Thread View: comp.std.internat
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Started by pom Peter O. Mikes
Fri, 11 Sep 1987 00:37
Dollar <- Tolar <- Thaler
Author: pom Peter O. Mikes
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1987 00:37
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1987 00:37
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Re: Really really very last words on Dollar - was Origin of "$", hopefully the last word! (was: Re: Computers and human languages (was Re: What is a byte))
Newsgroups: comp.std.internat,sci.lang
hrs@homxb.UUCP (H.SILBIGER) Writes
Apart from the origin of the "$" sign, the name dollar comes from the
germanic thaler,
This is true, BUT, if you really want to be accurate,
Thaler (german for plate [reference to a VERY LARGE gold coin]) migrated
into Dollar via a czech pronounciation and spelling of Thaler as Tolar,
reverse path to Budwaiser ( german version of (now) Czech city Bud^ejovice).
and (if you really are into trivia ) Maria-Theresa's Tolar was made from gold
mined in Jachymov (which, after being striped of gold and silver) still
provided U238+U235 which Curies used in ther experiments .. and can you
name other 3 to 5 words which entred english via this Czech-or-German
( or Sudetenland) gateway?
BTW
> with the diaresis usually only in texts for students of Russian, or
>for disambiguation.
> -- Judy Grass (ex-Slavic Linguist)
Judy is absolutely correct - when students include Russian children
>alan@pdn.UUCP (Alan Lovejoy) writes
> "sh" sometimes have a line
This is true too, BUT it is 1) not an accent or modifier but rather a
readibility help ( since sh looks like triple u - easy to confuse with m
in careless handwriting) 2) It is (like similar tradition of 'crossing 7'
to differentiate it from 1 ) discouraged at school and used mostly by older
generation.
Yours Peter || pom alias pom@under.s1.gov || pom@s1-under.UUCP
Re: Dollar <- Tolar <- Thaler
Author: Adam J. Kucznetsov
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1987 12:03
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1987 12:03
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In article <15603@mordor.s1.gov> pom@s1-under.UUCP () writes:
>... hrs@homxb.UUCP (H.SILBIGER) Writes
>>Apart from the origin of the "$" sign, the name dollar comes from the
>>germanic thaler,
> This is true, BUT, if you really want to be accurate,
> Thaler (german for plate [reference to a VERY LARGE gold coin]) migrated
> into Dollar via a czech pronounciation and spelling of Thaler as Tolar,
> reverse path to Budwaiser ( german version of (now) Czech city Bud^ejovice).
Nah. The German word for "plate" is indeed "Teller" which (maybe) sounds
a little like "Thaler" but your explanation is what's known in
linguistics as "folk etymology" -- cute, but wrong. The origin of the
word "dollar" is indeed (as stated previously) the German
"Joachimsthaler," referring in the ordinary German
manner-of-referring-to-place-of-origin (Hamburger, Frankfurter,
Muenchner, etc.) to a place called Joachimsthal; "das Thal" is an old
way of writing "das Tal" which is modern German for "valley" (compare
English "dale") and there really is a place called Joachimsthal, in the
Erzgebirge; silver was mined there and was (presumably) used to make the
coins. I don't know about the Czech path; I wouldn't want to deny it
flat out but I think that English gets "dollar" from the low German
"daler" / Dutch "daalder." Note also Italian "tallero." Some of this you
can tell by phonetics. "Taler" or "thaler" >is< pronounced >approximately<
like "dollar" (with a 't') in modern Hochdeutsch; "Teller" is pronounced
approximately like the English word of the same spelling. Please keep in
mind the approximatelies :-) since phonetics aren't equal in any
language/dialect/regional variation.
Budvar is a good Czech beer that some people like to say is the REAL
Budweiser...
cat(adam k)
--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cat (Adam) J. Kucznetsov adam@cunixc.columbia.edu and cunixc.UUCP
Columbia University, NYC UI.ADAM@CU20B.BITNET AJUUS@CUVMA.BITNET
When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.
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