Re: [tied] Re: Peacock

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 7901
Date: 2001-07-16

But if reconstructible to Proto-Mon-Khmer, "Proto-Austroasiatic" status could be argued for it, or at least it could represent an early Wanderwort of SE Asia.
 
Piotr
 
 
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: romilly@...
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2001 6:18 AM
Subject: [tied] Re: Peacock

--- In cybalist@......, "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@......> wrote:
> Rigvedic mayu:ra- 'peacock' (mayu:ri:- 'peahen') was borrowed from
Dravidian *mayil/*mayir (Zvelebil 1990), perhaps influenced by ma:yu-
'bleating'; cf. Tam. maJJai, mayil; northern Kasaba dialect of Irula
muyiru, Tulu mairu, Konda mrIlu, miril. This in turn seems to have
been borrowed from Proto-Munda *ma-ra? 'crier' with further
connections troughout SE Asia (cf. Malay merak 'peacock').

Forms similar to "mrak, m@..., m@...?" also occur in various Mon-Khmer
languages, as well as some Indonesian regional languages (surely
borrowed from Ml. or Javanese).  I would assume it's onomatopoetic,
so perhaps not truly "reconstructible".