Kafer [SGII] Alien seed

[KH.Ranitzsch@xxxxxxxxxxx (K.H.Ranitzsch)]

----- Original Message -----
From: "John C" <john1x@hotmail.com>

> > >The Kaffir.
> >
> >OK, three spellings is enough. It was "Kafer", as in the German for
> >Cockroach.

Minor pedantry:

The German actually is "Käfer", and means "Beetle" in general - including
the Volkswagen "Beetle" ;-).

The letter Ä is pronounced something like the first "e" in "where". If no
German font is available, it is replaced by the letters "ae", not by a plain
"a".

Thus, a German would write those aliens "Kaefer".

"Kafer" to me looks/sounds like an entirely diferent word (actually like the
Arab / Suaheli Kaffir/Kaffer "Pagan" tribes). In Traveller adventures, I
never associated it with "bug" until I read it in a discussion of Traveller.

Linguistically
Karl Heinz