Is "Berlin" Slavic?

[Wayles Browne]

An anthropologist working in Germany has asked me about the origin of
the name of Berlin. Sources like Dieter Berger, Duden: geographische
Namen in Deutschland (Mannheim: Dudenverlag 1993) suggest that it is
of Slavic origin ("Old Polabian *birl-/*berl 'swamp'?"), but don't
give much detail. Does any kind reader know of a detailed study?


Wayles Browne, Assoc. Prof. of Linguistics
Department of Linguistics
Morrill Hall 321, Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853, U.S.A.

tel. 607-255-0712 (o), 607-273-3009 (h)
fax 607-255-2044 (write FOR W. BROWNE)
e-mail ewb2 at cornell.edu

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