Re: [tied] karam

09-07-03 17:53, Abdullah Konushevci wrote:

>> *****GK: Are these not in fact "pan-slavic" words?
>> "kara"=punishment, penalty. In Ukrainian, "karaty"
>> "pokaraty" = to punish. Is there an IE root at work
>> here or must we look for other sources, e.g. Altaic
>> perhaps?******
> ************
> No, there are all chances to be a loan from Albanian <kar> 'penis'.
> It's natural behavior of all languages to loan words of alternative
> dictionary from other languages, because they look less obscene.
> So, Serb. <karati> is just denominal of Alb. <kar> (cf. Alb. fut <
> Lat. futuo, confutuo, furrëqi < Lat. fornix, -icis).
> We have also in Persian <kar> 'tool', <kargah> 'set',
> <karhane> 'factory'.
> It is worth to be noticed that in polite conversation is usually used
> periphrastic expression 'that thing' for 'penis'.

But it isn't just a South Slavic word. It is pan-Slavic, as George said
(cf. also Polish <kara> 'punishment' <karac'> 'punish'). There's nothing
"alternative" or obscene about it, and, frankly speaking, the idea that
it might come from an Albanian word for 'penis' is most bizarre.

Piotr