--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Daniel J. Milton" <dmilt1896@...>
wrote:
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "altamix" <alxmoeller@...> wrote:
> Rom. "a ajuna", Alb. "agjërim" ( *agenim(?)) means "to
> > fast" which is in fact a religious celebration. The forms are too
> > very appropiate to Greek "agein", don't you find?
> ********
> No.
> The obvious source of Rom. 'ajuna' is Latin 'jejunus' "fasting"
> (non-religious in classical Latin, religious in eccl. Latin).
> This
> etymology is confirmed by Buck, who also writes "doubtful
etymology"
> for the Latin.
> 'Jejunus' is a peculiar-looking word. Any suggestions here?
> Dan
Your "obvious" is far away from being obvious here. The Latin form
does not explain Romanian and Albanian forms which begin both
with "a".
This is why DEX consider a potentialy *adjunare for Romanian, leting
the Albanian "e" unexplained "ageron" with this form. How would you
like to get an "a" from Latin "je" in Alb. and Rom?
jejunus > ajun or jejunus > *agenon > ageron in Albanian?
I suspect here we have to deal with a form as *ageo:n- which will
explain Rom. "u" and Alb. "e".
For Rom: ageo:n > ag^on > ajun
For Alb: ageo:n > ageen > agen + suffix "on" for verbs
The same situation appears in the words as Latin "semi",
Greek "hemis" and Alb. "gjymë(sã)" and Rom. "jumã(tate)" but in this
case there appear we have to deal with an short "o" since it
became "u" in Albanian as well, thus:
*seom- > s^om- > jum- in Rom
*seom- > s^om- > gjym-
I assume the change s^> gj ( Rom. j) was probale since this is to see
in Sarpe = gjarpë or Sase = gjash(te) as well.
The funny thing, we have on a side Latin and Greek with an "e"
(semis, hemis) and on another side Alb. and Rom. with "u".
I don't sustain my derivation is the best and I will love to see some
other opinion as well.
Latin influence in both of these words (ajuna/agenon, gyumë/juma)are
absolutely excluded and in the religious therminology of Romanian,
the ecclesiast Latin therms are simply unknown so far I am informed.
Alex