[gothic-l] Re: Gothic identity

[Francisc Czobor]

--- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, "faltin2001" <dirk at s...> wrote:
> ...
> I think that the idea about Tervingi and Greutungi being analogue
to
> Drevliane and Poliane has something going for it. About the
Taifali,
> I think that they were indeed an eastern horse nomadic tribe. Taifa
> means simply 'tribe' in Bulgarian and I think and the word may be
of
> turkic or so origin.
>
>
> Cheers
> Dirk
>

The word "taifa" comes ultimately form Arabic (ta:'if or ta:'ifah,
pl. tawa:'if) and the original meaning was "group (of people), band,
mob". It spreaded also in other languages, directly or indirectly,
including Spanish ("Reyes de Taifas"). In Bulgarian it came through
Turkish intermediate. Since the spreading of this word was not before
the advent of Islam and the spreading of Arabic cultural elements
(icluding Arabic loanwords) linked to it, I don't think that the
Taifali have anything to do with the word "taifa".
In what I have read, the Taifali are referred as an East-Germanic
tribe, being in many cases cited together with another (presumably
East-Germanic) tribe: Victoali or Victofali. It is for me a mystery -
who were in facte these Taifali and Victo(f)ali?

Francisc





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