kangaroo

Ah, de Selby, the savant's savant!

The influence of this feisty marsupial on world events should not be underestimated. From its invaluable contributions to the early development of that parched, philistine continent it calls home*, to its important role in recent Chinese history**, and the molding of the minds of future leaders of America***, it is clear that we placental mammals could learn much from this scruffy member of the marsupial nobility.

*: "Frontier justice in a nation of convicts : marsupial jurisprudence in van Diemen's Land", deSelby, 1908 (Tasmanian Devil Press)

**: "Rebel 'roos: the true story of the Boxer Rebellion", deSelby, 1948. (Peeking Duck Press)

***: "Captain Kangaroo and the Manchurian Candidate : the true history of the 'placental pogroms' of 2009", work in progress.

The name comes from the North Queensland language Guugu Yimidhirr, in which it refers to a particular species of kangaroo. Guugu Yimidhirr was the first Australian language to be recorded at all: Captain Cook took notes in 1770. He wrote: 'The animals which I have before mentioned, called by the Natives Kangooroo or Kanguru'; and Banks wrote: 'The largest quadruped was called by the natives kangooroo'.

It is not of course pronounced exactly like the modern English word; in particular the medial -ng- had no /g/ sound, being as in 'singer', not as in 'finger, kangaroo'. This is part of the evidence that the borrowing was from Guugu Yimidhirr into English, not vice versa. Borrowing does seem to have happened into other languages, because writers in the next few years make a bewilderingly contradictory set of statements. Some of them say the word was unknown to the natives (this is believable: as Portuguese words would be unknown in Norway or Poland), while others say the very same word was used by the natives in impossible places like Tasmania. (There is no known relationship between Tasmanian and mainland languages, for one thing.)

It is dubious whether this has any connexion with the popular belief that 'kangaroo' meant "I don't know" and was given in answer to a question about the animal. Why that word? In early years explorers didn't realize how many different languages there were in Australia, but they would have been instantly stumped by virtually any North Queensland word they tried to use in the Sydney area. It's not just kangaroos that would have had entirely different names.

Demonstrated nicely in this video.

A marsupial mammal remarkable for the great development of the hind-quarters and leaping power. Natives of Australia, Tasmania, Papua, and some neighbouring isles; the larger kinds being commonly known as kangaroos, and the smaller ones as wallabies. The first species known in Europe was the great kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), discovered by Captain Cook in 1770; the male of this is about 6 feet in height when standing erect. (OED online)

He is also a helluva boxer. You do *not* want to get in a fight with a six-foot kangaroo.

Usage:
Tie me kangaroo down, sport,
Tie me kangaroo down.
--Rolf Harris