Re: [tied] English "sea"

From: MCLSSAA2@...
Message: 9378
Date: 2001-09-11

Chris <cstraughn@...>wrote:-
> Kind of off topic at the moment, but I'm trying to find a decent
> etymology for the English word "sea" for an assignment in an English
> lang. history class I'm taking. ...

From Germanic [*saiwo:], and I have seen a connection suggested with
Saami (= Lappish) [saajvê] = "fresh water") as if is it a substratum
word from Lappish, which or similar might have been the pre-IE
language of much of Scandinavia and perhaps into north Germany.

--- In cybalist@..., "João S. Lopes Filho" <jodan99@...> wrote:
> How about sea (*saiwiz) and Greek Aia (*Saiwa:), a mythical land ?

Probably a coincidence. PIE [*saiwaa] would have become Greek *[haia]
unless it had passed through the h-less Ionic dialect.