On Fri, 13 Oct 2000, Piotr wrote:
> I wasn't thinking of post-rhotacism Latin, but of different derivatives of the same
>root (*s[w]eid-). Greek side:r- is from older sida:r-, which rules out an -es- stem,
>rhoticised or not, but makes your Basque connection all the more interesting. Iberian
>metallurgy and its influence in early Europe is definitely a subject worth looking into.
>Thanks. What do you think of the often proposed connections between the Basque 'silver'
>word and North European *silbro-?
Besides the Basque forms I mentioned (<zilar>, <zidar>, <zirar>),
there's another (highly localized) variant <zildar>, which doesn't fit
the usual scheme. Maybe it's a contamination of Basque <zidar> with
Celtiberian <silabar> (or whatever the exact form of the word is that
appears on the Botorrita inscription). I don' t think something like
*silVbar- can normally give Basque *sidar or even *sildar (or
viceversa), so I remain sceptical. Phonetically, the connection with
the Greek word is much more plausible, even if it means "iron" instead
of "silver". Especially considering that the Greek words for "lead"
have very likely an Iberian origin.
=======================
Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
mcv@...