The diminutive suffix <-ila> forms
so-called "weak" or nasal stems (*-il-o:n-), though the final nasal is invisible
in the nom.sg. (there are also "weak" neuters with this suffix, e.g. Goth.
barnilo: 'little child', mawilo: 'young maiden' = OE meowle). Cf. also Old Runic
niuwila 'novice', In <erilaz> (note the final -z) the suffix is
"strong" *-il-a-z, which apparently reflects PIE noun- and adjective-forming
*-(e)lo-s, perhaps ultimately related to Germanic diminutive <-ila> but
not sharing its function. It can form, among other things, names of social
roles or occupations (cf. Gk. doulos 'servant, slave' < *doselos, angelos
'messenger').
The etymology and original meaning of
*erilaz (< *er-elo-s ?) are uncertain. Old Runic formulaic <ek erilaz
...> is routinely translated as 'I, the runemaster, ...' or
alternatively as 'I, the nobleman, ...'. Germanic cognates (OE eorl, OM jarl,
OSax. erl) are social rank or status terms ('earl, warrior, high-born'). I
suspect *erilaz formed an antonymous pair with *karilaz 'man, free peasant,
farmer' (ON karl, OE ceorl.
Piotr
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2002 5:01 PM
Subject: [tied] A "Germanic" query
Is the term for the Herulians ("Erila") in the
same
category as diminutives such as Attila and Wulfila, or
is this purely
coincidental?