In the Brythonic languages a specific designation for 'daughter-in-law' is used: Welsh gwaudd, pl... more In the Brythonic languages a specific designation for 'daughter-in-law' is used: Welsh gwaudd, pl. gweuddau, gweuddon, Middle Welsh pl. (14th cent.) gwehydon, (15th cent.) gwehyddon (GPC 1602-03), Old Cornish guhit gl. 'nurus', Old Breton g. .. = ?*guhid gl. 'nuro' (Orléans glosses; see Fleuriot 1964, 172 after Stokes), Middle Breton (Catholicon) gouhezy gl 'nurus', Breton. gouhé, pl. gouhéïon, Vanetais gouéhé 'bru, belle-fille, femme de fils' (GIB 1007), [gwii], pl. gwii-jõ] (Hamp 1972-74, 293). The following reconstructions and etymological interpretations were proposed till the present time: 1) Henry 1900, 138: *ùad h ú-'bride'. 2) Wiedmann 1902, 216: Latin uxor 'wife' from *ùeõs-'to grow' (H 2 ùeü h-s-). 3) Pedersen 1909, 514: *u(p)o-siìu-; Buck 1949, 125, § 2.64.4 and Campanile 1974, 56 speculate about the further derivation from *sH 2 eì-'to bind' (cf. Pokorny 1959, 891-92). 4) GPC 1602-03: *u(p)o-sed-í, and further from *sed-'to sit'. 5) Hamp 1972-74, 293: *u(p)o-sod-ìÿ 'respectful [daughter/girl/female]', cf. Old Indic úpa-sad-'to do honour', upasádya-'dem man mit Verehrung nahen muss'. The Welsh stems plural in-au can indicate the old-u (or ú-?) stem, while in the case of the-(ì)o/ÿ-stems the plural in-on is accompanied by palatalization (Pedersen 1913, 91, 88, 108). It means that from the point of view of the morphological evidence the solutions 2) and 4) seem the most promising. The following step should be based on semantics.
Celtic-Anatolian Isoglosses 1. Old Irish airne "stone" ȁ Anatolian *p"r, obl. *parn o "house" On ... more Celtic-Anatolian Isoglosses 1. Old Irish airne "stone" ȁ Anatolian *p"r, obl. *parn o "house" On Old Irish airne "stone" Vendryes (1959: A-48) has written: '.. . au sens où l'on emploie d'ordinaire le mot lia pour désigner une pierre dressée sur une tombe. Sans étymologie.' This rather pessimistic conclusion need not be definitive. The projection *arn-i o Ͻ *pân-allows to identify a promising cognate in the Anatolian word for "house":
Balor-"the blind-eyed"? Balor (with variants Balar and archaic Bolar), the monstrous one-eyed kin... more Balor-"the blind-eyed"? Balor (with variants Balar and archaic Bolar), the monstrous one-eyed king of Fomorians, was much-feared for his evil piercing eye (biruderc suil milldach, cf. Cath Maige Tuired § § 133-135). The existing etymologies of his name are certainly not definitive: 1) O'Rahilly (1957: 59) projected the name in Celtic *boleros, deriving it from *b h el-"to flash". 2) Kalygin (1997: 367-69) proposed the starting point *g w äro-, a derivative from *g w el-"to kill". In principle, both the etymologies are possible, but rather vague from the point of view of semantics. With respect to the functional parallelism between Balor and Oáinn in Old Irish and Old Norse traditions respectively, one of the epithets of the latter, báleygr "fire-eyed" (Gylfaginning 20), is compatible with the idea of O'Rahilly. On the other hand, Oáinn is also characterized as bileygr "lame-eyed" (Grimnismál 47). The latter epithet represents a compound *+ilau †iz derivable from *b h el-& *Hok w i-. Is it possible to identify a comparable structure in Balor? The main purpose of this paper is to prove the positive answer. Our solution starts from a hypothetical compound *b h ol-H(o)k w lo-Ȁ "blind(ing) eyed" giving regularly Celtic *bolVqlo-(V = o/a depending on the presence or absence-o-in the latter component) which could further could further be dissimilated into Goidelic *bolaqro-or *boraqlo-(cf. Old Irish araile besides alaile "the other", also Welsh ereill id., or Irish lemlacht "sweet milk" vs.
Photo from https://www.rsuh.ru/who_is_who/detail.php?ID=4603 Vladimir Antonovič Dybo died at the ... more Photo from https://www.rsuh.ru/who_is_who/detail.php?ID=4603 Vladimir Antonovič Dybo died at the impressive age of 92 years old on May 7, 2023. Since his academic career has already been well-described, 1 I will mainly concentrate on his younger years and on his ancestry. I would also like to add several personal memories of this exceptional man. Vladimir A. Dybo was born on April 30, 1931 in the village of Pyrohivka (Пирогівка = Russian Пирогoвка) on the Desna River in the Sumskaja Region in the northernmost part of Ukraine. His father, Anton Timofeevič Dybo, was an employee of the railroad system, and during the Russian Civil War worked as an anti-communist political activist. Vladimir Dybo's ancestors in his father's line were Cossacks from Zaporižžja. His maternal grandmother originated from the Cossack community in the region of the Don, and his maternal grandfather was Polish.
In the present study the Latvian mēle 'tongue', an isolate within the Baltic lexicon, is studied ... more In the present study the Latvian mēle 'tongue', an isolate within the Baltic lexicon, is studied from the point of view of its etymology. The existing etymological attempts operate with the semantic development 'speech' → 'language' → 'tongue', which is naturally quite legitimate, but in the three concrete cases analyzed here is not convincing enough. The new solution connects the Latvian mēle 'tongue', reflecting the Proto-Baltic *mēlii̯ ā, with another isolate in the Indo-European anatomical lexicon, the Common Tocharian *mele-'nose', reflecting the Pre-Tocharian *moloor *mēlo-. The semantic connection between 'tongue' and 'nose' is not trivial, but there are strong arguments for its acceptance, if 'tongue' is interpreted as 'taster' and 'nose' is interpreted as 'smeller'.
The contribution attempts to solve the relation of two legendary tribal patriarchs, called Crocco... more The contribution attempts to solve the relation of two legendary tribal patriarchs, called Crocco by Cosmas Pragensis and Crak in Chronica Poloniae Maioris. Their names are discussed from the point of view of comparative mythology in perspective of Roman mythological traditions and put to the etymological analysis. Together there are summarized and evaluated seven etymological attempts here. The result is that the oldest one based on the bird-name derived from the verb 'to croak, caw', formulated already by the Polish annalists in the 13th cent., seems to be the most promising one. To explain the difference between the root vowels, Czech o vs. Polish a, it is necessary to assume the Polabian origin of the name Crocco.
The contribution summarises the Beja lexicon connected with natural phenomena, including astronom... more The contribution summarises the Beja lexicon connected with natural phenomena, including astronomical, temporal, and geographical terminology. Every lexeme is documented in available sources and etymologized in areal or genealogical perspectives. In the case of borrowings, the ambition is to trace primary donor-languages, usually Arabic or Ethio-Semitic, sometimes Nilo-Saharan. The inherited lexemes are identified, if no convincing donors were determined, while there are promising comparanda in other Cushitic, Omotic or other Afroasiatic branches.
This article analyzes the published etymologies of Greek γαῖα & γῆ 'earth' with special attention... more This article analyzes the published etymologies of Greek γαῖα & γῆ 'earth' with special attention to the Semitic etymology. The Canaanite origin seems to be the most promising solution.
The contribution summarizes the linguistic results of Baltic studies produced in Czech Lands from... more The contribution summarizes the linguistic results of Baltic studies produced in Czech Lands from their beginning represented by Celakovský and Schleicher to the present (2014). Included are also doctoral, master and bachelor theses defended at Czech academical centres.
Clanek shrnuje tradici ceske baltistiky v lingvisticke rovině od Frantiska Celakovskeho po zacate... more Clanek shrnuje tradici ceske baltistiky v lingvisticke rovině od Frantiska Celakovskeho po zacatek 21. stoleti.
In the Brythonic languages a specific designation for 'daughter-in-law' is used: Welsh gwaudd, pl... more In the Brythonic languages a specific designation for 'daughter-in-law' is used: Welsh gwaudd, pl. gweuddau, gweuddon, Middle Welsh pl. (14th cent.) gwehydon, (15th cent.) gwehyddon (GPC 1602-03), Old Cornish guhit gl. 'nurus', Old Breton g. .. = ?*guhid gl. 'nuro' (Orléans glosses; see Fleuriot 1964, 172 after Stokes), Middle Breton (Catholicon) gouhezy gl 'nurus', Breton. gouhé, pl. gouhéïon, Vanetais gouéhé 'bru, belle-fille, femme de fils' (GIB 1007), [gwii], pl. gwii-jõ] (Hamp 1972-74, 293). The following reconstructions and etymological interpretations were proposed till the present time: 1) Henry 1900, 138: *ùad h ú-'bride'. 2) Wiedmann 1902, 216: Latin uxor 'wife' from *ùeõs-'to grow' (H 2 ùeü h-s-). 3) Pedersen 1909, 514: *u(p)o-siìu-; Buck 1949, 125, § 2.64.4 and Campanile 1974, 56 speculate about the further derivation from *sH 2 eì-'to bind' (cf. Pokorny 1959, 891-92). 4) GPC 1602-03: *u(p)o-sed-í, and further from *sed-'to sit'. 5) Hamp 1972-74, 293: *u(p)o-sod-ìÿ 'respectful [daughter/girl/female]', cf. Old Indic úpa-sad-'to do honour', upasádya-'dem man mit Verehrung nahen muss'. The Welsh stems plural in-au can indicate the old-u (or ú-?) stem, while in the case of the-(ì)o/ÿ-stems the plural in-on is accompanied by palatalization (Pedersen 1913, 91, 88, 108). It means that from the point of view of the morphological evidence the solutions 2) and 4) seem the most promising. The following step should be based on semantics.
Celtic-Anatolian Isoglosses 1. Old Irish airne "stone" ȁ Anatolian *p"r, obl. *parn o "house" On ... more Celtic-Anatolian Isoglosses 1. Old Irish airne "stone" ȁ Anatolian *p"r, obl. *parn o "house" On Old Irish airne "stone" Vendryes (1959: A-48) has written: '.. . au sens où l'on emploie d'ordinaire le mot lia pour désigner une pierre dressée sur une tombe. Sans étymologie.' This rather pessimistic conclusion need not be definitive. The projection *arn-i o Ͻ *pân-allows to identify a promising cognate in the Anatolian word for "house":
Balor-"the blind-eyed"? Balor (with variants Balar and archaic Bolar), the monstrous one-eyed kin... more Balor-"the blind-eyed"? Balor (with variants Balar and archaic Bolar), the monstrous one-eyed king of Fomorians, was much-feared for his evil piercing eye (biruderc suil milldach, cf. Cath Maige Tuired § § 133-135). The existing etymologies of his name are certainly not definitive: 1) O'Rahilly (1957: 59) projected the name in Celtic *boleros, deriving it from *b h el-"to flash". 2) Kalygin (1997: 367-69) proposed the starting point *g w äro-, a derivative from *g w el-"to kill". In principle, both the etymologies are possible, but rather vague from the point of view of semantics. With respect to the functional parallelism between Balor and Oáinn in Old Irish and Old Norse traditions respectively, one of the epithets of the latter, báleygr "fire-eyed" (Gylfaginning 20), is compatible with the idea of O'Rahilly. On the other hand, Oáinn is also characterized as bileygr "lame-eyed" (Grimnismál 47). The latter epithet represents a compound *+ilau †iz derivable from *b h el-& *Hok w i-. Is it possible to identify a comparable structure in Balor? The main purpose of this paper is to prove the positive answer. Our solution starts from a hypothetical compound *b h ol-H(o)k w lo-Ȁ "blind(ing) eyed" giving regularly Celtic *bolVqlo-(V = o/a depending on the presence or absence-o-in the latter component) which could further could further be dissimilated into Goidelic *bolaqro-or *boraqlo-(cf. Old Irish araile besides alaile "the other", also Welsh ereill id., or Irish lemlacht "sweet milk" vs.
Photo from https://www.rsuh.ru/who_is_who/detail.php?ID=4603 Vladimir Antonovič Dybo died at the ... more Photo from https://www.rsuh.ru/who_is_who/detail.php?ID=4603 Vladimir Antonovič Dybo died at the impressive age of 92 years old on May 7, 2023. Since his academic career has already been well-described, 1 I will mainly concentrate on his younger years and on his ancestry. I would also like to add several personal memories of this exceptional man. Vladimir A. Dybo was born on April 30, 1931 in the village of Pyrohivka (Пирогівка = Russian Пирогoвка) on the Desna River in the Sumskaja Region in the northernmost part of Ukraine. His father, Anton Timofeevič Dybo, was an employee of the railroad system, and during the Russian Civil War worked as an anti-communist political activist. Vladimir Dybo's ancestors in his father's line were Cossacks from Zaporižžja. His maternal grandmother originated from the Cossack community in the region of the Don, and his maternal grandfather was Polish.
In the present study the Latvian mēle 'tongue', an isolate within the Baltic lexicon, is studied ... more In the present study the Latvian mēle 'tongue', an isolate within the Baltic lexicon, is studied from the point of view of its etymology. The existing etymological attempts operate with the semantic development 'speech' → 'language' → 'tongue', which is naturally quite legitimate, but in the three concrete cases analyzed here is not convincing enough. The new solution connects the Latvian mēle 'tongue', reflecting the Proto-Baltic *mēlii̯ ā, with another isolate in the Indo-European anatomical lexicon, the Common Tocharian *mele-'nose', reflecting the Pre-Tocharian *moloor *mēlo-. The semantic connection between 'tongue' and 'nose' is not trivial, but there are strong arguments for its acceptance, if 'tongue' is interpreted as 'taster' and 'nose' is interpreted as 'smeller'.
The contribution attempts to solve the relation of two legendary tribal patriarchs, called Crocco... more The contribution attempts to solve the relation of two legendary tribal patriarchs, called Crocco by Cosmas Pragensis and Crak in Chronica Poloniae Maioris. Their names are discussed from the point of view of comparative mythology in perspective of Roman mythological traditions and put to the etymological analysis. Together there are summarized and evaluated seven etymological attempts here. The result is that the oldest one based on the bird-name derived from the verb 'to croak, caw', formulated already by the Polish annalists in the 13th cent., seems to be the most promising one. To explain the difference between the root vowels, Czech o vs. Polish a, it is necessary to assume the Polabian origin of the name Crocco.
The contribution summarises the Beja lexicon connected with natural phenomena, including astronom... more The contribution summarises the Beja lexicon connected with natural phenomena, including astronomical, temporal, and geographical terminology. Every lexeme is documented in available sources and etymologized in areal or genealogical perspectives. In the case of borrowings, the ambition is to trace primary donor-languages, usually Arabic or Ethio-Semitic, sometimes Nilo-Saharan. The inherited lexemes are identified, if no convincing donors were determined, while there are promising comparanda in other Cushitic, Omotic or other Afroasiatic branches.
This article analyzes the published etymologies of Greek γαῖα & γῆ 'earth' with special attention... more This article analyzes the published etymologies of Greek γαῖα & γῆ 'earth' with special attention to the Semitic etymology. The Canaanite origin seems to be the most promising solution.
The contribution summarizes the linguistic results of Baltic studies produced in Czech Lands from... more The contribution summarizes the linguistic results of Baltic studies produced in Czech Lands from their beginning represented by Celakovský and Schleicher to the present (2014). Included are also doctoral, master and bachelor theses defended at Czech academical centres.
Clanek shrnuje tradici ceske baltistiky v lingvisticke rovině od Frantiska Celakovskeho po zacate... more Clanek shrnuje tradici ceske baltistiky v lingvisticke rovině od Frantiska Celakovskeho po zacatek 21. stoleti.
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