Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2012 August 19

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August 19

Sermilik Glacier and Sirmilik National Park

Congrats 203.27.72.5, you've just earned the pedant pendant ! StuRat (talk) 00:11, 28 August 2012 (UTC)

Why Sermilik Glacier but Sirmilik National Park? Blast furnace chip worker (talk) 06:50, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

Likely two different translations of the same native American word. We also have Mackinaw and Mackinac, here in Michigan. StuRat (talk) 07:01, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

Actually, it's more likely two different phonetic transcriptions as opposed to translations of the same word. 203.27.72.5 (talk) 02:52, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

As with Chippewa and Ojibwa, for example. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:45, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

Symbol

is this a various script of Om (in a row)? -- Cherubino (talk) 18:17, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

See The German text says "Die Reisweinkanne stellt das chinesische Schriftzeichen für shou („Langes Leben“) dar. Dieses Schriftzeichen ist in China ein traditionelles Glückssymbol. Aufgrund der zahlreichen verschiedenen kalligraphischen Schreibstile gibt es über sechzig unterschiedliche Schreibvarianten dieses Zeichens." (A shortened translation: Chinese script for shou (long life). This sign is a traditional symbol for luck in China. There are 60+ calligraphic variants). --Pp.paul.4 (talk) 22:04, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

See Shou character. 203.27.72.5 (talk) 03:05, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

It looks to be written in a style similar to cursive (草书) style, though somewhat rounded. Alternately, it could be based on seal script.  dalahäst ^{(let's talk!)} 05:20, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

I immediately though of Mongolian script (or a derived script, such as the Manchu alphabet). Sadly I can't read Mongolian, so I can't say if that is what it is... Given Pp.pauls.4's link to the picture of the rice wine container, which seems to be identical, that seems a more likely. V85 (talk) 13:45, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

I too immediately thought of Mongolian script, specifically the ligature "bo" (which is not listed in the table in Traditional Mongolian alphabet, but appears in the bottom (last) word of the right-hand column in the example below the table). However, the relevant part of this symbol is the wrong way round for that letter, and I think this is a coincidence. --ColinFine (talk) 18:03, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

As I have said, shou seems to be attested as the meaning. However, if no other suggestion had surfaced, I would have suggested that the presence of a 'wrong way round' version of Mongolian ligature 'bo' could've meant that the image had been uploaded upside-down. V85 (talk) 16:17, 23 August 2012 (UTC)