--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Juha Savolainen <juhavs@...> wrote:
> Piotr,
>
> Congratulations! Four years of IE Forum...which could not have
become such a storming success without your decisive contribution as
the moderator and a seemingly inexhaustible source of reliable
information on matters Indo-European (and on many other topics, too).
I find it wonderful that so many people from different corners of the
world still find historical lingusitics a stimulating subject. It's
the members' energy that fuels the forum. Some list live for a while
and then die as the initial enthusiasm peters out, but Cybalist seems
to be blessed with a charmed life. Many of us, including myself, have
been here all those four years of nearly so, and don't appear to be
bored at all. We've made new friends and regrettably lost some of the
old ones, but we're still on a steady growth path!
> So, while we now know that a glass of Pinot Noir (preferably from
colder and wetter areas) is our best bet for longer life, may I still
raise a toast that exemplifies areal effects going beyond family
boundaries - and proves that while we do not call ourselves "Finns",
we do appreciate our Fenni heritage - a healthy dose of Finnish vodka...
Kippis!
> ... What do you think, might it not be possible that Finns have
failed to call themselves "Finns" because they already had adopted a
word that probably meant something as flattering as the "Finn"...:) ?
I think I presented the etymology in question on Cybalist some time
ago. Finnish linguists tend to present carefully argued etymologies,
and I, for one, am greatly impressed with this particular one. To be
sure, the exact historical route of the loan (if that's what
"Suomi/Saami" is) is difficult to determine. It doesn't carry a battle
axe with it, if I may say so. Certainly from a Satem source, at any rate.
PIotr