[tied] Re: Skiri Bastarnae

--- In cybalist@..., tgpedersen@... wrote:

> >
> > The Goths apparently called it *gutiska-, but I asked about
> unattested **getisk- and attested <geta->, the Getae's term for
> themselves (with no umlauting environment -- why not <gota->?).

You'd

> have to invent a whole battery of ad hoc "laws" to produce these
> forms.
>
> Let's see. If I can get rid of the annoying -a-, we would have
> (assuming the original self-name is *got-) for the language *got-

isk-

> > *götisk- > *getisk with back-formation on the name of the people.
> Cf. O. Da. dan "Dane", but German Däne < *dani(?). Apparently a

back-

> formation from *dan-isk-. We've discussed this before. Apart from
> doing a trick on the -a-, this involves umlaut and unrounding. The
> former "law" might have been there, the latter is not uncommon.
> That's no battery.
> >
> > > Piotr
>
> Torsten

As to the nature of that final -a: It seems to occur in many ethnic
names at least in Roman sources (eg. Bastarnae). Is this -a the -a of
nauta, agricola etc? Unless you want to argue that these were not a
Herrenvolk, but a Damenvolk (please ignore this sentence!).

Torsten