pigeons, burung dara are common in road-side warung (but perhaps not quite as common as they once were).

Indonesians have different perceptions and prejudices about fairly common species. Owls are deemed to be smart, and owlish is a adjective bestowed upon bookish and wise individuals in the UK, whereas here they are burung hantu.

Similarly crows are reckoned to be clever and have displayed various behaviors that indicate they can learn fairly simple skills to help them forage and consume their food. In RI however they're burung gagak and my gf freaks if she sees one near the house as they are believed to be harbingers of a death and / or misfortune.

Mitos disini ada bnyak tentang2 burung dan binatang yg tak berdosa

 

[londo_edan]

Round our way rats are called tikus besar.


Anyway, going back to topic, here I guess they would probably call a goose - angsa and a swan - angsa besar

Yup this is what I end-up doing, but this exercise tends to end-up being rather reductive (not sure if that's the right word but tends to decrease ones vocab rather than increasing it, is what I mean).

Its the same with fish: ikan, ikan hiu, ikan paus, hiu paus, hiu macan, small ikan hiu, large ikan hiu, etc when these different species are easily distinguishable as pilot whales, killer whales, etc. (I'd hate to think what sperm whales are called ).

What we need is central language authority, like the Oxford English Dictionary, to produce agreed terms for all this flora and fauna. I'd like that job: kucing jahe, anjing sosis, burung dada merah, cacing Tanah, etc etc..

 

[wombat]

Perhaps the same reason why they call all rodents, tikus?

Now I thought that soang was swan. But 'she who knows everything best' tells me that angsa is (also) swan. So what is goose then? According to Wiki BI an 'angsa with a short neck'?! Makes no sense.

I thought that:

Swan is Soang.
Geese is Angsa

But No! Google translate says both Swan and Geese are Angsa!

 

[londo_edan]

But No! Google translate says both Swan and Geese are Angsa!

No indeed - BTW does wombat translate in BI ? tikus pohon ? tikus besar yg malas ? tikas yg tinggal diatas ? beruang kecil ?

 

[wombat]

No indeed - BTW does wombat translate in BI ? tikus pohon ? tikus besar yg malas ? tikas yg tinggal diatas ? beruang kecil ?

There is no BI equivalent of wombat that I know. The animal never existed here in Indonesia.

 

[jstar]

That's the advantage of having an animal unique to your country; all languages will adopt your naming.

 

[londo_edan]

I've heard hippos referred to as some type of babi and officially in zoo's etc as kuda nil (not sure where the latter originated).

 

[wombat]

Kuda Nil = Kuda or Horse + Nil or the river Nile in Egypt. The Nile was thought to be where hippo came from hence the name.

I've heard hippos referred to as some type of babi and officially in zoo's etc as kuda nil (not sure where the latter originated).

 

[jstar]

Yeah, we call it Nijlpaard (Nile horse); it's one of those Dutch loanwords. In the translation of the scientific ancient Greek word they changed the 'river' part into 'Nile'.

 

[londo_edan]

Cool - I like the fact that BI is rather a hotch-potch of Malay, a smattering of Javanese, Sundanese, etc Dutch, English, Arabic, plus perhaps some Chinese.

Then when you add-in Americanism's from music, TV etc, Betawi from the TV sinetrons, bahasa Gaul and those maddening abbreviations / catchphrases that Indonesians are so keen on, its a language that can be quite hard to keep track off.

 

[Scooterindo]

Cool - I like the fact that BI is rather a hotch-potch of Malay, a smattering of Javanese, Sundanese, etc Dutch, English, Arabic, plus perhaps some Chinese.

And Portuguese - Sepatu (shoes) is just one word borrowed from Portuguese I believe

 

[londo_edan]

Extra cool - I wasn't aware that the Portugese had much influence in RI but I've just remembered that they had a significant presence in the E right, Timor Leste.