"Pufferfish" in different languages

[Pufferpunk]

well, you didn't catch the news the last few months about Belgium, appearantly.

I'm lucky to kee up on the US news most of the time. I just listen on the radio, to & from work.

[Troender]

I think in every West-European country English is tought, except maybe in Spain. Because they really really really don't speak any English at all!

I must add that the French people doesn't want to speak English, even if they can, and there's a lot of Italians that has the same attitude. Older Italian people doesn't know how to speak English, but younger people can speak it. In the north of Italy, they actually speak German (I've been told by my Italian friends). There are many countries that has more than one language, i.e. Italy, Belgium, Switzerland. And there's an awful lot of countries that has small groups of people that has a different language: Norway (and Sweden, Finland and Russia - the same group of people is spread in those country) has their native inhabitants, that has a language that is more like Finnish than Norwegian. Norway also have a small group of Finnish speaking people. But I don't think any of these groups don't know how to speak Norwegian. They all do. In Norway we even have two different ways of writing Norwegian, believe it or not (they are very much alike - it's only they way of writing it). That has to do with the Danish influence in the country earlier (Norway has been under both Denmark and Sweden). One of the writing languages has Danish influence, and the other is more like it's spoken in dialects in the western and the middle parts of Norway (all though most people in the middle parts of Norway don't want to see that their dialects are closer to the one without the Danish influence than the one with - that's the part of the country I grew up in BTW).

I think Spain has some small group(s) that has different languages. Britain definitely has some Celtic languages that is still spoken. I guess it's the same in Ireland. The Sicillian way of speaking Italian, is actually so different that "normal" Italians don't understand it (according to my brother, who has experienced something about this).
When it comes to the eastern parts of Europe, I am blank, though.

[timtim]

I think Spain has some small group(s) that has different languages. Britain definitely has some Celtic languages that is still spoken. I guess it's the same in Ireland. The Sicillian way of speaking Italian, is actually so different that "normal" Italians don't understand it (according to my brother, who has experienced something about this).
When it comes to the eastern parts of Europe, I am blank, though.

Indeed, in Spain, you have basquish people (think about ETA, the terrorist group that want to seperate from Spain and perform terrorist attacks), they also have a different language, that is based on spanish however. But I think that in most countries you have local dialects, but they are not really seperate languages. Like in Flanders (the bigger half of Belgium), we all speak "Dutch", but it is for us very difficult for us to understand the Dutch from people in the Netherlands.

And even in Flanders, which has only 6 million people, we have basicly 5 different dialects, and even within these dialects, you have very much differences from city to city. But of course, lots of people move from one city to another, you have "mixed" marriages, and so on, so most of the original dialects get lost.

[a993435]

In Chinese, we have a word for puffer fish - 魨 or 河魨.

http://www.fa.gov.tw/chn/fishshell/glob ... r_menu.php
there are many Puffer Fishes in Taiwan.

We have a nick name for puffer fish in Taiwan.
1. the smailler puffer fish. eg. drawf puffer fish--娃娃魚 -- 娃娃- it means the little baby.
2. the bigger puffer fish. I don't know the name. -- 狗頭 -- I don't know how to translate it.

[DRRT]

Porcupinefish in hawaiian is kōkala

ummm. There really isn't a general word that i know of for pufferfish since they only have marine types.

the only other one i know is for A. meleagris o'opu hue

[riggers]

Yeah Wales and Ireland still have their own language, but speak English as well (I don't know which one they use most). What I think is sad, is that a lot of countries can speak English, but we can't speak their language. So when we go to their countries on holiday, they all speak to us in English. Well that's no holiday. When I go on holiday, I want to feel like I'm in someone else's country, so we always make an effort to try and speak to them in their language. Not that we're very good at it! But the problem is we have never made an effort in this country to learn other languages. Like in france, they get a lot of English songs on the radio and stuff, and they lean it in schools, so they just pick it up. But over here I didn't start learning french until year 7. I also did it in GCSE, but that was my choice, you didn't have to do it, and not many people did. Having said that, they are starting to teach other languages to children in infant school now, so maybe will start to see an improvement. Anyways, I have yapped on long enough about that now. Over here pufferfish are called.... oh....pufferfish.

[Homer]

In Chinese, we have a word for puffer fish - 魨 or 河魨.

http://www.fa.gov.tw/chn/fishshell/glob ... r_menu.php
there are many Puffer Fishes in Taiwan.

We have a nick name for puffer fish in Taiwan.
1. the smailler puffer fish. eg. drawf puffer fish--娃娃魚 -- 娃娃- it means the little baby.
2. the bigger puffer fish. I don't know the name. -- 狗頭 -- I don't know how to translate it.

Maybe i can be of some assistance here... 狗頭 translated directly means 狗: Dog 頭: Head, and is also a common nickname used for puffers in Hong Kong , and dwarf puffers also have another common name here which is 巧克力娃娃, or 巧克力:Chocolate 娃娃: Small Doll... i guess due to their size and color...

So for example, when they sell puffers, they would have a common chinese species name followed by "Dog head" to represent that certain puffer, so for example a hairy puffer in Hong Kong would be called a 毛毛狗頭, which would sound something like Mo Mo Gau Tau

[suvat]

.... which would sound something like Mo Mo Gau Tau

I like it .
Would you please write down the other names as well.
I think there is a character uncompatibility problem. I can only see some squares in the place of names..

[Homer]

^ yeah, i thought that might happen, basically unless you have a chinese text decoder on your computer the Chinese text will basically show up as Squares only... so don't worry your computer is fine...

As for other names, it varies from shop to shop at times, and even Country and Areas make a difference... i.e. Hong Kong, China and Taiwan may all name puffers different names... but i'll name the few i know...

Red Eye, Red Tailed Puffers: Hung Ang, Hung Mei Gau Tao

Palembang puffer: Gum Kei Lun Gau Tao

SAP: Lam Mei Chau Gau Tao (one of the only names that are directly translated)

Congo: Mook Guwa Gau Tao

F8: Bhat Ji Wah Wah

Dwarf Puffers: Ju-Gu-Lik Wah Wah

There are more, but just can't think of all their names right now...

[recombinantrider]

Red Eye, Red Tailed Puffers: Hung Ang, Hung Mei Gau Tao
Palembang puffer: Gum Kei Lun Gau Tao
SAP: Lam Mei Chau Gau Tao (one of the only names that are directly translated)
Congo: Mook Guwa Gau Tao
F8: Bhat Ji Wah Wah
Dwarf Puffers: Ju-Gu-Lik Wah Wah

Thanks Homer! These are crazy names! DPs are chocolate dolls? Congos are papaya dog head? Hahahahahahaha I just had no idea their names are so funky in Hong Kong-Chinese! I need to contact you to find out where all these puffers are when I go to Hong Kong to visit my family the next time.

[Homer]

^ For sure!!! definitely let me know if your hitting up Hong Kong for a visit... i'd be more than happy to take you to the famous fish street in Prince Edward (Kowloon) for a bit of a wander ...

[julianchan]

Hey, quit making googley eyes at my puffer mama! hehe.....but if you do end up wandering down there, take some photos, it has to be pretty insane!

[recombinantrider]

hahaha puffer mama just go look for puffers to take pictures of, I promise. I think I've been to that street once but that was before my puffer days. I can't wait to go find the handsome puffers now!

[Homer]

Hey, quit making googley eyes at my puffer mama! hehe.....but if you do end up wandering down there, take some photos, it has to be pretty insane!

I'd probably get slapped across the head by my girl if i was making googley eyes at any one ... but yeah, its kinda hit and miss down there, but on a good day, there are some rather interesting things you can find...especially during the summers months...

[julianchan]

I don't doubt. From stories from RR about what things are sold and how things are sold, HK just seems like it would hold some major gems from time to time.....