On 2008-12-15 12:17, tgpedersen wrote:
> Why would a word for "reindeer" not be a loan in Germanic?
> According to Tacitus, amber was 'glaesum' in Aestian. If that word is
> from PIE *gel- "freeze, coagulate" or *g^el- "shine" (probably the
> same root *g^el- anyway), Aestian did not have initial stress, nor did
> the language(s) from which *xraina- and *xrinþiz- ~ *xrunðiz- were
> borrowed.
The place of accent doesn't matter here. As Verner's Law demonstrates,
Proto-Germanic accent was not necessarily initial at first, and the *þ ~
*ð and *in ~ *un variation in the 'horned cattle' word proves accentual
mobility in this particular word (as in many native ones).
Assuming a substratal filter doesn't explain the structure of *xraina-
or the nature of its supposed relationships. The kind of formation
represented by *xraina- < *k(^)roi-no- (?) is well-known (the "tormos"
type); it's just the root that is difficult to identify. At any rate,
the association with 'horn' is by no means guaranteed. There's more to
being a reindeer than sporting a pair of antlers (isn't there, Rudolph?).
As for *xrinþiz- ~ *xrunðiz-, I already have some ideas, but it's to
early to show my hand. Give me some time to prepare.
Piotr