R: Re: etymology of Belarus

[Jules Levin]

At 11:59 AM 12/6/00 +0100, >Katarina Peitlova wrote:
>Dear Jules,
>Your theory is very interesting,but I can't agree with some definitions:You
>are right  while saying that:
>bala = swamp = boloto (in russian).But it has nothing to do with "belyi".In
>westslavic languages as slovak and czech there's "blato" for swamp,and there
>was a law of open syllable in russian language,that's why we find "boloto "
>and "moloko" in russian language and "blato, and mliko and mlieko in czech
>and slovak languages. There's a famous lake in Ungheria ,which is called
>"Balaton" - it's name has the origin in slavic language ,in czech and slovak
>languages we can find sometimes denomination "Blatenskè jazero,jezero" -
>that is for Balaton.Meaning "blato"=swamp.This lake's foundations are really
>full of swamp

I am well aware of the fate of TORT groups in the various languages, and
nothing in my remarks suggested otherwise.  Are you suggesting that there
is no connection between Baltic balt- 'white' and bala 'swamp' on the one
hand, and Slavic *balto 'swamp' and *be>l- with a different grade?  Keep in
mind that the -t- is clearly suffixal in origin.    
.
>You are right  - Baltic  is greyish.As for me,the origin of "Belarus" are in
>"bala" and"Rus" -meaning the
>territory full of swamp (bala),which pronunciation changed into "belarus
>"(cheredovaniem glasnych a-e) and doesn't mean "white" but  "swampy".Does my
>theory seem very revolutionary?

Not at all, it is basically what I suggested above.  (And I am not
revolutionary!)

I also thank Curt Woolhiser for his detailed historical perspective on this
ethnym.  I think he demonstrates 1) the essentially toponymic origin of
this term, and 2) the baltic substratal character of the Belarusians.
Lith. dialects also have dzekan'e, etc. The 18th C. Lithuanian speaking
areas SE of Vilnius are no longer Lithuanian-speaking, I am afraid.  The
advancing border of Lithuanian>BR-Pol language switching has engulfed them.
 (Absent of course increasing suburbanization from Vilnius, of course.) No
wonder these people were called "Litvins" and there was some confusion.
They themselves seem to share the confusion.  These border people may be
the last pre-Romantic peasants in Europe--they identify themselves by
religion, not nationality.  The Catholics send their kids to Catholic
schools, learn standard Polish, and become Poles, the Orthodox become
Belarusians, a recent construct, as Curt W. implies. 
Jules Levin 

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