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

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "bagoven20" <bagoven20@...> wrote:

>
> Excuse me, the Arabic bala:t (level ground, a smooth pavement of
> stone, palace) could be relative to Latin palatium.
> But it is not 'country'. Country is 'balad' or 'bilad'. Both

perhaps

> directly coming from Arabic 'bila' meaning 'without/without.
> delay/beyond'.
> But there are probably more to these words which we do not know.
>
> And rightly if there is an Arabic "pita" (there are in the net and

in

> some international Arabs and workers here in KSA) it must be recent.
> The local Arabs do not know such word and they do not tolerate 'p'
> (replacing them all the time with 'b').
>
> But perhaps this 'pita' thing is related to Jewish 'fita' and their
> wheat festival 'shavout' or Pentecost (there is again 'seven' root

in

> this word).
> Perhaps 'fita/pita' are related to Arabic 'fitr' (Islamic Lent) and
> also to so many roots involving 'stone', 'seed', 'wheat', 'flour',
> seven. And yes of course 'bread'.
>
> Loreto

Thank you for the corrections. I often remember badly words and
confuse similar ones. I remembered that /bala:t/ came from
Latin /pala:tium/ but I confused its meaning with /balad/ "country"!

I once read that Arabs of Egypt just tolerate /p/ in some loanwords
from Osmanli Turkish connected with administration of the Osman
Empire.
I supposed in past (in this group) a link between the Hebrew word
for "seven" /s^abha:'/ (with final 'ayin), and names like /s^abba:t/,
etc... But somebody rightly remembered me that the 'ayin cannot
disappear. So I bacame skeptical.
As for me, explanations provided by you seem unconclusive. There are
still difficulties.

Sincerely

Marco