Can anyone help and give guidance about the proper English names for some animals?

I have known for a long time that some people, when writing the name of the animal known in zoological jargon as [U]Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi[/U], in common English as blesbuck[B] while some others use the mane [B]blesbok. Others? I quote from the first sentence in Wikipedia about this animal: “The Blesbok or blesbuck is ….”. The same mixed use is seen for gemsbuck and gemsbok, springbuck and springbok, steenbuck and steenbok and a few others. But the ending – buck seems to be consistently used for some others.

Is there a really internationally recognized “correct” way of referring to either a somethingbuck or a somethingbok? Or is it really a matter of individual choice of which name to use? How about giving a list of the “correct” spelling of the many *bucks or *boks?

Please help an Afrikaans speaking scientist with little language training and fellow hunter with this one.

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

Andrew,

The ending buck is the English spelling and bok is the Afrikaans spelling.

I guess a lot of English speakers just choose to use the Afrikaans spelling..... but as you well know, the Americans can't spell for shit anyway.

Hell, they can't even drive on the correct side of the road for that matter.

It is also a regional thing. Here in Colonial Eastern Cape we spell them "bucks". But then again we also talk about Ribbuck, red cats and some of the old timers even of "blue apes"!

Andrew,

G'day mate. I like calling them bok. It is what you guys call them and they live where your are.

Camerons Steinbok will always be a 'bok'. Or is that Steenbok ?

Steve says it all. Here, we "Americanize" everything. I prefer the Afrikaans name for your animals. It doesn't sound so....Hillbilly

The use of the word "buck" when referring to single word animal names is probably not the correct use of English as Steenbok, Blesbok, etc are the terms for the animal species and includes both sexes.

"Buck" in English is usually the male of the species. German language refer to Reh Wild (Roe deer)and Gems Wild (Chamois) as the species where the male of each is referred to as Reh Bok and Gems Bok when we in English would correctly say Roe buck and Chamois buck.

I don't know how in Afrikaans how you refer to the male of the species of Steenbok etc?

Eagle,

In English, English the African animals that end in buck are buck in either sex but you'd then add bull/cow or ram/ewe as appropriate.

My Afrikaans isn't anywhere near good enough to know the correct terminology in that language.

That said, I guess if the client is paying for his hunt, he can call them whatever the hell he likes!

quote:

Originally posted by Code4:
Andrew,

G'day mate. I like calling them bok. It is what you guys call them and they live where your are.

Camerons Steinbok will always be a 'bok'. Or is that Steenbok ?

Hello John,

Yopu touch a whole new subject. Do I speak of a Steenbok - spelled with a capital "S" in the middle of a sentence? Or a steenbok, As I was tought at school to be correct?

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

I was in Steenbokpan in April, does that count?
Or should it have been Steenbuckpan?

I've always heard "BOK" as the old Boer word.

Rich

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
Eagle,

In English, English the African animals that end in buck are buck in either sex but you'd then add bull/cow or ram/ewe as appropriate.

My Afrikaans isn't anywhere near good enough to know the correct terminology in that language.

That said, I guess if the client is paying for his hunt, he can call them whatever the hell he likes!

Agree and that's why even in English I would prefer to use Steenbok, Blesbok, etc instead of "buck" on the end, then use bull/cow, ram/ewe as you say to differentiate between the sexes.

Here in NZ with our game animal species there is a mix of terms; stag/hind, buck/doe, bull/cow, bull/nanny, billy/nanny and ram/ewe.

Can get pretty confusing for the uninitiated.

I would say "gemsbok" is correct. If you want it in English then call it "Oryx". I am sure that the Afrikaans names for lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant etc. are different.

Is it possible that the English speaking South Africans never gave new names for Blesbok, Steenbok etc. & just changed it to "Buck"?

You dummies..........

"*bok" and "*buck" are sub-species of the same animal so SCI can have more entries in their record book.

quote:

Originally posted by Bwanamich:
You dummies..........

"*bok" and "*buck" are sub-species of the same animal so SCI can have more entries in their record book.

Steve,
I drive on the correct side of the roads AND it scares the crap out of the other motorist . and I maybe a hillbilly put I'm a polite hillbilly WHEN I'm in a country other than my own

quote:

Originally posted by shakari

Hell, they can't even drive on the correct side of the road for that matter.

Uh Steve, We Americans DO drive on the "Right" side...now that may not be the "Correct" side.

Bill,

My point exactly.

I could answer all of these questions if you will each send me twenty boks.

I don't give a rat's ass how to spell the things name, do I shoot the one on the right or the left damn it?!?!

Funny this, today my wife was doing the crossword in The Telegraph/Expat, asked me to name an antelope native to southern Africa, 7 letters ends in Y. I was stumped. She said Google returned an answer, of sorts; Sassaby she said. You mean Tsessebe, I spelled it. No, Sassaby, she repeated, then says, and knows first hand, Brits make up shit spellings all the time. Even for their word puzzles. Un-Fecking-Believable.

quote:

Originally posted by Showbart:
Funny this, today my wife was doing the crossword in The Telegraph/Expat, asked me to name an antelope native to southern Africa, 7 letters ends in Y. I was stumped. She said Google returned an answer, of sorts; Sassaby she said. You mean Tsessebe, I spelled it. No, Sassaby, she repeated, then says, and knows first hand, Brits make up shit spellings all the time. Even for their word puzzles. Un-Fecking-Believable.

Proper English, English is a living language and we have had many archaeic spellings over the years. The original spelling of kudu was koodoo, Sudan was Soudan and so on.

Unfortunately, some damned heathen colonials hijacked our language some years ago and bastardised it into something that forgot where letters such as u, s and z go and then have the brass neck to criticise the original, civilised spellings.

Bok-Afrikaans, buck-English.Add to the mix the original names from isiXhosa, many of which originate from the San group of peoples. Qudu for kudu. The Q in isiXhosa is a "heavy click " from the tongue sucking from the palette. The early settlers and especially the "Poms" who battle to understand their own English dialects, wrote it as koodoo. Selous and Harris as two examples. Another name is Nqu for the black wildebeest sometimes written as Gnoo {Harris]. The early Dutch settlers named some animals after European animals that they thought they knew. Redhartebeest, originally rooi[red]hartebeest from rooihert or rooihart, the European Red Deer. A good source of information is C. J. Skead's HISTORICAL MAMMAL INCIDENCE IN THE CAPE PROVINCE, VOLUMEs 1 and 2.

Dear Steve, Obviously sitting under an Acacia precludes anyone from learning right english language skills.

Mate,

If you think the spellings are complicated, the pronunciations are a lot more confusing..... especially where regional accents are concerned.

Here's an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCbvCRkl_4U

The prosecution rests M'Lud. Geez, and they are not anywhere near an Acacia.

hey I resemble that Heathen and a colonist opps ex colonist

Andrew:

Please let this retired and over-the-hill editor try to explain.

Although it once was common to capitalize the common names of every wild animal in every instance, it has been nearly a half century since the stylebooks for American newspapers, magazines and books required it.

Today, most printed material (in American English, at least) will capitalize animal names such as lion, buffalo, elephant, steenbok (steenbuck), blesbok (blesbuck), reedbok (reedbuck), roebuck (roe deer), etc., only when they are the first words in a sentence.

However, for animals that were named after humans or places (such as Hartmann's mountain zebra, Abbott's duiker, Thomson gazelle, Limpopo bushbuck, Cape hartebeest, etc.) the human and place names are always capitalized.

As for whether to use "bok" or "buck," either is correct but most publications use the Afrikaans spelling for the reasons others already have cited.

Bill Quimby

Shakari
If we apologize politely will you call it quites and take the original 13 colonies back. The rest of us reckon they are more britsocalilist anyway
That way you dont have to complain about colonists and the rest of this part of the world can go hunting in peace.

As far as the spellings go I just hope to get to African and ask the animals myself before I die.

Cross,
Dam you are right that might work!!!!!!!!!! Let the queen have them back!!!!!!!!!!

We'll take them back just as long as you keep that Obama tosser.

And while we're at it, can we please send you Bliar & Brown?

dam thats a deal breaker you have to take his majesty OBAMER.
if blair and brown don't know how to swim we can teach them! throw them in the Atlantic and point them east

The swimming lessons are fine..... but please try to do in a shark infested area.

That's great, with those parasites sorted, what do we do with julie dilema and Zero Understanding of Most Affairs and their afro-socialist mates? Friggen thieving WANKERS!!!
As a matter of interest, if you do not mind Steve, what flag is at your masthead. Just curious!!

Steve, I think the video just explained why so many "immigrants" into US still insist on speaking Spanish.
Back to the "bok" v. "buck" question, can we throw in Swahili too?
And at what size animal are we to stop calling them Rams and Ewes and start calling them Bulls and Cows.....i am so confused, I can't even pronounce Zebra!

quote:

Originally posted by Scriptus:

As a matter of interest, if you do not mind Steve, what flag is at your masthead. Just curious!!

British by birth and English by the grace of God...... but FWIW, in the days when I lived in the UK and owned a boat, I flew a Cross of St George in the bow, the Union flag & the SA flag on the masthead and the red duster in the stern.

Nowadays, and at the risk of introducing a bit of 'cuwcha' I choose to follow Robert Service's advice in 'Freedom's Fool' and fly a flag of stainless white.

Freedom's Fool

To hell with Government I say;
I'm sick of all the piddling pack.
I'd like to scram, get clean away,
And never, nevermore come back.
With heart of hope I long to go
To some lost island of the sea,
And there get drunk with joy to know
No one on earth is over me.

There will be none to say me nay,
So from my lexicon I can
Obliterate the word "obey",
And mock the meddling laws of man.
The laws of Nature and of God
Are good enough for guys like me,
Who scorn to kiss the scarlet rod
Of office and authority.

No Stars and Stripes nor Union Jack,
Nor tri-colour nor crimson rag
Shall claim my love, I'll turn my back
On every land, on every flag.
My banner shall be stainless white,
An emblem of the Golden Rule,
Yet for its freedom I will fight
And die - like any other fool.

Oh Government's a bitter pill!
No force or fear shall forge my fate;
I'll bow to no communal will,
For I myself shall be the State.
Uncurst by man-curb and control,
my Isle shall be emparadised,
And I will re-possess my soul . . .
Mad Anarchist! - Well, wasn't Christ?

Robert William Service

Tom,

Yeah, i've always been confused about when a ram becomes a bull etc as well......

'Round about nyala, or the when the client starts with a nervous tic in the left eye and a tremble in the right knee ??

Three cheers and a Whisky(no e, no ice) to Robert Service, though I am also a great admirer of RK.
As to the buck or ram it makes no difference in scientic bi-nomilar nomenclature so it is all common useage-you shoot it you can call it as you will.
SSR

I'm a great fan of poetry in general.

Brian Brooke, Walt Whitman, Blake, Mcgeaw & Swift and a fair number of others all feature on my bookshelves.

Since I don't know how to pronounce Zebra, I pose another question...Is a Water Buck female a Water Ewe, a Water Doe or a Water Cow???

Listen carefully now; WATERBUCK COW!!!