zanga-zanga

Basque

FWOTD – 16 September 2024

Alternative forms

• zanka-zanka, dzanga-dzanga, dxanga-dxanga

Etymology

Reduplication of zanga (“gulp”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /s̻anɡa s̻anɡa/ [s̻aŋ.ɡa s̻aŋ.ɡa]

• IPA^(key): (most dialects) /s̻anɡa s̻anɡa/ [s̻aŋ.ɡa s̻aŋ.ɡa]
• IPA^(key): (Biscayan) /s̺anɡa s̺anɡa/ [s̺aŋ.ɡa s̺aŋ.ɡa]

• Hyphenation: zan‧ga-zan‧ga

Ideophone

zanga-zanga

1. drinking noisily
   • 1931, Toribio Alzaga, Burruntziya (Auspoa Literatura; 29)‎^[1], 2nd edition, Auspoa, published 1963, page 40:

     ¿Baxo erdiya ayek? ¡Bai zera! Upela oso-osorik atzaparretan artu ta ¡zanga, zanga! ustu arte.

     [Baxo erdia aiek? Bai zera! Upela oso-osorik atzaparretan artu ta zanga-zanga ustu arte.]

     Half a glass? No way! They would grab the whole barrel with their claws, and drink from it noisily until it was empty.

Further reading

• “zanga-zanga”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy], Euskaltzaindia
• “zanga-zanga”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005