An etymology

[Kalyanamalini Sahoo]

VYAKARAN: South Asian Languages and Linguistics Net
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>For Kalyanamalini Sahoo:
>
>When you refer to the Sauraa language below, is it to the language in
>the Munda (Sora, Saora, Savara, Saura, Swara) family or the one in the
>Dravidian family (Savara)? Or are these all the same language?

Here, I refer to the one in the Austro-Asiatic family (Sora, Saora, Savara,
Saura). It is distinct from the one (Savara) in the Dravidian family.
Like Sauraa, SantaaLi,and Ho, Munda also belongs to the austro-Asiatic
family.

Kalyanamalini









At 06:54 19.04.01 -0700, you wrote:
>VYAKARAN: South Asian Languages and Linguistics Net
>Editors:  Tej K. Bhatia, Syracuse University, New York
>          John Peterson, University of Munich, Germany
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>Thank you all for your quick and informative responses to my question
>about the etymologies for the words in Indian languages referring to
>puppets, dolls, images, etc.
>
>It does not seem the words for puppet in the Indo-European languages are
>cognate with the Tulu bombe, Kannada bombe/gombe, Telugu bomma. It does
>seems the further north one goes in the Dravidian family (at least as
>far as South and Central are concerned) there is a greater association
>with words connected to the eye (eye, eyebrow, eyeball, pupil of the
>eye), which suggests at least a semantic influence.
>
>To my knowledge, in Tulu and Kannada there is no direct association with
>any part/aspect of the physical eye; although, there is a connotation of
>'a (large?) round, empty shape' with words beginning with bom-, such as
>bomme, 'a stupid person' meaning, I think, 'empty headed' or even, as we
>might say today, 'air head.' It could be that the eye, and esp. the
>pupil, is such a thing, too.
>
>The IE semantic association of eye and puppet is etymologically
>fascinating, of course, but the 'explanation' via images reflected in
>the eyeball leaves, for me, something to be desired.
>
>For Kalyanamalini Sahoo:
>
>When you refer to the Sauraa language below, is it to the language in
>the Munda (Sora, Saora, Savara, Saura, Swara) family or the one in the
>Dravidian family (Savara)? Or are these all the same language?
>
>For Nicolas Oster:
>
>I remember reading an article or section of a book (the same?) in grad.
>school years ago advancing the "image in the eye" explanation. What is
>the reference, again? I forgot.
>
>Peter
>
>Kalyanamalini Sahoo wrote:
>>
>> VYAKARAN: South Asian Languages and Linguistics Net
>> Editors:  Tej K. Bhatia, Syracuse University, New York
>>           John Peterson, University of Munich, Germany
>> Details:  Send email to listserv at listserv.syr.edu and say: INFO VYAKARAN
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>>
>> In Oriya too, pituLaa / putaLaa is used for both 'puppet' and 'pupil of the
>> eye'.
>> Besides, kanDhei/kunDhei is used for 'puppet'. Sauraa language also uses
>> kunDhei for 'puppet'.
>>
>> Kalyanamalini Sahoo
>> Norwegian University of Science & Technology
>>
>> >>In Panjabi, putlii (long i), means both 'puppet' and
>> >>'pupil of the eye'.
>> >
>> >>Elena Bashir, SALC
>> >>The University of Chicago
>>
>> >In Hindi too!
>>
>> >Ghanshyam Sharma
>> >University  of Venice
>>
>> At 07:12 17.04.01 -0700, you wrote:
>> >VYAKARAN: South Asian Languages and Linguistics Net
>> >Editors:  Tej K. Bhatia, Syracuse University, New York
>> >          John Peterson, University of Munich, Germany
>> >Details:  Send email to listserv at listserv.syr.edu and say: INFO VYAKARAN
>> >Subscribe:Send email to listserv at listserv.syr.edu and say:
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>> >
>> >Members,
>> >
>> >I know this is not the usual kind of request we like to consider, and
>> >it's not particularly important even to me, but ...
>> >
>> >I am trying to figure out (or beyond, I guess) the etymology of the word
>> >for puppet (doll, effigy, image): 'bombe' (Kannada and Tulu), pommai
>> >(Ta), bomma (Te and Ma). Burrow and Emeneau give cognates with Kolami
>> >and Parji referring to the eye, eyeball. But somehow the word doesn't
>> >seem to me to be "very Dravidian." Does anyone on the list know of any
>> >possible connections with words in other Indian language families? Or
>> >outside of India? What words in other Indian languages refer to "dolls",
>> >clay images, wooden figures, and the like? (other than muurthi)
>> >
>> >Peter Claus
>