1190: Kangaroo and wendoree Mar 13, 2018

There is a myth both discussed and debunked in the 2016 film Arrival that the word 'kangaroo' is derived from a foreigner asking a native Australian what the animals are called, to which the aborigine replied 'kangaroo' meaning "I don't understand". This is just a made up story, but it does remind us that linguistic communication will always be limited in its ability to allow people to truly understand each other. Moreover, this sort of thing did really happen in Australia; the Wendoree swamp which is now the name for a nearby town and lake derives from William Yuille asking a native Australian woman for the name of the swamp, to which she replied ‘wendaaree’ meaning ‘go away'.
Check out the new video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT59kK71E6Q&feature=youtu.be