Get your rocks off. Way off.

[Taro Toporific]

And ask a European what they call a Swedish Moose.

Elk, apparently...that is pretty fucked.

My mom used to live in Estes Park Colorado which is surrounded by Rocky Mountain National Park that has herds of Wapiti (American elk) and a few moose. Every summer the place becomes infested with German tourists living out their cowboy damp-dreams and I always had to remember to only use the name "Wapiti" because there was so much confusion.

[matsuki]

And ask a European what they call a Swedish Moose.

Elk, apparently...that is pretty fucked.

My mom used to live in Estes Park Colorado which is surrounded by Rocky Mountain National Park that has herds of Wapiti (American elk) and a few moose. Every summer the place becomes infested with German tourists living out their cowboy damp-dreams and I always had to remember to only use the name "Wapiti" because there was so much confusion.

Did they ask you where Winnetou lives?

[Taro Toporific]

Every summer the place becomes infested with German tourists living out their cowboy damp-dreams and I always had to remember to only use the name "Wapiti" because there was so much confusion.

Did they ask you where Winnetou lives?

ALL. THE. TIME.
When I was 18-19 year student, on the weekends I would work as a wrangler taking tourists, mostly German, on trail rides from the Shining Hotel. I used to make up some fucked-up ghost stories about the "Injun burial grounds" that were located beneath the most expensive lodges/chalets that only rich douchebags from New Jersey and Germany would waste money on renting.

[matsuki]

Oh well, at least the Germans have the excuse of being fed that bullshit by one of their own convicted conman cuntrymen who never made it west of New York

[Samurai_Jerk]

Axolotl

Who actually uses that word in the America? I had one when I was a kid and everyone called it a mud puppy. Apparently people also call them walking fish.

[matsuki]

Axolotl

Who actually uses that word in the America? I had one when I was a kid and everyone called it a mud puppy. Apparently people also call them walking fish.

I saw them in pet stores and friends had kept them all the time, calling them Axolotls. Mud puppies are a different, non-related species from the US whereas Axolotls are from Mexico and the only people I heard calling them mud puppies were rednecks from Georgia. (regional thing? I mean, LA is a lot closer to Mexico so Spanish/Aztec adopted words/names are everywhere) Apparently some people call baby tiger salamanders "water dogs" as well?

[Samurai_Jerk]

Axolotl

Who actually uses that word in the America? I had one when I was a kid and everyone called it a mud puppy. Apparently people also call them walking fish.

I saw them in pet stores and friends had kept them all the time, calling them Axolotls. Mud puppies are a different, non-related species from the US whereas Axolotls are from Mexico and the only people I heard calling them mud puppies were rednecks from Georgia. (regional thing? I mean, LA is a lot closer to Mexico so Spanish/Aztec adopted words/names are everywhere) Apparently some people call baby tiger salamanders "water dogs" as well?

They probably called them mud puppies because they look the same. By the way, I had it when I lived in LA in the early 80's so I was talking about people in LA. Maybe it's a white thing. Who the hell wants to use a dirty Mexican word?

[matsuki]

Axolotl

Who actually uses that word in the America? I had one when I was a kid and everyone called it a mud puppy. Apparently people also call them walking fish.

I saw them in pet stores and friends had kept them all the time, calling them Axolotls. Mud puppies are a different, non-related species from the US whereas Axolotls are from Mexico and the only people I heard calling them mud puppies were rednecks from Georgia. (regional thing? I mean, LA is a lot closer to Mexico so Spanish/Aztec adopted words/names are everywhere) Apparently some people call baby tiger salamanders "water dogs" as well?

They probably called them mud puppies because they look the same. By the way, I had it when I lived in LA in the early 80's so I was talking about people in LA. Maybe it's a white thing. Who the hell wants to use a dirty Mexican word?

Scrambled eggs or huevos rancheros?

[kurogane]

And ask a European what they call a Swedish Moose.

Elk, apparently...that is pretty fucked.

Dood, you win an OoopaRoopa cookie.

BTW, the elk thing almost makes sense. Moose and Eurasian elk are the same thing, whereas a Wapiti is actually a stag type deer, like a red or mule deer (their antlers being dendritic rather than palmatic). Apparently the first Euros were confused by its large size and the fact that they had never seen a live Eurasian elk/moose, so they named the Wapiti the elk and adopted the native moose for elk. Clear as mud.

So, apologies if I sounded snippy or pedantically apologetic. I probably read you wrong. Like you noted, they do have a perfectly good system of taxonomy, but apparently many choose not to use it. It probably relates to that popularisation thing they do, and do well, like the diorections for using a Western toilet. It's an LCD public educational effort that dates back to the days of widespread ill and subliteracy.

I find their native taxonomic tendencies very taxing (get it!!?? ), but it is theirs, and the ones who know it use it.

It reminds me of the old wives' tale about Japanese having no to few generic nouns (tree; grass; flower, etc). They do have them, they just choose not to use them. Apparently the generic for seaweed is rather new. Perhaps They simply didn't see a need to group together things they almost obsessively regard as being different?

Anyhoo.................love the OoopaRoopa story. I love Xlotilotixacals. They so cute. More of them for everybody.

I wonder if that is a play on Oompaloompas, or if it is just supposed to sound Aztecian.

[matsuki]

It reminds me of the old wives' tale about Japanese having no to few generic nouns (tree; grass; flower, etc). They do have them, they just choose not to use them. Apparently the generic for seaweed is rather new. Perhaps They simply didn't see a need to group together things they almost obsessively regard as being different?

I will never understand how they can consider some things soooo different but still say blue and green are the same color.

Anyhoo.................love the OoopaRoopa story. I love Xlotilotixacals. They so cute. More of them for everybody.

I wonder if that is a play on Oompaloompas, or if it is just supposed to sound Aztecian.

Well the Mexicans pronounce it all Spanish-like, アホロッテ so I imagine some J-dude heard that and thought a CM with them saying アッホアッホwouldn't fly (or he though them gulping air should sound like ウッパウッパ？？)

Either way, this shit is really disturbing...