That of a "Mediterranean" pre-IE substrate can be regarded a posteriori as
a linguistic fashion maybe developed for nationalist purposes. This theory
merged soon with that of the Etruscans as an autochthonous people. The
method was: every word or toponym of (yet) unknown origin, must be
attributed to a non-IE (then, pre-IE) stratum. They even developed a
vocabulary of "stems" to imitate the results of the IE linguistics.
Examples (taken from Devoto): *car(r)a 'rock', *alpa/alba 'stone, *klappa
'stone', *kroda 'stone', *karsa 'stone', *lastra 'stone', etc. Then, most
of the ethnonyms of the historical times were supposed to be originally
"mediterranean" and later IE-ized. Examples: Frentani < med. *frento-
'deer' (not IE *bhren-to-!), Carracini < *karra 'stone', Lucani < med.
*luka 'cape' (cf. Lat.-Etr. lucumon 'chief'), etc. It is obvious that the
Umbri had the same destiny, especially because of the connection with
Ambrones, a Ligurian tribe which, if I am right, had a counterpart in some
British tribe. The conclusion was: the Umbri were a branch of the old
Ligurian people, of the "mediterranean" stock, who inhabited, before the
"arrival" of the IE-carriers, the whole Western Europe.
My favorite explanation for Umbri (Gk. Ombrikoi) is 'the people by the
river Umbro (mod. Ombrone, Toscana)'. This should be from IE *m.bh-ro, an
extension of the root *mebh- 'wet, damp', in a language where the sonant
<m> developed into <um>. I like to suggest that this language was that of
the Pelasgi, a pre-Greek (IE) people who colonized southern Etruria in the
late bronze age, where they found just the Umbri(ci) of the Umbro fl.
Antonio
At 23:00 18.03.2003 +0000, you wrote:
>--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "alex_lycos" <altamix@...> wrote:
> > does anyone knows which is the etomology of "umbri" ?
> > There is no direct evidence they have been thracians but the name
>is to
> > find in thracian long time before Rome and of course, later in
>Umbria.
> > SO far I am informed, there is no conection between "umbra"
>and "Umbria"
> >
> > Alex
>
> Giacomo Devoto's "The Languages of Italy" (English translation
>1978) Ch. 6 has "Umbrian .... it it not essential to our purpose to
>insist on the original Mediterranean root of the name". An earlier
>chapter is on the pre-I.-E. "Mediterranean" substrate in Italy, so I
>read this as meaning he thinks "Umbrian" is a pre-I.-E. name. His
>footnote is to Devoto "Scritti minori" 2:217ff (Florence, 1967), if
>that happens to be on your shelf. It's not on mine.
> What are your Thracian "Umbrians?"
>
>
>
>
>
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