• Tar_Alcaran
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    74
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    This is just because English sucks, or English speaking people suck at naming things. Let me show you how it’s done:

    In Dutch:

    Horseshoe crabs are called “dagger crabs”, and look what it’s dragging behind.

    Cuttlefish are called “ink fish”, and tadaa.

    Jellyfish are “kwallen”, which means roughly “annoying person”, and they’re pretty annoying.

    Bald eagles are “American Eagles”, you’re welcome.

    A sand dollar is called a “sea coin”, because of where it lives and what it resembles, which is way more accurate.

    And a fly is still a fly.

    • Blubton@feddit.nl
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      52
      ·
      1 year ago

      In Dutch, the Common Drone Fly is also called “Blinde Bij”, which means “Blind Bee”. This is because this animal is neither blind nor a bee and the Dutch are very good at naming things

    • PM_ME_FEET_PICS
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      42
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Animals who do not live up to thier names Dutch edition.

      Dagger Crabs - Don’t have daggers and not crabs.

      Ink Fish - Not actually fish.

      Kwallen- Not actually a person.

      American Eagles - Found all over Canada and upper Mexico.

      Sea Coins - Can’t actually be used as coins.

        • PM_ME_FEET_PICS
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          arrow-down
          18
          ·
          1 year ago

          Nobody refers to Canada or Mexico as America. North America is not America and American is exclusively used to refer to the US.

          • accideath@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            14
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Well apparently not exclusively so, at least outside of the US, because the American Eagle is not just US-American.

          • HumbertTetere@feddit.de
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            11
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Not exclusively, no. It usually means the US, but it’s far from exclusive. Especially when it comes to species names, the assumption is absurd.

              • prayer
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                1 year ago

                Funny how Canadians don’t want to be called “American”, Mexicans don’t want to be called “American”, but everyone from outside the area INSISTS that it’s an appropriate name for them. Even the commenter above called you a “US person”, the only other time I’ve seen that was in legislation about immigration, never as a demonym.

        • PM_ME_FEET_PICS
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          9
          ·
          1 year ago

          American doesn’t refer to North America in naming animals or its people. No one from Canada or Mexico call themselves American.