Chronology of the breakup of Common Romance [long]

[X99Lynx at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/3/99 7:33:26 PM, edsel at glo.be wrote:

<<My hypothesis for the origin of the East-European -ch in Walach and the
like: a derivative ending, often depreciative, still productive as -ak in
Slavic (but also as an adjective forming suffix in Greek -ako's and in
various forms in other IE lgs, and even in Etruscan -ach and in Sumerian
-age).>>

It does make sense.  One wouldn't need to look to a borrowing from Germanic
to account for "Slovaki" or "Polaki."  As a derivative (from a place, region
or group name) of course it would naturally take on a corona of additional
meanings.

As far as the Greek goes, I have this from I don't know where:
"A suffix of Greek origin  for forming of names is known in Rumanian: -ache,
from Greek  -achV:   Michalache, Vasilache, etc."  This puts a slightly
different twist on it.

So could "Vlacki" have even been from a self-name that traveled into other
tongues.  In some early more western records it even appears as "Blacki" and
"Blaki" and that is why I would ask what "Balkan" is from.

Regards,
Steve Long