Re: [tied] Celtic Jutland

>> >Might not the Skagerrak and Kattegat be corruptions of words the
>> >pre-IE ancient mariners had for these bodies of water? Why would a
>> >Scandinavian need to go to the Netherlands to find a name for a sea
>> >in his own backyard?
>>
>>Because it was not only Scandinavian but "international"? The names
>>could stem from the Hanse period (Brugge etc. ca.13th cent.), or else
>>from the Hollandic golden century (ca.17th)? Several languages have
>>Dutch nautical terms (English, French, Russian, Japanese...). Before
>>the "secret weapon" of the English (lemons to cure scurvy), Holland
>>ruled the waves. Marc
>
>Yes, okay, that's true. But if the names were as recent as medieval
>Hansa times or the Dutch golden age, you would think that the
>etymology was easier to figger.

Both are not implausible (Kwade Gat, and Skager Rak), though it's perhaps
difficult to be sure (esp. KwadeGat>Kattegat). But, to stay in the nautical
area, even less certain etymologies happened in that short time, eg, French
"matelot" comes (Hanse times?) from medieval Dutch "matte-noot"
("sleeping-mate") and had even the time to come back into Dutch as
"matroos".

>PS - also limes, hence the pejorative "Limey" :-)

Thanks. I didn't know that.

Marc