Colors in Dakota -Duta

[Koontz John E]

On Wed, 26 Mar 2003, Rory M Larson wrote:
> Doesn't /ppa/ also mean 'nose' in OP?  I've understood /ppa-xdhi/ as
> 'nose' + 'nasty bodily secretion'.

Correct, and probably a better rendition.  I think it was Bob Rankin who
pointed out to me that *xri(N) tends to occur in various languages for
'nasty stuff that flows out of the body' - mucus, pus, drool, whatever.
Not necessarily all possibilities attested in all languages.  In fact, *xr
is a sort of phonaestheme in this general semantic area.

I'm wondering if xnuta might not just be an root with some other relevant
meaning, being likened simultaneously to 'red' and 'snot' in some
elaborate folk etymology (or pun).  That might eliminate the exception in
distribution of Asb. nuta for this form.  It might actually be funnier to
have nuta used out of register in this word, though I'm not sure I'm
qualified to judge what would be funny in this case.  Like Muskogean fakit
'turkey' it might require just the right cultural background to
appreciate.

> If so, are the words for 'head' and 'nose' historically equivalent
> terms in Siouan?  MVS /*hpa/ ?

True, I think.  I think *hpa developments often refer to 'animal head'
(where the nose vs. head distinction is more moot, due to skull
conformation) and the sense 'head' often appears mostly in compounds, cf.
ppaha or ppas^na, etc.

Omaha noNski 'skull' (I think) has been identified by Bob Rankin as a loan
from Muskogean, for those who are interested in loans.