Re: [tied] mleccha-

A nice dictionary, thanks for the URL. But does the meaning "copper" throw any light on how <mlecchati> came to mean "speaks like a foreigner"? Besides, this can't be the primary word for "copper". Capeller lists "copper" words based on the colour terms <ta:mra-> and <loha-> (one could add <ayas->, though it no longer means 'copper' in Sanskrit), but the only meaning given for <mlecchá-> is 'barbarian'. Besides, I've already found further cognates: Latin blaesus 'lisping, indistinct' (pointing to *mlai-, rather than my initial guess *mloi-, so let me correct it to *mlai-ske-ti, *mlai-sko-s), Welsh bloesg 'stammerer'. This already adds up to decent evidence for PIE status.

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: Glen Gordon

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, August 03, 2001 7:52 PM

Subject: Re: [tied] mleccha-

Piotr: >My personal suspicion (which I haven't researched properly, to be >sure) is that <mleccha-> 'barbarian' may be native -- a deverbal noun. >There is also a related verb, <mlecchati> 'speak >incomprehensibly', [...] Needless to say, <meluhha> would be unrelated. I hate to be devil's advocate in this case since I'm also highly skeptical of the whole Meluhha/mleccha- ordeal, but what you are saying doesn't explain the other meaning "copper". It appears that second meaning is listed in the very handy "Apte Sanskrit Dictionary Search": http://aa2411s.aa.tufs.ac.jp/~tjun/sktdic/