Help with three Slovak songs

[Martin Votruba]

> tentatively connect obranclovať with Hungarian abroncs,
> which means, among other things, a hoop for a skirt.

Folk songs are usually about farmers, villagers, who were unlikely to have had hoop skirts, I’d say, Ralph -- I wonder whether a Seelanger might know about hoop skirts being worn in Slovak or Hungarian villages in or before the 19th century?

The verb is most likely prefixed, o--branclovat or ob--branclovat. Related regional words mean "a thick winter coat" (brunclak), "a sole" or "an inner sole" (brancol), "lining, padding" (brandzol or brandzola or branzol).

The words came from the German Brandsohle, "inner sole."

My guess is that the song says the woman didn't hem or didn't line her skirt -- the latter was done for the same reason as the common practice of wearing several skirts: to make the skirt look puffier.


> Polish "brandzlować" to masturbate

That is most likely from a different source, Jan. It might be related to the crude Austrian-German brunzeln "urinate" or "stink like urine" from Brunze, "urine." Moreover, some Austrians mix up the verb brutzeln (sputter, sizzle, crackle, drum) with brunzeln, so there may easily be more to how the meaning and borrowing came about.


Martin

votruba "at" pitt "dot" edu

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