Re: Language - Area - Routes

--- In cybalist@..., "Rex H. McTyeire" <rexbo@...> wrote:

> Rex:
> > >" Mare a Brailei" and (are you ready for the word?) "Balta a
> > >Ialomitei" ("The Big Island of Brailei" {local city} and "The
> Intermittent Lakes of
> > > Ialomitei" {another town}) A balta essentially = a big mud
> > >puddle after a rain, that takes too long to go away.
>
> Sergei:
> > Romanian carefully preserved Proto-Slavic *bo'lto (<*ba'lta(m),
> > here ' for an old acute) 'marsh'.
>
> I dunno...proto-slavic may be a Russian invention ..like Scythia :-)
> Marsh is "mlastina" , and "balta" is just water that goes

away....slowly.

> (Carefully preserved ?)
>
> > >I have a printed English translation of a 12th Cent. German monk
> > >refering to Romanians in Moldavia at war with "Ruthenian

neighbors".

> That
> > >narrows the Ruthenians in his reference to either Ukraine or

Poland, and

> the
> > >islands reinforce Ukraine.
>
> > Misunderstanding snowballs. Torsten insisted on the 1st half of

the

> > first millenium AD. 12th century writing ABOUT 12TH CENTURY'S

EVENTS

> > for sure used 'Ruthenian' (or what it were in the original) to
> > designate East Slavs, inhabitants of RusI. No Danes.
>
> Torsten quibbles too much :-) I'm not even sure whose side I'm on,

and I'm

> not selling Danes in the Ukraine: but you neglect all those islands.
>
> Regards;
> Rex H. McTyeire
> Bucharest, Romania
> <rexbo@...>

English is a strange language. I suppose "quibble" means "responding
politely to postings of another opinion than your own".
But I realise of course that if the Danes were related to that heap
of *dnn- people, it would mean more glory to this boring little
people in Northern Europe;-). I don't recall all these temper
tantrums and meta-theorizing over the addition of yet anoter item to
the rest of the *dnn- folks (slightly untrue). We could of course
change the subject if it makes you unhappy? :)

Since you just saved my pet theory here is my recollection of *balta-:

Illyrian *balta- "swamp" > (that fabled "North Illyrian") 'Balt-ic'
(and the straits of Great and Little Belt)

Torsten