LL-L "Etymology" 2009.04.06 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 06 April 2009 - Volume 01
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Dear Lowlanders,

Not long ago we briefly discussed early Germanic and also Middle Saxon and
Low Saxon loanwords in Balto-Finnic languages, a language group that belongs
to the Uralic family. As usual, the focus was on the most easily accessible
Finnic languages: Finnish (*suomen kieli*) and Estonian (*eesti keel*),
though I always try to look farther afield, even beyond Karelian (*karjalan
kieli*) which some consider a Finnish dialect group.

I did mention Livonian (*līvõ kēļ*), a Balto-Finnic language used in coastal
Latvia, a country dominated by the Baltic Latvian language. Livonian has not
only numerous Baltic loans and some early Germanic loans, but it has so many
Saxon loans that it warrants a separate investigation.

I also mentioned and today will focus on Veps (or Vepsian) and Votic, two
Balto-Finnic languages used by small remnants of communities in far-western
Russia. Data from the moribund Ingrian ~ Izhorian language (*ižor(k)an keeli
~ kiili*) are hard to come by.

Only about 5-6 thousand speakers of Veps (*vepsan kel’*) remain these days.
In recent times, the language area stretched between Lake Onega to the
southern part of St. Petersburg.

Moribund if in the meantime not extinct is Votic (*vađđaa ceeli*). Its last
recorded area was Krakolye and Luzhitsy, two villages in Kingisepp district,
Leningrad Oblast’. Its area used to be much larger in a region northeast of
Narva. Speakers of the northern dialects used to call themselves *lüüdi*,
probably related to an Indo-European group of words for ‘people’ (e.g. Low
Saxon *L**üde > L**ü**üd'*, German *Leute*, Russian *ljudi *люди).

Please bear in mind that most of the region that now constitutes farwestern
Russia used to be Finnic-dominated.

Please also bear in mind that at least early Finnic phonology had no
(initial) consonant clusters, no /f/ and no voiced stops.

Abbreviations: Eng.=English, Est.=Estonian, Fin.=Finnish, Kar.=Karelian,
Liv.=Livonian, Ltv.=Latvian, Vep.=Veps, Vot.=Votic



*VEPS*

   - *bard* : beard
   cf. Kar. *parta*, *pardu*, Fin. *parta*; Ltv. *bārda*; Germanic **
   barda(z)*
   - *flag* : flag
   cf. Liv. *plagā*; Middle Saxon *vlagge > Flagg*
   - *habuk* : hawk
   cf. Kar. *haukku*, Fin. *haukka*; Germanic **habuka(z)*
   - *kana* (kan-) : chicken
   cf. Vot., Kar., Fin. *kana*, Liv. *kanā*; Germanic **hana*
   - *kuld* : gold
   cf. Kar., Fin. *kulta*, Liv. *kuldi*; Germanic **gulþa*
   - *lambaz* (lamb-) : lamb
   cf. Liv. *lāmbaz*, Vot. *lammaz*, Kar., Fin. Est. *lammas*, Est.* lamba*;
   Germanic **lamba(z)*
   - *leib* ~ *liib* : bread
   cf. Kar., Fin. *leipä*, Est. *leib*, Liv. *lēba*; Germanic
**hlaiba*(e.g. English
   *loaf*)*;* Slavonic **xl’eb”*
   - *pada* (pad-) : pot (?)
   cf. Liv. *poţa*; Ltv. *pods*; Germanic **putta*
   - *pöud* : field
   cf. Vot. *põlto*, Kar. *peldo*, Fin. *pelto*; Germanic **felþa*
   - *raud* : iron (metal) (?)
   cf. Kar. Fin. *rauta*, Vot., Est. *raud*; Germanic **lauda*
   - *runo* : poem (?)
   cf. Germanic **runō* ‘secret’, ‘(secret) counsel’, ‘letter’

 *VOTIC*

   - *frovva* : lady; Mrs.
   cf. Fin. *rouva, Est. proua*; Germanic **frōwo*
   - *kana* : hen
   cf. Vot., Kar., Fin. *kana*, Liv. *kanā*; Germanic **hana*
   - *kattila* : kettle
   cf. Fin. *kattila*, Est. *katel*, Liv. *kaţļā*; Ltv. *katls*; Germanic **
   katila(z)*
   - *lammaz* : sheep
   cf. Liv. *lāmbaz*, Vep. *lambaz*, Kar., Fin. Est. *lammas*, Est.* lamba*;
   Germanic **lamba(z)*
   - *lusti* : pretty; fine (?)
   cf. Low Saxon *lustig* ‘funny’, ‘enjoyable’
   - *merkki* : mark; sign; signal
   cf.; Germanic **marka*
   - *põlto* : field
   cf. Vep. *pöud*, Kar. *peldo*, Fin. *pelto*; Germanic **felþa*
   - *püsü* : gun
   cf. Fin. *pyssy*, Est. *püss*; cf. Saxon *büks* > *büss* (rel. to “box”)
   - *rauta* : iron (?)
   cf. Kar. Fin. *rauta*, Vep., Est. *raud*; Germanic **lauda*
   - *tupa* : chamber (?)
   cf. Liv. *tubā*, Low Saxon *Stuve* ~ *Stube > Stuuv’*, Eng. *stove*;
   Germanic **stubō*

Your input would be appreciated.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

•

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