Re: [tied] Re: Proto-Slavs and Slavs

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 6468
Date: 2001-03-08

Compare Germanic *mari (> Goth. mari:, mari-saiws, ON marr, OE mere, OHG meri), which varies semantically between 'lake, marsh, mere' and 'sea' (cf. the similar ambiguity of Germanic *saiwa-). "Marsh" derives from *mariska- 'mere-like'. Lithuanian mâre:s < *marejes (pl.) means 'gulf'. It seems that *mor- underlies various boggy terms (Slavic *mork-y, Germanic *mo:r-a- 'moor, swamp', and widespread rivernames like Morava, Muresh, Maritsa, etc. The original Slavic *morje < *mor-j-om may have been any large lake or wetland, such as the notorious Pripyat' Marshes.
 
Piotr
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Michal Milewski
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2001 7:46 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: Proto-Slavs and Slavs

bezrodny@... wrote:

> -IMHO, Slavic <morje> has meaning of "lake" as well as "sea".
> Ex. Old Russian "Chudskoe more" (Lake Ladoga).

But this does not apply to small ponds, but rather to huge (see-like) lakes.
Which lake could it be in the case of Proto-Slavs and their homeland?