From: a96_aeu@...
Message: 6484
Date: 2001-03-09
--- In cybalist@..., "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@...> wrote:
"The deep" for "the sea" is a rather comon term. It's difficult to
date its formation with any precision, I'm afraid.
- I think an approximative dating would be adequate.
Could you please name some other languages where the same change has
occured ?
Piotr:
> I've been thinking of <guvë>, though. If one insisted on an IE
etymology, it could be derived from the (vaguely iconic) root *gHah2-
'open, yawn' (hence *gHah2-m(-r), *-m-en- 'mouth, palate', also Eng.
gum < OE go:ma). The derivative *gHh2-wo-s is attested with the
meaning 'cavity, empty space' (cf. Greek khaos < *khawos), and
derivation of Alb. guvë from it would be pretty straightforward.
- It looks like as if there were some other candidates for that place:
<hap> (open, where <hap-si-> = space, open space), <goj-> (mouth) also
attested with the meaning 'cavity, empty space'
Alvin