06-02-2007, 05:35 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-Bodhi+Jun 1 2007, 05:34 PM-->QUOTE(Bodhi @ Jun 1 2007, 05:34 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Some speculations here:Â I feel bidAla is a domestic cat, and marjAra is a general word for cat-family, or independent/wild cat.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
biDAla is indeed in most instances I have seen used for he house cat. However it has some variants:
birAla, virAla, bilAla, biLala vilAla. It is the cognate of the prAkR^ita billa and Hindi billi/billa and bilAv.
There are Dravidian words that might apparently be related to it:
Tam.: veluku or veruku = cat
Kan.: berku=cat
Bharatvarsh anything in Tel. ?
I am not sure if this relationship is real but we do not have any satisfactory explanation of the Indo-Aryan versions.
mArjara is indeed used in the context of the wild cat:
araNyamArjAra
fishing cat:
jalamArjAra and many other such compounds
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
biDAla is indeed in most instances I have seen used for he house cat. However it has some variants:
birAla, virAla, bilAla, biLala vilAla. It is the cognate of the prAkR^ita billa and Hindi billi/billa and bilAv.
There are Dravidian words that might apparently be related to it:
Tam.: veluku or veruku = cat
Kan.: berku=cat
Bharatvarsh anything in Tel. ?
I am not sure if this relationship is real but we do not have any satisfactory explanation of the Indo-Aryan versions.
mArjara is indeed used in the context of the wild cat:
araNyamArjAra
fishing cat:
jalamArjAra and many other such compounds