Re: Ukrainian words from Carpathians

In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Abdullah Konushevci" wrote:

> Because the question was addressed to Gasiarowski, I like to answer
> only in two or three words.

[Some 2-300 words following :-)]

> As far as I remember, there are also place name Beskides and there
> are all chances to be explained only through Alb. appellative
> bjeshkë 'summer mountain pasture'.

Which is not connected with "precipice".

> About pllaja 'grassy upland, high plateau' I don't agree with above
> explanation, even it's common for many authors. As first, suffix
> -ajë, -a is common in Alb. (cf. bisht-ajë, dushk-ajë, mërr-ajë,
> gërdh-ajë, lisn-ajë, grun-ajë, etc.), so the root or stem is pll-,
> probabely reduced form of Alb. pyll-ajë > p&ll- + -ajë > pllajë.

Yes, in Albanian is like that. It is not like that in Romanian nor
Ukrainian (plai/plaj). The suffix is not a decisive argument since
desinences can be established by folk etimology or analogy. The
Greek word also suggests Albanian created an ending and did not
"export" the word as such: soft /g/ from Greek is usually dropped
out by others and not inserted at free will by Greeks.

> Furhtermore, this word is commonly used in synonymic pair nëpër
> pllaja e kodrina 'through the woods and hillocks'.

So?! In Romanian we have "pe-un picior de plai, pe-o gura de rai"
which doesn't make it a substrate word.

> I hope that all will agree that Alb. vatra/votra < *a:ter was
> borrowed in Serbo-Croatian, Rumanian, etc., for only in Alb. the
> initial *a: and o* is turned in vo-/va- (cf. also vaj/voj < Lat.
> oleum, i varfër/i vorfun < Lat. orphanus).

Depending on the timeline of that change. If the tendency reflects
also an old Balkan phenomenon, the word could very well be substrate
Romanian (as practically all Romanian linguists do agree).

Regards,
Marius Iacomi