Re: [tied] Re: PIE word for "people"

On Ned, rujan 25, 2005 4:22 pm, Richard Wordingham reče:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Grzegorz Jagodzinski"
> <grzegorj2000@...> wrote:
>> Patrick Ryan wrote:
>
>> > You need a course
>> > in Fingerspitzengefühl also to complement the "IMPLAUSIBLE SEMANTICS
>> > 101" that you obviously have taken.
>>
>> Polish "chlop": 1) a man, 2) a farmer
>>
>> Why would anyone think that a "farmer" is "the man"?
>
> To which we can add the word family containing 'boor' and 'Boer'.
> 'Boor' is a term of address in Norfolk, and its English semantics have
> ranged from 'neighbour' to 'ignorant peasant'. _Churl_ has ranged
> from 'man' to 'rustic', from 'freeman' to 'serf'.

In Croatian dialects, muz^, normally 'husband; man' (OCS moNz^), can also
mean 'peasant; farmer'. So I guess this semantic shift is not that
inconcievable.

Mate