From: Alexander Stolbov
Message: 11483
Date: 2001-11-25
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sergejus Tarasovas" <S.Tarasovas@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2001 1:18 AM
Subject: [tied] Danube and Dnieper in Baltic and Slavic
> (This is an update on the Danube/Dnieper problem in Baltic and Slavic.
> The word-list is placed in the end of the message.)
>
>
> Two possible (mutually exclusive) scenarios exist.
>
> I. Baltic and Slavic Danube-words (and appropriate common nouns) are
> borrowings. Baltic appellatives <*du(:)n-/*daun-(?) (those not
> directly related to the Danube-word) may present PIE legacy (see
> below) or be of a secondary origin (transformation of the Danube-
> word).
>
> For instance, Georgiev explains the process which lead to the
> appearence of the Danube-word in Slavic as follows:
> <Georgiev>
> The upper reaches of the Danube bore a Celtic name: *Da:nuvius < PIE
> *da:nuw-jo-, the central part - Daco-Mesian *Da:navi(s) < PIE *da:now-
> jo-, he assumes that long stressed a: > o: and, a bit later,
> intervocalic v > [zero] in Daco-Mesian (I don't know the reason since
> I have only second-hand information), hence *Do:navi(s) > *Do:nai(s).
> Since Common Slavic at the time the borrowing occured didn't have
> /o:/, it was reflexed as Slavic *u, hence *Do:navi(s) > *DunavI and
> *Do:nai(s)>*DunajI.
> <Georgiev/>
>
> Appropriate Slavic appellatives are of metaphoric origin, *DunajI-
> like proper nouns, not designating the Danube proper - of secondary
> origin. Baltic borrows from Slavic (less probably from Germanic,
> where o: > u: was also possible), so /u_/-vocalism is normal and
> primary, /u/ is secondary. The fact that in Baltic the words in
> question are attested mostly in folklore indicates that they were
> borrowed from Slavic mostly in their metaphoric ("myphological")
> meaning. This is also supported by the fact that in Lithuanian folk
> songs the Danube-words are mutually interchangable with common names
> ('river','lake','gulf','sea') and obvious proper names (Neman-word,
> Dnieper-word). Neman-word in Lithuanian and Vistula-word in Polish
> can act as common nouns with *dunajI/du(:)na(:)j-like meanings.
> The Slavic Dnieper-word is a (Iranian?) borrowing, the appropriate
> Baltic forms borrowed both from pre-Slavic (Iranian?) and Slavic
> archetypes.
>
> II. Both Baltic and Slavic words in question derive from PIE directly
> (not borrowed) and have nothing to do with the Danube (late
> contamination is possible). PIE root may be *dHeu-/*dHou-/*dHu- 'run,
> flow', supported by Lith. dunti,dune'.ti,dunytu (with a bit of
> semantic stretch) (though not supported by Lith. du(_)nas/du(_)nu`s).
> -n- would be a normal stem-forming extension of the root, suffixes *-a
> (:)j-u-/-a- and *-aw-a: and are normal for Baltic and *-aj-I is not
> impossible in Slavic (I don't know about *-av-I/-U).
> At any rate, it seemes to be impossible to reconstruct a Baltic
> archetype for Danapris/*DUne^prU etc.
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> If not otherwise indicated, the words are Lithuanian.
>
> A. *dun-/du:n-
>
> du(_)nas/du(_)nu`s 'in folk songs: deep;wide (of water bodies)'
> (Latvian cognates reportedly exist)
>
> [Danube-words]
>
> [common nouns]
> duna~jus/du(_)no~jus/dunoje.lis/du_nele. '1. a lot/(large) body of
> water 2. a deep'
> du_nave.lis/dunava 'id.'
> (Latv. dunajs 'id.', dun,avas 'rivulet;spring;ice-free water')
> (Slavic *dunajI/dunavI/dunavU 'river,stream,deep,riverbed;an unknown
> or distant river, which is reportedly very deep and
> rapid;'pond,channel,standing water;deep pit filled with
> water;spring,brook;the depth of water;water body;water marking the
> world's end'
> du_nojo/a,du_no~,dun(o/a)lai~s^ki 'a folk songs' refrain'
> du_noje.le. 'a she-fox (in folk songs only)'
>
> [proper nouns]
> Duno~jus,Duna~jus 'river-name'; Du(_)no~jus 'lake-name'
> (Latv. Dunajs,Dunaji,Dunaj-pl,ava '(water-)meadow-name', Dunava
> 'river-name')
> (OPruss Dunow)
> (Slav. *DunajI/DunavU/DunavIcI/DunajIcI/DunavIcI etc)
>
> [Dnieper-words]
> Dnie~pras,Donie~pras,Dunepre.~lis 'river-name', Dune.~prai,Dune.~pras
> '(water-)meadow-name'
> (Slavic *Dune^prU/*DIne^prU)
>
> (su-)dunti (3 pers. praes. ind. du_na) 'dry out (of river)'
> (nu-,is^-)dune'.ti (3 pers. praes. ind. du`na) 'stale (of beer etc),
> run dry'
> (nu-)dunyti 'drive (out),remove'; du`ninti 'shoot game',apdu`ninti
> 'deceive'
>
> dunu'oti,dune.ku'oti/dunioku'oti/dunoku'oti 'move back and forth
> (esp. in the distance/darkness),loom,flit'
> dunele. 'reed mace (Typha)'
>
> B. *da(:)un-/doun-
>
> dauna 'datura'
> dauni 'deep (in folk songs)' (if not of a secondary origin)
>
> C. *do:un-
> [formally fits du'ona 'bread']
>
> D. *djaun-(< *deun-)
> [none]
>
> E. Of a secondary origin?
>
> donas '=dunas'
> dujone.~lis/duju_'nas/donajus/danojus/donuje.lis/donoje.lis/duinoje.li
> s/duinaje.lis '=dunojus'
> daina, dauni 'deep (in folk songs)'
>
> Sergei
>
>
>
>
>
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