LL-L "Etymology" 2008.07.30 (03) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 30 July 2008 - Volume 03
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From: Mike Morgan <mwmosaka at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2008.07.30 (02) [E]

As R/R points out, in Sanskrit (and the many Modern Indic languages
which "inherited" this word) पशु pashu means "cattle" only and not
"money". (Whether this is also true of the Iranian as well as Indic
languages I cannot say, but at least in Kirmanji (Northern Kurdish)
pez means "sheep and/or goat (i.e. whatever the generic equivalent of
cattle is for SMALL domestic livestock)" only as well.)

Which perhaps is appropriate as the most sacred of Nepalese Shaivite
temples पशुपतिनाथ Pashupatinath "Lord master / husband of the beasts"
CAN be entered by COWS (one supposes anyway, s there is a big statue
of Nandi inside the entranceway) ... but NOT by non-Hindus, not for
love NOR MONEY! (Though there seems to be some racial discrimination
involved in deciding WHO is Hindu: South Asian Sikhs and Buddhist can
get in, but East Asian and WESTERN Buddhists cannot.)

Although at times on THIS (the Indian) side of the border I can pass
as an NRI (non-resident Indian) or a Punjabi, on THAT side I pass for
a Nepali ONLY over the phone ... and I have never been let in
Pashupatinath mandir (though out of respect -- and the fact that you
can also VIEW inside the temple from the back side, from across the
"river" -- i have only "tried" once). MAYBE in the next life I will be
born a cow...

NB ... although the reconstructed vowel is not quite kosher, the
Slavic found in e.g. Russian пес p'os "dog" (of the mongrel/mutt
variety in Russian, but just plain "dog" in, e.g. Polish) is
interesting ... perhaps simply "domestic animal" ... the more "normal"
Russian for dog, собака sobaka, is of course, a borrowing from Iranic
(Scythian?, Polovetsian?, Alanic? ... the -б- is a dead giveaway) ...
though сука suka "bitch" -- used also in exactly the same way ENglish
uses the term -- is pure Slavic)

Mike || マイク || माईक || Мика || માઈક || მაიქ || ਮਾਈਕ || מייק || மாஇக் || ما
یک
================
Dr Michael W Morgan
Managing Director
Ishara Foundation
Mumbai (Bombay), India
++++++++++++++++
माईकल मोर्गन (पी.एच.डी.)
मेनेजिंग डॉयरेक्टर
ईशारा फॉउंडेशन (मुंबई )
++++++++++++++++
茂流岸マイク(言語学博士)
イシャラ基金の専務理事・事務局長
ムンバイ(ボンベイ)、インド

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From: LUCAS ANNEAR <annear at wisc.edu>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2008.07.30 (02) [E]

Arthur,

Having just quickly gone through the hits of 'faihu' on wulfila.be, and
seeing that none of the hits were associated with cattle or any sort of
livestock, is it presumed that in Gothic 'faihu' originally meant livestock
(non-monetary wealth), even though it is not attested with that meaning?  If
it is attested with that meaning, where?

-Luke

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Hey, Luke!

(Oh, no! Not another Luke/Luc!)

It's great to make your acquaintance. Thanks for having taken the step into
the limelight!

Gerhard Köbler mentions "cattle" besides "money' and "(movable) property"
only in connection with Crimean Gothic *fe*.

The granddaddy, Indo-European **pék^u-*, is derived from **pék^-* 'to
pluck', 'to shear', and another derivative is **pék^os-* 'fleece', 'wool'.
This clearly points to animals first, and livestock *were the* property. It
may point toward sheep in the beginning.

Furthermore, weirdly perhaps, this is not only related to Latin
*pectem*'comb' and
*pectere* 'to comb' but also to Germanic **feht*- (*fehtan*), thus to
English "to fight", German and Low Saxon *fechten*, etc. Apparently, there's
the common idea of 'to subdue', 'to become master over'.

By the way, Mike, "dog" is *psyk *in Upper Sorbian and *psyk* or *pjas* (sg.
gen. *psa*) in Lower Sorbian. In Polabian (which is Lechitic) it's *pjas *or
*pjôs*.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron


P.S.: Both Sorbian versions are now in our Anniversary gallery:
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/serbscina-dolno.php
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/serbscina-hornjo.php
*Info:* http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/serbscina-info.php
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