Minnesota paradox

[ROOD DAVID S]

Dear Bruce,
	The story or stories I have heard contend that sota means 'cloudy'
or 'milky' --- the accompanying anecdote was "like a glass of water with a
few drops of milk in it".  The next ablaut level, shota, would be somewhat
murkier, and of course xota is the usual translation of 'gray'.

	David

David S. Rood
Dept. of Linguistics
Univ. of Colorado
Campus Box 295
Boulder, CO 80309-0295
USA
rood at colorado.edu

On Sat, 30 Oct 1999, Bruce Ingham wrote:

> Dear Siouanists
>
> I have been reading all the correspondence with great interest especially about
> the river names.  Can anyone clear up for me the 'Minnesota paradox'.  Riggs
> says that it meant 'broiled water or smoky water' which should be shota, but
> that it got changed to sota at some point.  I have never understood all this.
> Does it come via another Siouan language to English, like Nebraska coming via
> Omaha for River Platte (equivalent to Mni Blaska or Bdaska).  Any ideas.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Bruce Ingham
> --
> Bruce Ingham
> Reader in Arabic Linguistic Studies
> SOAS
>
>