how is it possible that in several languages belonging to different cultures far awy from each other?

Question

we can find examples of words that refer to something with which there is no apparent logical relationship.
For example - the word "bird" is used to describe the male sexual organ and it doesn´t seem to be a clear logical relationship between both words, however the word "bird" is used in many languages to refer to the other thing (if i say the word yahoo deletes the question).
How can one explain this coincidence? If it was a cultural explanation it could only happen in one language and in languages spoken in the same area.
I know it may not belong to this category but i need ideas to start an essay

i think the connection is too subtle as to be related by so many different cultures

you may find references to the sexual male organ in 13th century english and spanish

Answer 1

You need to give more credit to cross-communication, especially of slang. You also need to understand the limited origins of existing languages. Most cultures are either rooted in, or have been infused with, either Latin, Arabic, Norse, or Chinese. A slang reference would easily carry into the "new" language either intact or translated to the new language from the same root source.

If, for example, the slang phrase for "bird" was initiated in Rome, it would be quite possible for it to be infused into Spanish (European and S.American), Portuguese, Italian, French, and English. Now, review how many cultures those languages have affected (England in China, French in Indonesia, etc.), and you have a system in which many slang references are perpetuated and standardized.

Throw in foreign wars, TV, and the internet, and you have slang spreading very widely and very quickly.

Answer 2

Funnily enough, this happens in the Portuguese language as well, with the word "bird" and... well, you know to what I am referring.

In fact, it is a result of slang. It is a way to say one thing without actually ever saying it.

Like the word... koneko. In Japanese, it's literal meaning is "kitten." Since there were many Japanese in America during World War II, it is my guess that Americans saw they used it for kittens, and began using it for inexperienced young girls.

Unfortunately, I found that out after I had chosen my yahoo ID...

It is slang, if only to be used as slang. I do not believe there is any other answer to the question, though I do hope someone comes and explains it better than I was able.

Answer 3

The chest of a plucked bird does look a little bit like a scrotum, and the neck....

Answer 4

It's just slang and some slang is universal... most cultures mimic the US pop culture and pick up on our slang...

Answer 5

It is because all languages came from the origional language.