how to say “turkey” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תרנגול-הודו-1.m4a” /]תַּרְנְגוֹל הוֹדוּ
The Hebrew term for a turkey is תרנגול הודו[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תרנגול-הודו-1.m4a” /] – literally, chicken of India. This meaning appears in various languages including the Yiddish אינדיק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תרנגול-הודו-2.m4a” /], where the Hebrew term probably comes from.
But the turkey originates in Mexico, not India. Why is it called תרנגול הודו, or simply הודו[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תרנגול-הודו-3.m4a” /]? Same reason why Native Americans were called Indians – because Columbus thought he was in India when he was really in North America. The Spaniards called the bird gallina de la tierra – chicken of the land, and the bird came to be known in the “Old World” as chicken of India (Wikipedia).
The term in context:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תרנגול-הודו-4.m4a” /]בחג ההודיה, אמריקאים נוהגים לאכול תרנגול הודו.
On Thanksgiving, Americans have a custom to eat turkey.
Although the Hebrew word for giving thanks is הודיה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תרנגול-הודו-5.m4a” /], there is no semantic relationship between Thanksgiving and the Hebrew word for turkey.
The name of the country Turkey is תורקיה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תרנגול-הודו-6.m4a” /], also spelled תורכיה.