Re: Scythians, Zoroastrians, etc.

--- In cybalist@..., "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@...> wrote:

>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "george knysh" <gknysh@...>
> To: <cybalist@...>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 7:34 PM
> Subject: Re: [tied] Scythians, Zoroastrians, etc.
>
>
>
> The only acceptable (in fact, certain) etymology among the
> above is <ezba-> 'horse' (also with variants like <esba->,
> <espa-> frm *ek^wo-. Here, however, we have the Thracian
> change of *w > b (perhaps pronounced [v]), plus voicing
> assimilation in the sequence <sb> (or [sv]), with <s>
> realised as [z]. In other contexts PIE *k^ becomes Thracian
> <s>, not <z>.
>
> Piotr

For what it's worth: Detschew and others relate *zalmo- of Zalmoxis
with Goth. hilm-s "helmet" etc. In other words Thracian z- should be
cognate with PIE *k. Perhaps Thracian voiced initial <s> like German
(at least in some contexts)? Thus *sura > zura?

Torsten