Origin Of Words For Grasshopper & Mantids

[Trevor]

Grasshopper - ตักแตน

Mantis - ตั๊กแตนตำข้าว (Rice-pounding grasshopper?)

Preying Mantis - ?

[5tash]

ตั๊กแตน - grasshopper

ตั๊กแตนกิ่งไม้ - stick mantis

ตั๊กแตนตำข้าว - praying mantis

ตั๊กแตนใบไม้ - leaf mantis

ตั๊กแตนปาทังกา - Bombay locust

ตั้กแตนผี - spotted grasshopper

Haven't you ever seen a praying mantis using a mortar and pestle ?

[Trevor]

'Praying' it is ... thanks! Where did you get such an extensive listing?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praying_mantis

[5tash]

'Praying' it is ... thanks! Where did you get such an extensive listing?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praying_mantis

I got the examples from Domnern & Sathienpong Thai-English Dictionary. It an extensive set of appendices featuring birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, plants, aquatic life, geographical names, Thai dishes and ingredients, military & police ranks, Thai government organs, state enterprises, financial institutions and public universities.

I highly recommend this dictionary. The hardback version comes with a CD-Rom which has accurate pronunciation of all Thai words.

[DavidHouston]

Trevor,

Your original posting mentioned "word origins". It seems that both ตั๊กแตน (grasshopper) and จักจั่น (cicada) are great examples of Thai onomatopoeia. They are also two of about 50 Thai origin words in which an "อะ" sound is inserted after what otherwise would be a final syllable consonant. (See Kumchai Thonglaw, page 508.)

Another word with an inserted "อะ" sound is the word ตุ๊กตา (doll) which I suspect might be related to the word กระตุกกระติก (to shake; swing; sway; waver; rock; vacillate). Might both these words be examples of onomatopoeia?

Several other examples of onomatopoeia may be found at www.palungjit.com/dict

ติ๋ง [ ADV ] onomatopoeia from the sound of dropping water

[ English ]sound of dropping water [ Syn ] ติ๋งๆ . . . [ Def ] เสียงน้ำหยด

โกรง [ ADV ] onomatopoeia from the sound of being crushed

[ Def ] เสียงกระแทกดังโครมๆ เช่น กระทุ้งเส้ากราวโกรง (สุบิน)

โครก [ N ] onomatopoeia of snoring sound

[ English ]harsh sound as of snoring; passing wind from the stomach or gushing water [ Syn ] เสียงกรน, เสียงท้องร้อง . . .

ปุ [ ADV ] onomatopoeia from the sound produced when striking a soft substance

Are there others that you can think of?

[Virin]

This name ตั๊กแตนตำข้าว represents its physical form, it looks like สากตำข้าว (sak-dtum-kao = pestle for pounding rice in a mortar).

[Virin]

สากตำข้าว - http://www.nsm.or.th/images/200750_1.jpg

[Virin]

เรไรร้องหริ่งหริ่ง, เรไร is an insect, same family as cicada.

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