[gothic-l] Re: Marcomannic Challenge in _Gladiator_

[Brian Beck]

--- In gothic-l at egroups.com, "M. Carver" <mcarver at c...> wrote:
> 
> 
> Brian Beck wrote:
> > 
> > --- In gothic-l at egroups.com, jdm314 at a... wrote:
> > >     A friend of mine, a graduate student in Scandinavian Studies
> > with a
> > > (un)healthy interest in historical linguistics says that when he
> > saw the
> > > movie Gladiator he instantly interpreted the first sentence of 
the
> > chief's
> > > challenge as something like "suk thu nu hyde?" (spelling is 
mine),
> > which
> > > would mean something like "sokjist thu nu haubith?" i.e. "Are 
you
> > looking for
> > > the head, now?"
> > >
> > I must admit I missed it, but your suggestion certainly makes 
sense.
> > Perhaps it was "sukst thu nu hyvde" or something like that.  It
> > sounds vaguely Scandinavian.
> > 
> > Brian
> 
> Very true. I would wonder about the word "hyde" which doesnt seem 
to fit
> marcomannic dialect, unless i am mistaken. Can it not rather be a 
demonstrative
> perhaps, such as "hita" i.e. this? or hi(er) da(s) "this" or hi
(e) "her,
> it" + da, denn "then, so". It would help to see the manuscript for 
the
> film, I think, and maybe know who the consultant was for 
marcomannic in
> the film.
> 
> Matþaius

Yes.  Also, since he seemed to be addressing the whole Roman army, it 
may have been "sukith-u" do ye seek (plural), rather that doest thou 
seek. This assumes that Marcomannic had an interrogative enclitic -u 
like Gothic.

Brian


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