Language

I got a huge laugh from my husband yesterday morning as we were all eating breakfast. Sitting around the table we were discussing animals and the different kinds; amphibeans, mammals, fish. As we were speaking combined English and Dutch, it got to be a quite interesting conversation. I piped up, telling the boys about zoogdieren (mammals). We were talking about how mammals drink milk from their mother. However, instead I called them zuigdieren (literally translated, this is sucking animal). "Dolfijnen zijn ook zuigdieren (dolphins are also mammals(only I didn't use the proper Dutch translation for mammal))." I was trying to portray that just because they are in the water, doesn't necessarily make them fish. Erwin laughed out so hard he almost choked on his sandwich. "Zuigdieren??! hahaha Zuigdieren?" "What's so darn funny?" I asked as he reminded me the proper word was ZOOGDIREN. "Well, they suck milk from their mother, so the word should be Zuig (Suck) animal!" I tried to regain my composure setting the record straight! Our conversation went round and round as I tried to get him to see my reasoning. He didn't buy it however, and remians firm in his belief that the proper word is Zoogdieren, while I will claim fame to my new invention of Zuigdieren, because afterall, it just makes sense!