# a murmuration of starlings



## Costas (Oct 31, 2014)

Απλώς το άκουσα σήμερα το πρωί στο BBC, δεν έχω κάνει καμιά έρευνα για το αν υπάρχει κάτι ελληνικό, αλλά το θέαμα είναι γνωστό και υπέροχο, και το βάζω εδώ να υπάρχει. Πρόκειται για τα κοπάδια των ψαρονιών (starlings) με τα γνωστά μοτίβα κίνησης, που βλέπουμε και στα μέρη μας. Το BBC έλεγε πως ο αριθμός τους στη Βρετανία έχει μειωθεί πολύ τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες.

OED:
¶2.2 A term for a flock (of starlings). 
   One of many alleged group terms cited in the first source: revived and popularized in the 20th c. 

   _c_ 1470 in _Hors Shepe & G._ etc. (Caxton 1479, Roxb. repr.) 30 A murmeracion of stares.    1932 Auden in _New Statesman_ 16 July 69/1 Patterns a murmuration of starlings Rising in joy over wolds unwittingly weave.    1938 _Times_ 6 Jan. 15/5 Great murmurations of starlings are often represented as a peculiar phenomenon of our own times.    1946 M. Peake _Titus Groan_ 306 The clearing ended where a derelict stone building‥held back a grove of leafless elms, where a murmuration of starlings was gathered.    1966 _Sunday Mail Mag._ (Brisbane) 6 Mar. 6/4 Starlings when they're on the wing have to labor under the collective title of murmuration.


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## CoastalFog (Oct 31, 2014)

Hi Costas (or _Gus_ as some Greek Americans call themselves)
Thx for your fun post, even though the OED quote seems to have too many typos in one paragraph!

Unlike _flock_, this particular noun _murmuration_ is reserved for exclusive use with starlings! Per Wikipedia: A flock of starlings is called a _murmuration_. 

Clicking on murmuration will take you to Wikipedia's --ever incomplete--List of collective nouns In English (_περιληπτικά ουσιαστικά_).


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## nickel (Oct 31, 2014)

Από τα αγαπημένα μου, μαζί με το «an exaltation of larks» και το «a congregation of magpies».



CoastalFog said:


> even though the OED quote seems to have too many typos in one paragraph!



Δεν ξέρω ποιο λάθος εννοείς — όχι, υποθέτω την ορθογραφία των παλιών αγγλικών. Ενδιαφέρον έχει το άλμα από το 1470 στον Auden του 1932. Η φράση (_a murmuration of starlings_) απαντούσε στο μεσοδιάστημα μόνο σε λίστες με τα περιληπτικά.


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## Costas (Oct 31, 2014)

nickel said:


> Ενδιαφέρον έχει το άλμα από το 1470 στον Auden του 1932. Η φράση (_a murmuration of starlings_) απαντούσε στο μεσοδιάστημα μόνο σε λίστες με τα περιληπτικά.


Ε, ναι· γι' αυτό λέει το OED "revived and popularized in the 20th c."


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## daeman (Oct 31, 2014)

...
*Precision of Lexicographers*

People often write in about the conventional terms for groups of animals and people, especially birds, such as *parliament of rooks* or *murder of crows*. Many of these, including *tiding of magpies*, *murmuration of starlings*, *unkindness of ravens*, and *exaltation of larks*, are poetic inventions that one can trace back to the fifteenth century.

The first collection in English is _The Book of St Albans_ of 1486, an early printed work from a small press at St Albans that used worn-out type that had been discarded by William Caxton. The book is in three parts, on hawking, hunting and heraldry, and is almost certainly a compilation of earlier works, probably written originally in French. The part on hunting is inscribed with the name of Dame Juliana Barnes, who is traditionally supposed to have been prioress of the nunnery of Sopwell near St Albans, though almost nothing is known about her (and her name might have been Berners, or Bernes).

What is certain is that the book became hugely popular. It was reprinted at Westminster the same year by the famous Wynkyn de Worde. In this version an extra section appeared with the title _Treatyse on Fysshynge with an Angle_, that is, angling or rod fishing. In the sixteenth century the book was reprinted so many times that it is hard to keep track of the editions. It has been said that its “circulation for a long time vied with and perhaps exceeded that of every other contemporary production of the press of lesser eminence than Holy Writ”.

This popularity kept the lists of terms for beasts and birds in people’s minds. Their memory was perpetuated in later centuries by antiquarians such as Joseph Strutt, whose _Sports and Pastimes of England_ was published in 1801. Though some of Dame Juliana’s terms, such as *business of ferrets*, *fall of woodcocks*, and *shrewdness of apes* are wonderful to read and have a certain resonance, nobody seems to have used them in real life (and some are now mysterious, such as *cete of badgers *or _*dopping of sheldrake*_, because we no longer have the vocabulary to appreciate them).

Many that refer to natural history have some basis in animal behaviour. A *parliament of rooks *derives from the way the birds noisily congregate in their nests in tall trees; an *exaltation of larks *is a poetic comment on the climb of the skylark high into the sky while uttering its twittering song; a *murmuration of starlings* is a muted way to describe the chattering of a group of those birds as they come into roost each evening; *unkindness of ravens* refers to an old legend that ravens push their young out of the nest to survive as best they can; a *spring of teal* is an apt description of the way they bound from their nests when disturbed.

Some are witty comments on daily life, such as *drunkship of cobblers* and *eloquence of lawyers*. A few are apparently self-mocking, like *superfluity of nuns* (though the saying probably pre-dates any link with the semi-mythical Dame Juliana). This gently humorous approach has continued down the years, and updated examples frequently emerge from the fruitful imaginations of jokesters even today, such as *intrigue of politicians*, *tedium of golfers*,* addition of mathematicians*, *expense of consultants,* or *clutch of car mechanics*. Type “collective nouns” into any Web search engine: you’ll find dozens of sites featuring them, though the level of wit is sadly variable.

Here’s an ancient joke on the subject: Four scholars at Oxford were making their way down the street, and happened to see a group of ladies of the evening. “What’s this?” said the first. “A jam of tarts?” “Nay,” said the second, “an essay of Trollope’s.” “Rather, a flourish of strumpets,” advanced the third. “No, gentlemen,” concluded the last. “Here we have an anthology of pros.”

We’ve got to make a distinction, of course, between these fanciful or poetic collective names and the many examples we use every day, like *pride of lions*, *pack of dogs*, *flight of stairs*, *flock of birds*, *string of racehorses*, and *gaggle of geese*. These are common and unremarkable, though in some cases hardly less exotic and mysterious in origin than any in _The Book of St Albans_ all those years ago.

[For a modern work, see _An Exaltation of Larks_ by James Lipton, published by Penguin Books. I found it disappointing, as it couples too many illustrations with too few words, but it is well-known and popular.]

www.worldwidewords.org/articles/collectives.htm

*
**A murder of crows
*
*a logorrhea of lexicographers
*_a babble of lexicographers_


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## dominotheory (Nov 1, 2014)

...
Όμορφη λέξη, κι ακόμη πιο όμορφο θέαμα:






*Murmuration* (on Vimeo, by islandsandrivers.com)
A chance encounter and shared moment with one of natures greatest and most fleeting phenomena.


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## Earion (Nov 1, 2014)

Υπέροχο. Έτσι έλεγαν οι παλιοί ότι έπεφταν τα ορτύκια τον παλιό καιρό στο Πόρτο Κάγιο, στη Μάνη.


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## dominotheory (Nov 7, 2014)

Κάποιος πρέπει να τους σφύριξε κάτι, γι' αυτό εδώ το νήμα, εκεί στη Guardian:

Starling murmurations – in pictures


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## nickel (Nov 7, 2014)

dominotheory said:


> Κάποιος πρέπει να τους σφύριξε κάτι, γι' αυτό εδώ το νήμα, εκεί στη Guardian: Starling murmurations – in pictures



Absolutely starling! Starling work! Now who was the murmurator?


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## dominotheory (Nov 7, 2014)

nickel said:


> Absolutely starling! Starling work! Now who was the murmurator?



Ok, since this undoubtedly is a poetic thread:

_It might be a mermaid
Or a starling too,
Or a mirthful merman
Could be even you_


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## daeman (Nov 7, 2014)

...
Startled starlings start their flight
Startling falcon has to fight
Starting startling starlit night
Startling starlings' future bright

Earthflight (Winged Planet) - Peregrine Falcon Hunts Starlings in Rome 






_Or a mirthful daeman
Could be even you 


_


nickel said:


> ... Now who was the murmurator?



Scientists call on public to help solve mystery of starlings' aerial displays
The Guardian, 17 October 2014

Dr Anne Goodenough from the University of Gloucestershire, who is leading the project, said that although experts do not know for certain the reason behind the aerial displays, several theories have been aired.

“Probably the biggest theory is the idea of safety in numbers – it’s an anti-predator strategy. They are vulnerable to aerial predators, things like peregrine falcons and short-eared owls, when they’re in flight.

“If you’ve got quite a big, swirling flock of birds, that creates a mesmerising sight. And that in itself – that movement, that motion – creates a situation where predators are actually confused and then can’t focus on any one individual bird to pick out and predate,” she said.
[...]

"But that isn't good enough," said Anne, Dr Goodenough.


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## Paradiper_Du (Oct 20, 2015)

*Collective nouns - Usefuk links*

*What do you call a group of ...?*
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/what-do-you-call-a-group-of

*List of English terms of venery, by animal*
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_terms_of_venery,_by_animal

*Collective Nouns*
http://rinkworks.com/words/collective.shtml

*What do You Call a Group of Birds?*
http://www.lyberty.com/encyc/articles/murder.html

*Animals - Some Collective Nouns*
http://www.herbweb.org/animals-collective-nouns.html

*Precision of Lexicographers*
http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/collectives.htm

*Who decides on the right collective noun for something?*
http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2012/08/collective-nouns


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## daeman (Oct 20, 2015)

Paradiper_Du said:


> *...*
> *Precision of Lexicographers*
> http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/collectives.htm
> *...*





daeman said:


> *Precision of Lexicographers*
> 
> People often write in about the conventional terms for groups of animals and people, especially birds, such as *parliament of rooks *or *murder of crows*. Many of these, including *tiding of magpies*, *murmuration of starlings*, *unkindness of ravens*, and *exaltation of larks*, are poetic inventions that one can trace back to the fifteenth century.
> [...]
> ...





nickel said:


> OK, διαγωνισμός:
> 
> Ποιος είναι ο καλύτερος περιληπτικός όρος για τα μέλη αυτού του φόρουμ, δηλαδή στη φράση «a ~ of Lexilogists»; Αποκλείεται το «a logorrhea of Lexilogists».
> 
> Έπαθλο: δωρεάν ευωχία στην επόμενη σύναξη του Λεξιλογιακού,


A Punxsutawney of Lexilogists. A re-collection of posts.


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## drsiebenmal (Oct 21, 2015)

daeman said:


> A Punxsutawney of Lexilogists. A re-collection of posts.


+11111


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## daeman (Oct 1, 2016)

...
Αφού τo murmuration προέρχεται από τον ήχο, η αντίστοιχη λέξη στα Ελληνικά θα ήταν το _μουρμούρισμα _ή το _μουρμουρητό.

_murmuration:
1350-1400; Medieval Latin _murmuratio _‎(“murmuring, grumbling”). The "starling" sense is probably derived from the sound of the very large groups that starlings form at dusk.

murmur:
From Proto-Indo-European _*mormur-, *mur-_ ‎(“to mutter”). Reduplication points to imitative, onomatopoeic origin. Cognate with Sanskrit मर्मर ‎(_marmara_, “rustling sound, murmur”), Ancient Greek _μορμύρω _‎(mormúrō, “to roar, boil”), Lithuanian _mùrmėti _‎(“to mutter, murmur, babble”), Old High German _murmurōn_, _murmulōn _‎(“to mumble, murmur”), Old Norse _murra _‎(“to grumble, mumble”), Old Armenian մռմռամ ‎(_mṙmṙam_).


[FONT=&quot]Ή αν θέλετε τρισχιλιετή, ο _μορμύρος _από το _μορμύρω_, συγγενές με το murmur, ηχοποίητο.
[/FONT]Μόνο που _μορμύρος / μόρμυρος_ σήμαινε το ψάρι _μουρμούρα_:

νεοελλ.: ζωολ. γένος ισοσπόνδυλων τελεόστεων ιχθύων τής οικογένειας τών μορμυριδών
αρχ.: είδος θαλάσσιου ψαριού, η σημερινή μουρμούρα.

[ΕΤΥΜΟΛ. Η λ. προέρχεται από το ρ. _μορμύρω _«μουρμουρίζω, παφλάζω», λόγω τού θορύβου που κάνει το ψάρι κατά την κίνηση του. Κατ' άλλους, πρόκειται για μεσογειακή λ. Τη λ. δανείστηκε η λατ. με τη μορφή _murmillo _«ξιφομάχος με γαλατικό κράνος στην κορυφή τού οποίου υπάρχει ψάρι»].


Κάπου είδα την πρόταση «ριπιδισμοί», προφανώς από το ρήμα _ριπίζω_ και, για επίσημο ύφος, νομίζω πως τα καταφέρνει οπτικά, μαζί με έναν απόηχο. 

Για απόδοση κατανοητή απ' όλους όμως, στη γλώσσα που μιλάμε σήμερα, το _*σκίρτημα των ψαρονιών*_ με θέλγει για την εικόνα που δίνει, της ξαφνικής αλλαγής πορείας, και για τη χαρά που μεταφέρει γι' αυτό το εξαιρετικό θέαμα.


I'd suggest and humbly mumble 
Lexicographers might grumble
lest the starlings rumbling tumble
but I'll smile and off I'll amble


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## daeman (Jan 5, 2018)

Award-winning image shows murmuration of starlings in shape of giant bird


Μετασμήνος.


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## daeman (Apr 22, 2022)

a collocation of scientific collective nouns





+ (αντιγραμμένα):

a stratum of archaeologists
a clade of palaeontologists
a formation of geologists
a well of petroleum geologists
a conduit of vulcanologists
a flood of hydrologists
a cell of biologists
a plague of microbiologists
a pit of herpetologists
a jungle of zoologists
a swarm of entomologists
a node of neuroscientists
a sequence of molecular geneticists
a nexus of psychologists
a murder of forensic scientists
a block of urban planners
a cloud of meteorologists
a sphincter of proctologists


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