--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@...>
wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Abdullah Konushevci
> To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2003 12:06 AM
> Subject: [tied] Re: Alb. "dirt"
>
>
> > Couriuosly, Alb. verb dëlir 'clean' is metathetic form of
lëdir 'to clean' (cf. lëbyr 'to veil, to dazzle', present also in
Dalmatian buriti 'id.' and in Romanian, lëvar 'to bend', lëmek 'to
moisten, to weaken') and it seems like English <to dirt>.
>
> Does it? I can't see much similarity, or any indication of
possible cognacy. Eng. dirt (it's a noun!) is a metathetic variant of
ME drit, of Old Norse origin.
>
> > Otherwise, <to dirt> in Albanian is 'fëlliq' very similar to
English <to filth>.
>
> This similarity is accidental (like most such silmilarities).
Eng. filth (a noun too!) < OE fy:lþ < PGmc. *fu:liþo: . It's derived
from the adjective <foul>, OE fu:l, just like <depth> and <length>
are derived from <deep> and <long>. The PIE base was *pu(h2?)- 'rot,
stink', hence *pu:-lo-, etc. I don't know where the Albanian word
comes from, but it doesn't look like a loan from Germanic to me.
>
> Piotr
************
I have just expressed my curiousity about such similarities, but, it
seems that <filth> and <fëlliq> could be related:
"-iq, suffix. With this suffix are formed nouns and adjectives from
nouns and adjectives with diminutive ore pejorative meaning or
without any further meaning.
1. Nouns from nouns, for example: gogliq (gogël), guriq (gur), koshiq
(kosh), zgavriq (zgavër), zgoriq (zguer).
2. Adjectives: a) from nouns, for example: hurdhiq (hurdhë), lakuriq
(lakur), spurdhiq (spurdhë); from adjectives: bushiq (i bush),
kalbësiq (kalbës), thatiq (i thatë).
According to Meyer iq is derived from Lat icius, until Norbert Jokl
saw iqe an collective suffix in words like rrodhiqe (rrodhe),
thërmiqe (thërmoj). (Çabej-Xhauvani, Prapashtesat e gjuhës shqipe,
SGJ, III, Prishtinë, 1976, pp. 245-246)
As collective suffix its self-understanding that it has also
expressive function.
So, to my view, Alb. verb fëlliq < ful- + -iq could be easy connected
to O.E. adjective <ful> `dirty, vile, corrupt'. Intervocalic /l/ was
regularly changed in /ll/ and, because of shifted accent in last
syllable, we have normally /u/ > /ë/. The verb <fëlliq> could has
adjective origin, compensated later with common suffix të > i
fëlliqtë `dirty' and extended also in <fëlligë> `shameful deed, act'.
Konushevci