ALASKA

Wild Word Friday!

Linguists agree that the name ALASKA comes to us from a Native word. There’s some disagreement about which word and even which language. Generally, the consensus is that ALASKA means The Great Land, derived from the Aleut word alyeska, which also means “that which the sea breaks against.” I’m not here to take sides, and there are more than these two ideas about the derivation of the name. Many of my Aleut friends  believe that the most viable translation of the word ALASKA is not The Great Land, but simply the mainland.

No matter the derivation, I do believe that those people who have been fortunate enough to visit – or live in – ALASKA know it to be one of the most beautiful places on earth, with a wide variety of landscapes that spans everything from barren volcanic islands to vast virgin forests and huge mountains to windswept “deserts” of ice and snow. Alaska is one of my favorite places on earth, and I’m partial to the far islands – gems that dot the North Pacific and the Bering Sea.  The photos below are of other gorgeous places in the state of Alaska.

(Photo by Beeblebrox, licensed under Creative Commons)

(Photo by Steve Lyon, licensed under Creative Commons)

Have you been to ALASKA? If so, do you have a favorite place there?

Blessings,

Sue

(Some information in this post from Wikipedia.)