Same was true in the Americas, and of course if you go far enough
back, everywhere else. Continents were a late and fuzzy concept. The
Eurasian landmass is a remnant of that fuzziness--a politico-cultural
definition become a geographic entity. Anyone know when that
happened? The Greeks used the word to mean Greece and environs. For
that matter, when did Asia become Asia? St Paul refers to the
churches in Asia, meaning Anatolia.
Any cane toads in the neighborhood? A quick lick, and all questions
answered, I understand.
Mark
At 08:38 AM 12/5/2007, you wrote:
>No one name for the whole continent: just names for skin and language
>areas (and that varied from the people who lived there and the other
>people around - they often called areas by different names). I'm no
>expert so I will ask the local elders, but they will give me a guarded
>answer at best.
>
>Andrew
>
>On 05/12/2007, Max Richards <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Thanks for asking, Patrick...
> >
> > I missed census night in our park for frogs, emailed the leader afterwards,
> > and was told No Frogs That Night!
> > However we hear suitable croakings in many places now, including the
> > pobblebonk call mentioned many months ago.
> > And down at the bottom of the hill, towards which all moisture tends, at no
> > 21 (we're at 11-13), their little front garden is kept moist and at nights
> > is unendingly pobblebonky.
> > Australians keep saying many species of frogs are vanishing,
> ominous sign of
> > big bad changes.
> > I fondly recall at night tiny frogs climbing uncurtained windows after
> > moths.
> > These are now seldom seen.
> >
> > As for Aboriginal names for Australia before the Europeans named it, I have
> > not heard of one.
> > My guess is they lacked the big picture, except in mythico-religious terms.
> >
> > (Many many Aboriginal languages, and no lingua franca...).
> >
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