Re: Odp: Semantic fields

From: Chris Gwinn
Message: 449
Date: 1999-12-06

Sabine wrote:
"Aren't you confusing a couple of roots? The Goidelic adverbs meaning 'in front', 'behind', 'left' and 'right' (OIr air, íar, túaid, dess) also designate the four directions (E, W, N, S) as viewed by an observer facing the rising sun. This accounts for the north/left connection, while the association of 'left' with 'bad' is an anatomically grounded universal.
 
The root *teut-, which underlies Old Irish túath has nothing to do with 'left' or 'north', or 'evil' for that matter."
 
 
Though they look the same, Tuath ("tribe") and Tuaith ("north") are from two separate roots - check it for yourself in Pokorny's IEW