Re: [tied] Re: Pita [was *(H-)p/bh[-r/l-] again again]

Marco Moretti wrote:

>
> This hugely widespread item is rather suspect. It could be a
> Wanderwort and bear no realtion at all with IE *p(e)it-.
> I don't have sufficient knowledge about this PITTA.
> I only can say that in Arabic it must be a very recent loanword,
> because Arabic doesn't tolerate /p/: in Semitic words it changed
> to /f/ in remote times, in loanwords from Latin and then from Italian
> it changed to /b/: Arabic /bala:t/ "country" < Latin /pala:tium/,
> Arabic /basta/ < Italian /pasta/. Correct me if I quote some item
> wrongly.
>
> Are there some useful hypotheses about ultimate origin of PITTA?
>
> Regards
>
> Marco

I am not sure if I recall correct, but it seems to me Miguel argued once
that the word should have spreaded in Balkan due Byzantine Empire being
ultimatively of Greek origin. Maybe Miguel remember about or I am indeed
confounding here.

Alex