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From: adam@cunixc.columbia.edu (Adam J. Kucznetsov)
Newsgroups: comp.std.internat,sci.lang
Subject: Re: Dollar <- Tolar <- Thaler
Message-ID: <103@cunixc.columbia.edu>
Date: Fri, 11-Sep-87 08:03:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: cunixc.103
Posted: Fri Sep 11 08:03:59 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 12-Sep-87 18:26:06 EDT
References: <15603@mordor.s1.gov>
Reply-To: adam@cunixc.columbia.edu (Adam J. Kucznetsov)
Organization: Columbia University Center for Computing Activities
Lines: 38
Xref: mnetor comp.std.internat:228 sci.lang:1338

In article <15603@mordor.s1.gov> pom@s1-under.UUCP () writes:
>...  hrs@homxb.UUCP (H.SILBIGER) Writes
>>Apart from the origin of the "$" sign, the name dollar comes from the
>>germanic thaler,
>	This is true, BUT, if you really want to be accurate, 
>  Thaler (german for plate [reference to a VERY LARGE gold coin]) migrated
> into Dollar via a czech  pronounciation and spelling of Thaler as Tolar,
> reverse path to Budwaiser ( german version of (now) Czech city Bud^ejovice).

Nah. The German word for "plate" is indeed "Teller" which (maybe) sounds
a little like "Thaler" but your explanation is what's known in
linguistics as "folk etymology" -- cute, but wrong. The origin of the
word "dollar" is indeed (as stated previously) the German
"Joachimsthaler," referring in the ordinary German
manner-of-referring-to-place-of-origin (Hamburger, Frankfurter,
Muenchner, etc.) to a place called Joachimsthal; "das Thal" is an old
way of writing "das Tal" which is modern German for "valley" (compare
English "dale") and there really is a place called Joachimsthal, in the
Erzgebirge; silver was mined there and was (presumably) used to make the
coins. I don't know about the Czech path; I wouldn't want to deny it
flat out but I think that English gets "dollar" from the low German
"daler" / Dutch "daalder." Note also Italian "tallero." Some of this you
can tell by phonetics. "Taler" or "thaler" >is< pronounced >approximately<
like "dollar" (with a 't') in modern Hochdeutsch; "Teller" is pronounced
approximately like the English word of the same spelling. Please keep in
mind the approximatelies :-) since phonetics aren't equal in any
language/dialect/regional variation. 

Budvar is a good Czech beer that some people like to say is the REAL
Budweiser... 

cat(adam k)

-- 
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Cat (Adam) J. Kucznetsov	adam@cunixc.columbia.edu and cunixc.UUCP
Columbia University, NYC	UI.ADAM@CU20B.BITNET  AJUUS@CUVMA.BITNET
     When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.