Brian M. Scott wrote:
>
> What about <Iain>, a relatively modern Gaelic
> derivative, and its English version <Ian>, Irish <Seán>
> (medieval Irish <Seaan>) and French <Jean>, both from Old
> French <Jehan>, and Russian <Ivan>? Not to mention the
> aphetic derivatives like <Hans>, <Hannes>, etc.?
>
> Brian
For Iain is in Rom. Lang. "Iani" if I do not make any mistake.
And everyone should know it is a Greek name, you "feel it" so to say.
But maybe Mr. George and Mr. Iacomi knows a better connection. Fro
"Jean" there is "Jan" ( no "y" but "j" like in George ) with diminutive
"Jenicã". The Hungarian form is "Janosh" and it is not pronounced by
Romanians with "j" but with "i". IanoS. The Russian form is as in
Russian, Ivan and for the german form for Hans usualy Romanians
pronounce it with "z". Hanz:-)
It is pretty weird, this name , so simply as it is. "Ene".
I asked myself if this has indeed something to do with "nenea". Nenea is
not traductibly. This is an expresion of familiar respect which you use
when you call your elder brother or someone elder ( but a male , of
course, and never your father. For uncle, so so, is not so strictly, but
mostly not). Of course used in the villages. In the cities this word
became obsolet and pointed to "countrymen"-way to speak.
For the elder sister the therm used when calling is "dadã", with
diminutival form "dãdica" ; "dada" like in the Thracian glosses, "dada".