Re: Mammoth

From: Alexander Stolbov
Message: 924
Date: 2000-01-14

 
----- Original Message -----
From: Piotr Gasiorowski
To: cybalist@egroups.com
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2000 7:15 PM
Subject: [cybalist] Re: Mammoth

 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2000 1:18 PM
Subject: [cybalist] Re: Pelasgian-Cretan-Philistines

Rex writes: I read recently that the word "mammoth" was from Lithuanian..
and was derived from two words "Ma Muth"  (or close to that) meaning
large "mole" (or ground dwelling animal).  I'm a few weeks away from the
reference, but that is what I remember of it.  Do any of you linguists
know enough Lithuanian to comment or confirm/deny/correct this appraisal (or
my memory of it)?
I know enough to swear on the Bible that there's nothing of the kind in Lithuanian. The Lithuanian word for a mole is kurmis, and the Lithuanians of a few centuries ago knew precious little about mammoths. The 17th-century Russian word mammot (also mamut, modern mamont) is a borrowing from one of the languages of Siberia; it may derive from distorted Evenki (Tungus) ńa:mand(r)i. I recall having read that it is related to a Tungusic word for 'earth', but I'd have to check that. Anyway, mammoths were considered to be giant burrowing animals among the peoples of Siberia. I think they were also believed to die when they emerged into daylight; that accounted for the fact that only DEAD mammoths could be found in the thawing permafrost. Their bodies were more often than not in rather poor shape, with the trunk and the ears missing etc. Even to those who saw them it wasn't quite clear what they had looked like when still alive. I've seen early drawings or "reconstructions" in which mammoths resemble oversize boars. But their tusks were well known; mammoth ivory was a valuable commodity in Siberia.
 
Piotr

According to my source (Max Vasmer) the word mamont (a variant mamot) came in Russian from West-Tungusic namendi what means there 'bear'. Without your comments, Piotr, it would be hardly understandable. By the way it is believed that Polish word mamona ('monster') influenced the form of the borrowed word. Otherwise we would discuss *namont, I think.
 
Alexander