From: Patrick Ryan
Message: 42745
Date: 2006-01-03
----- Original Message -----
From: "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 5:27 AM
Subject: [tied] Re: Etymology of PIE *ph2ter
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "squilluncus" <grvs@...> wrote:
> >
> > "mama" or "baba" is the first sound a soothed baby produces
> > when seeing food approaching.
> >
> > The practical, unromantic Romans interpreted this utterance
> > as "now "it" is hungry, now "it" wants food".
> >
> > Then of course, this might be applied to the person providing
> > this breast. And this person is not necessarily the birthgiving
> > mother, especially not in higher social layers.
> > "Amma" is the term for wetnurse in many languages.
> >
> > "Dada" comes a bit later, when the baby is learning to master
> > its tongue and can then be interpreted as an identification of
> > the bearded member of the household, traditionally not taking part
> > in the feeding process, but merely being a fun(ny) person appearing
> > now and then when the baby itself is happy and funny.
>
> A nice theory, but in Georgia (Caucasus, not US) the father is called
> <mama> and the mother <deda> -- without any parental role switching,
> as far as I know.
>
> Piotr
***
Patrick:
I was aware of that and find it fascinating.
I am sure that this terminological turnaround has a very interesting cause
but I have no idea how to find out what it is.
The odds against an _unmotivated_ phonological transversal are awfully high
but not zero.