Joseph and Susanna have Polish and Czech
/z/ (Józef, Zuzanna in Polish). Moses = Polish Mojz.esz (a
Latinate-Hebrew blend, I suppose). Polish versions of Classical names in
-ius (but not in -us!) and in -eus receive -iusz/-eusz (Juliusz, Gajusz,
Mariusz, Klaudiusz, Antoniusz, Odyseusz, but Tytus, Brutus, etc.) -- I've
no idea why, but the practice certainly dates back to the Middle
Ages.
The replacement of /s, z/ by Hungarian s,
zs /S, Z/ is the rule in early loanwords (iskola <-- schola,), now the
pattern is different (szemeszter, zoológia). The reason must be sought in early
Hungarian phonetics -- a subject I know little about.
Piotr
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2000 1:37 PM
Subject: [tied] s > Hungarian zs, Polish z., Czech z^
Why there are names with s that develop sound z^ in
Polish (z.), Hungarian (zs) and Czech?
Names like Moses, Susanna, Joseph ?
Joao SL