Fire Chicken
Language Log’s Mark Liberman has put his finger on a common phenomenon which drives me batty: people using (often incorrect or folk) etymology to make philosophical points. Here is how Liberman describes the rhetorical structure of such arguments:
In [language X], the word for [concept Y] is based on the word for [concept Z] (or perhaps, a combination of the words for [concept Z1] and [concept Z2]). Therefore, in order to understand [concept Y], you should think in terms of [concept Z], recognizing the deep traditional wisdom inherent in the lexicographic history of [language X].
Usually the language in question is one associated with what is perceived as an ancient and wise culture: Chinese, Greek, or Hebrew.
Now, if I were to tell you that the Chinese word for a turkey 火雞 is made up of the words for “fire” 火 and “chicken” 雞, you probably wouldn’t think I was saying anything particularly profound. But if you were a turkey in a world full of chickens, it might sound pretty cool, maybe even profound…
UPDATE: Looking at my post I realize that my attempt at a cute Chinese example doesn’t follow Mark’s schema in the slightest. In fact, I was using the model discussed in this older Language Log post. Equally annoying, but certainly different.
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direct contact with the spiritual world (visions, ecstasy) in order to bring about changes on the physical plane. And since I’ve been writing about etymology-as-argument lately on my own blog, I think it is worth mentioning the way in which etymology is used here. Unlike arguments which
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An anthropologist and documentary filmmaker, 
I’ve heard people have used this kind of concept to discuss Chinese names for Western countries (”America”=”Beautiful Country” [美國], “Germany”=”Virtuous Country” [德國], etc.). Since this is about naming countries, I’ve always wondered if there’s a connection between the name and the perception of those countries, or are countries mostly named what they’re named for phonetic reasons.
With that in mind, I like to ask my students what the deep meaning is behind the Chinese name for Portugal: “Grape Teeth” (葡萄牙)…