21 replies to this topic

[hibro]

This is quite common on towns/cities in central Thailand however does it have a meaning?

Thai friends say no falung friends say it must have a meaning. Can you help.

[Tinkelbell]

This is quite common on towns/cities in central Thailand however does it have a meaning?

Thai friends say no falung friends say it must have a meaning. Can you help.

''buri" = " mueng" in Thai, means city or town.

'buri' is used when it calls for a more formality.

[sierra01]

My misses says it means town or city as well, more commonly used in the past.

[macb]

You got it right folks and here is the confirmation


http://en.wikipedia....g_Buri_Province



BURI also means cigarette

[taxexile]

interesting to note that there are many english towns using a similar word as part of the name , e.g. salisbury , canterbury etc.

although i doubt if there is any linguistic connection

[Oleg_Rus]

it is.
as well as other foreign words that came to thai language.
There are some words in thai that sound very similar in russian too (I would mind to give a sample - its rude words)

Edited by Oleg_Rus, 2007-12-04 20:38:57.

[Khun Jean]

So "min buri" would mean "Smelly city".

[jEFFREYk44]

maybe menh buri

[sutnyod]

It's also my most favoured piece from Jethro Tull

[PeaceBlondie]

Somehow it reminds me of Guatemala, where each province or 'departamento' ends in the place name "-tenango" and the place way, way up in the mountains is called "Huehuetenango." I thought they also had a place called "Tenangotenango," which might translate as "Place-place."

Is there a place in Thailand called Buriburi?

[tutsiwarrior]

Somehow it reminds me of Guatemala, where each province or 'departamento' ends in the place name "-tenango" and the place way, way up in the mountains is called "Huehuetenango." I thought they also had a place called "Tenangotenango," which might translate as "Place-place."

Is there a place in Thailand called Buriburi?

yeah...there's a place in the Central Highlands called Chichicastenango where they remember Marlon Brando from "Last Tango in..."

Chichi useta be a very spiritual place...was good to be very chaa - chaa in Chii Chii...

[pete_r]

You got it right folks and here is the confirmation

http://en.wikipedia....g_Buri_Province

BURI also means cigarette

So... Etymologically speaking, that makes Singburi the same place as Singapore. Interesting to know.

From http://en.wikipedia....g_Buri_Province
The word Sing originates from the Sanskrit word Singh meaning lion, and the word buri from Sanskrit Puri meaning town or city. Hence the name of the province literally means City of Lion.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore
Singapore's name was derived from the words Simha and Pura, while Simha meaning lion and Pura meaning city, giving Singapore the name "Lion City".

[YangYaiEric]

It's also my most favoured piece from Jethro Tull

Jethro Tull? You must be Living in the Past ! (pun intended ).

[JimsKnight]

You got it right folks and here is the confirmation

http://en.wikipedia....g_Buri_Province

BURI also means cigarette

So... Etymologically speaking, that makes Singburi the same place as Singapore. Interesting to know.

From http://en.wikipedia....g_Buri_Province
The word Sing originates from the Sanskrit word Singh meaning lion, and the word buri from Sanskrit Puri meaning town or city. Hence the name of the province literally means City of Lion.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore
Singapore's name was derived from the words Simha and Pura, while Simha meaning lion and Pura meaning city, giving Singapore the name "Lion City".

Ahh, so thats why there's a lion on every Singha beer bottle!
Every day is a learning day with thai visa

[sutnyod]

Is there a place in Thailand called Buriburi?

Oh c'mon! That would be a kind of coat now, wouldn't it?

[meadish_sweetball]

interesting to note that there are many english towns using a similar word as part of the name , e.g. salisbury , canterbury etc.

although i doubt if there is any linguistic connection

Not directly connected, no. Richard W knows his etymologies:

http://www.thaivisa....=...st&p=272021

The English 'bury', as well as 'borough' is connected to a Germanic word with the basic meaning of 'fortified town'.

http://www.spiritus-.../etymology.html

[wilko]

Thai and European languages are from the same tree (Sanskrit?)- I believe that in many languages the words for Ma and Pa are very similar so would it be pushing the envelope too far to suppose that "buri" and "burg", "burgh" "borough", "bury" have the same origins?

[meadish_sweetball]

Thai is not an Indo-European language.

Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai-Kadai language family. The Tai-Kadai languages are thought to have originated in what is now southern China, and some linguists have proposed links to the Austroasiatic, Austronesian, or Sino-Tibetan language families.

It is true though, that Thai through religion and cultural contact has borrowed many words from Sanskrit and Pali, which are Indo-European languages, and that บุรี buri is one of these words.

Richard W already discusses the same things I do below, in evidence of how the English word and the Thai word are not related, but here it is again:

The origins of the word borough/bury are discussed here: http://www.etymonlin...hp?term=borough It comes from a Proto-Indo-European word, bhrgh, meaning 'high'.

The English cognate of 'buri' in Thai is found in 'police', 'policy' etc. The Proto Indo European root is *p(o)lH- according to the Online Etymology Dictionary.
See http://www.etymonlin...php?term=policy

It bears mentioning that Sanskrit is just one of many languages in the Indo-European language family, it is not the original Indo-European language, which is referred to as 'Proto Indo-European' and is a hypothesis based on analysis of the data available from the different branches of the language tree.

Sanskrit just happens to be the oldest one written down, which is why it is often used for reference and study purposes.

Scholars have been working on comparing words in Sanskrit and Latin and the oldest Germanic sources that exist, in order to see how phonological change has occurred. That way they have been able to establish some regular patterns by which the pronunciation of words have changed, and this is how they can present evidence for connections.

[wilko]

Somehow it reminds me of Guatemala, where each province or 'departamento' ends in the place name "-tenango" and the place way, way up in the mountains is called "Huehuetenango." I thought they also had a place called "Tenangotenango," which might translate as "Place-place."

Is there a place in Thailand called Buriburi?

like Bury in UK?

[wilko]

Thai is not an Indo-European language.

Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai-Kadai language family. The Tai-Kadai languages are thought to have originated in what is now southern China, and some linguists have proposed links to the Austroasiatic, Austronesian, or Sino-Tibetan language families.

It is true though, that Thai through religion and cultural contact has borrowed many words from Sanskrit and Pali, which are Indo-European languages, and that บุรี buri is one of these words.

Richard W already discusses the same things I do below, in evidence of how the English word and the Thai word are not related, but here it is again:

The origins of the word borough/bury are discussed here: http://www.etymonlin...hp?term=borough It comes from a Proto-Indo-European word, bhrgh, meaning 'high'.

The English cognate of 'buri' in Thai is found in 'police', 'policy' etc. The Proto Indo European root is *p(o)lH- according to the Online Etymology Dictionary.
See http://www.etymonlin...php?term=policy

It bears mentioning that Sanskrit is just one of many languages in the Indo-European language family, it is not the original Indo-European language, which is referred to as 'Proto Indo-European' and is a hypothesis based on analysis of the data available from the different branches of the language tree.

Sanskrit just happens to be the oldest one written down, which is why it is often used for reference and study purposes.

Scholars have been working on comparing words in Sanskrit and Latin and the oldest Germanic sources that exist, in order to see how phonological change has occurred. That way they have been able to establish some regular patterns by which the pronunciation of words have changed, and this is how they can present evidence for connections.

Yes... I should have suggested that the concept and as you say script are the same root ont the language. So is not the Thai word Buri from the the religious - Sanskrit branch then?

As in English a lot of words have roots in Latin but have no connection with the Roman occupation?

Edited by wilko, 2008-01-09 15:55:09.

[meadish_sweetball]

I am not sure how the word was introduced in Thailand, but it's an interesting question.

Hopefully someone who knows more will find this thread and the time to answer.

Moved to the Language forum.

[Mosha]

Bury in Danelaw (Northern England) refers to a fortification.