what's in a name?

[The-Wolf]

I read somewhere (PFK, I think) that plakat is the
Thai word for the betta splendens and that
when the victorians translated the word they got it
wrong, calling them "fighting fish", when the correct
translation is "biting fish"

can anyone confirm this?

 

[Synirr]

According to my betta book, "pla" means fish and kat means "to bite".
The Latin Betta splendens is "beautiful/splendid warrior"

 

[The-Wolf]

so it is biting fish not fighting fish then.
revalation, the victorians wern't pefect at everything

 

[Synirr]

On a semi-related note about animal naming, the white rhino is not named such because of its colour, but because the Afrikaans word for "wide" sounds a lot like "white". Natives actually were refering to it as the "wide-lipped rhino" and there was some confusion

 

[Bloo]

On a semi-related note about animal naming, the white rhino is not named such because of its colour, but because the Afrikaans word for "wide" sounds a lot like "white".  Natives actually were refering to it as the "wide-lipped rhino" and there was some confusion 

[snapback]843367[/snapback]​

I'm ultra impressed that you know that
(being Afrikaans - speaking myself )

 

[Synirr]

On a semi-related note about animal naming, the white rhino is not named such because of its colour, but because the Afrikaans word for "wide" sounds a lot like "white".  Natives actually were refering to it as the "wide-lipped rhino" and there was some confusion 

[snapback]843367[/snapback]​

I'm ultra impressed that you know that
(being Afrikaans - speaking myself )

[snapback]843529[/snapback]​

You speak Afrikaans? Way cool! I don't speak it, but I love hearing it spoken (a friend of mine's mother is from South Africa and I just adore her accent). I'm a huge biology nut, so I know a lot of random stuff like that from watching the Discovery Channel way too much