Talk:Navajo
Latest comment: 12 years ago by Stephen G. Brown in topic From Tewa
Shouldn't Naabeehó be added as an alternate Navajo translation? 71.66.97.228 06:46, 23 October 2010 (UTC)
- You could, or you could just add it as a synonym on the diné page. —Stephen (Talk) 07:44, 23 October 2010 (UTC)
From Tewa[edit]
I've run across a number of sources claiming that the word came from Tewa naabeehu or something similar, with a meaning of "they took our fields" -- is that just a long-lasting misunderstanding? -- Eiríkr Útlendi | Tala við mig 18:04, 12 September 2011 (UTC)
- Sounds like folk etymology. It is popular to squeeze new and unflattering meanings out of ancient words in minority languages that are not well attested and no longer understood in the original sense. A good example is the Lakota word for white man, wasicu. With a little pulling and stretching, it can be turned into the Modern Lakota word meaning "he takes the fat" (i.e., greedy), which is now the popular folk etymology of wasicu since the old word is no longer used. —Stephen (Talk) 02:33, 14 September 2011 (UTC)