[gothic-l] Re: gothic traces in the east?

[czobor at CANTACUZINO.RO]

Hi, Keth

The Slavic term is of Germanic origin.
The old Germanic term, *walha-, was applied initially to the Celts (it
was the Germanic variant of Volcae, a Celtic tribe name, that was
generalised later to all the Celts). Then, when the Celtic territories
became parts of the Roman Empire, that term was used by the old
Germans also for Romans. Later, it was applied by different Germanic
peoples to their direct Celtic or Romanic neighbors.
Examples:
OHG walh(a) "Roman", derived adjective walhisc "Romanic, Romance"
OHG walhisc became in modern German Welsch, meaning Italian or French
(derogatory), and also an incoprehensible language, as in
"Kauderwelsch"
Dutch-Flemish: Waals "Walon" (the direct Romanic neighbors of the
Flemish)
O. English wealh-, derived adjective wealhisc, that became in Modern
English Wales, Welsh, referring to the direct Celtic neighbors of the
English.
Old Norse Valir "Celtic, Roman"
The old Germanic word was borrowed in old Slavic: *walha- > *volhu
In the Slavic languages, the term was referring initially to the
Romans, later to the direct Romanic neighbors of different Slavic
peoples, namely to Romanians or Italians:
Serb, Bulgarian: vlach or vlah "Romanian" (Plural: vlasi)
Slovenian: lah "Italian"
Polish: wloch "Italian", Wlochy "Italy"
Russish & Ukrainian (now obsolete): voloh "Romanian"
The name of the Romanian province of Valahia (or Walahia) is a
combination of the South-Slavic term (vlah) and the East-Slavic term
(voloh).
>From a South-Slavic language, the word was borrowed in Hungarian.
The singular form, vlah, became olah "Romanian" (now derogatory)
The plural form, vlasi, became olasz "Italian" (the only term for
"Italian" in Hungarian, whence also Olaszorszag "Italy", literally
"Italian land")
>From Slavic, the word entered also some oriental languages:
Arabic walak "Romanian" (obsolete)
Turkish iflak "Romanian" (obsolete)
The South-Slavic variant "vlach" is used today by the Greeks and by
the Slavic-speaking Macedonians to denominate the South-Danubian
Romanians (Macedo-Romanians and Megleno-Romanians).

I hope that you will be content with this information.
Anyway, it's all I know.

Francisc

--- In gothic-l at y..., keth at o... wrote:
>
> I am totally unfamiliar with these languages.
> But it occurred to me that the word VLACH is similar in some ways
> to the German word "Welsch". Could there be a connection?
> (like in Kauder-Welsch = incomprehensible gibberish)
> Also, in Switzerland there is Kanton Wallis.
>
> Hope you can elucidate some of this.
>
> Best regards
> Keth


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