Re: [tied] Re: Spread of Early Germanic

From the point of view of etymology, "pathfinder" is a tautological compound, since "path" and "find" go back to the same root *penth2-. PGmc. *finþ-/*find- is inherited (like Lat. pont- or Slavic *po~tI), while *paþa- is borrowed. The core meaning of Indo-Iranian *panta:s/*patHa- is something like 'difficult way'; i.e. a rude path or trail from A to B rather than a properly constructed and maintained road.

There are reflexes of *pnth2o- e.g. in Greek (<patos> 'trodden way, path'), but its only the Iranian form *paþa- (with *-þ- < *-th2-) that accounts for the shape of the Germanic word in a straightforward manner without any formal obstacles. Actually, *paþa- is not documented in Gothic (perhaps accidentally) and non-existent in Scandinavian, so we should reckon with the possibility that the word was borrowed directly into West Germanic from the language of the "Danubian" Sarmatians as a technical term meaning, say, a cross-country route to be followed by those familiar with the leading landmarks.

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: tgpedersen

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Sunday, March 31, 2002 7:21 PM

Subject: [tied] Re: Spread of Early Germanic

--- In cybalist@......, "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@......> wrote: > > > But Sarmatian loans _are_ recognisable, even if they spread to West Germanic (one of them is English <path>; its a post-Grimm loan, and therefore Sarmatian/Alanic rather than Scythian). Words with unclear etymologies always attract the attention of linguists, and I doubt if Thracian or Dacian loans could pass for native Germanic lexemes. The well-known cases of etymologically obscure words in Germanic are not restricted to Gothic or even to Gothic and West Germanic. > > Piotr I suppose it is attributed to Sarmatian rather than Getic, Dacian, Thracian or any other of the 25 languages Mithridates spoke faute de mieux? On the other hand I do know that the word occurs in Iranic (I won't cause embarassment by trying to remember its exact form). Is it used also in a figurative-religious sense (which would explain why it was loaned, unless the Germani used Iranic pathfinders)?