Olduvai Gorge
- proper noun
- /oʊlˈduːvaɪ ˈɡɔːrdʒ/
:
Garganta de Olduvai
- Had I told them the truth, one or more of them would have wanted to remain behind, for they are scientists with curious, probing minds, and I would never be able to convince them that a curious, probing mind is no match for what I found in my seventh and final view of Olduvai Gorge.
Examples
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Finally, we reached Olduvai Gorge and began walking, only this time we seemed to be going to a specific location, and Kevin hardly stopped to try to spot the dik-dik.
Fiction book (1994) -
The Nihewan is also comparable to Olduvai Gorge and Lake Turkana in having been inhabited continuously since human ancestors first appeared in the region.
Academic text (1994) -
Then, tomorrow, you must go to Olduvai Gorge and throw it down to the bottom so that the visions may lie side by side with reality.
Fiction book (1994) -
"Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge" provided the inspiration for Jill Bauman's cover.
Fiction book (1994) -
One hundred miles away, the ground shifted on the floor of Olduvai Gorge, and three of the lead-lined containers broke open.
Fiction book (1994) -
Then the government found out that Professor Leakey, whose scientific finds had made Olduvai Gorge almost a household word among East Africans, had been getting death threats.
Fiction book (1994) -
It was nearing the end of the day, and no one volunteered; finally, the exobiologist turned and began walking toward the path that led down into the depths of Olduvai Gorge.
Fiction book (1994) -
Meromo stared out the window of his thirty-fourth-floor office, past the bustling city of Dodoma, off to the east, to where he imagined Olduvai Gorge was.
Fiction book (1994) -
This kind of habitat—a brackish lake fed by freshwater streams—has been suggested for Olduvai Gorge and Lake Turkana in East Africa.
Academic text (1994) -
The discovery of fossils in Olduvai Gorge has provided valuable insights into early human evolution.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Olduvai + gorge
The noun 'gorge' clearly indicates a deep, narrow valley, so a learner who knows the constituents can infer this is a gorge named 'Olduvai' (i.e., a place). However, the proper name 'Olduvai' carries no lexical meaning and the MWE's specialized information (its location in Tanzania and archaeological significance) is not derivable from the parts. Because the basic locational/type meaning is transparent but the specific factual content is not, the item is only partially predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Olduvai Gorge may come from the Maasai word 'oldupai' for a wild sisal plant, because an early visitor wrote it down as Olduvai, and gorge means a deep, narrow valley. That's why the name now points to the deep valley where scientists found very old human bones and tools.
