Cousins, not mother-daughter.Īnother possibility is that sooey is simply an onomatopoeic word without an etymology, like shoo, to ward off flies. But common descent from Greek's ancestor does not mean it goes back to Greek. the Oxford English Dictionary, suggest that the sooey might be a call based on English sow, which used to be pronounced like 'soo.' This word sow and the sw- in swine do appear to be related to Greek ὕς and Latin sus by a common inheritance from their ancestral language, Proto-Indo-European. Rather, the standard etymological resources, e.g. Sure, some Greek words are borrowed into English, but usually they relate to the Christian religion (like church or bishop) or they involve a higher literary register. So, one would have to suppose that illiterate pig farmers in England or American somehow managed to borrow a literary term for a non-literary purpose, and that's just not plausible at all. (Analogously in English, the term pig is a replacement of the older word swine.) ago There is also a click sound, used to summon or spur on a horse. The Greek term is a classical term and already by Koine times (when the Romans conquered Britain) it has become out of date with the common term for pig became χοῖρος as we see in the New Testament. Well, is 'sooey' a command - 'Pigs, come here' If so Giddyup - 'Horse, go' Whoa - 'Horse, stop.' Mush - 'Sled dogs, go' Gee - 'Sled dogs, turn right' Haw - 'Sled dogs, turn left' I suspect that there are a lot of others, as well. In this case, I don't think borrowing is a viable hypothesis for the relationship between classical Greek ὕς, σύς (vocative singular ὗ, σῦ) and sooey. One is by borrowing another is by common inheritance. The village is situated near Riverstown, on the R284. Well, there are two basic ways words can be related between different languages. Sooey (Irish: Samhadh, meaning abounding in the plant Sorrel), is a village in County Sligo in Ireland. MGV Hoffman wrote:Does anyone have other evidence for the etymology of 'soo-ee' or 'hoo-ee' that might link it back to a proper vocative Greek word? The English dictionaries I have been able to consult (cf: ) note that the English 'sow' does derive from the Latin sus and the Greek sus and hus, and suggest it's just a 'deformed' way of calling out 'sow.'ĭoes anyone have other evidence for the etymology of 'soo-ee' or 'hoo-ee' that might link it back to a proper vocative Greek word? Most University of Arkansas merchandise and marketing material spell it as such.

That 'ee' ending doesn't seem to fit as a 3rd declension vocative ending, but I'm trying to figure out a way that it does. The proper way to spell the Arkansas call pig cheer is Woo Pig Sooie. This would match precisely with the two forms of the word in classical Greek. My suspicion is strengthened in that (I do believe that this is correct) in England, one says 'hooey.' I.e., how would you call a pig or pigs in Greek?īehind my question is the suspicion that 'sooey' (however you spell it), the traditional American way of calling a pig, comes from the Greek. They help to add voice to your writing.Yes, somewhat of an odd question, but I'm trying to figure out what the vocative forms for pig are in Greek and how you would pronounce it. Interjections can really liven up a sentence. Such examples are Wow!, Ouch!, Hurray!, and Oh no!. Interjection - An interjection is a word that shows strong emotion. Homographs - Homographs are words that may or may not sound alike but have the same spelling but a different meaning.Ĭomplex Sentence - A complex sentence is an independent clause joined by one or more dependent clauses. Homophones - Homophones are words that sound alike but they have different meanings and different spellings. Some examples are in, out, under, over, after, out, into, up, down, for, and between. Preposition - A preposition is a word that shows position or, direction.

Some examples conjunctions are: and, but, or, nor, although, yet, so, either, and also. Incorrect Correct choot chute chop sooey chop suey chorragraph choreograph chorrister.

Fingers should be wiggling and volume building during the 'wooo.' After the. It tells what kind, how many, or which one.Ĭonjunction - A conjunction is a word that joins words or word groups together. An A to Z Guide to Perfect Spelling David Hatcher, Jane Mallison. You slowly raise your arms from the knee to above the head during the 'wooo,' which is supposed to last eight seconds. It may stand for a person, place, thing, or idea.Īdjective - An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. Proper Noun - The pronoun is a word used in place of one or more nouns. Nouns are the subject of a sentence.Ĭommon Noun - A noun that does not name a specific person, place or thing.

Noun - A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. They tell how much, how often, when and where something is done. Verb - A verb is a word that expresses an action or a state of being.Īdverb - An adverb describes how the action is performed.

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