--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@...>
wrote:
>
>
Albanian placenames, down to those identifying small-scale landscape
features, are often of Latin origin; the form of many toponyms is
incompatible with the regular historical development of Albanian
sounds, e.g. ancient Scodra > Shkodër (inherited *sk- yields
Albanian h-). I suggest that the Albanians, pushed by the southern
Slavs, moved into Illyria about the 6th or 7th century, absorbing
and superseding provincial Latin.
The change of initial sk- to h- is very old in Albanian, perhaps
even pre-Balkanic, and it is no wander if some ancient Balkanic
toponyms do not conform to it. Some toponyms came to Albanian
through Romance or Slavic mediation or even through both. But on the
manin Albanian names such as Lesh, Drisht, Kunavja, Drin, Buenë,
Mat, and Ishm can be derived from their ancient forms Lissus,
Drivastum, Candavia, Drinus, Barbanna, Mathis, and Ismanus only by
Albanian sound changes, and by no others. One has only to suppose an
initial accntuation in Illyrian: Dyrracahium, Isamnus, Drivastum
(cf. Messapian Brundisium > Brindis). (Katicich, ALB, 186.)
>
The last-mentioned change is visible in numerous Balkan river-names
such as the Struma/Strimon = Ancient Greek StrymÅn (Thracian Strum-
from PIE *sreu- 'flow'; cf. Greek rheu- with a completely different
development), and the old name of the Danube (Istros < PIE
*isHros 'mighty, violently flowing').
Alb shtëtp-inj, Rom strepede from *srep-/*serp- 'to crawl, creep'
speak contrary . See also Alb shtrëg-atë/shtrëng-atë 'down-pour,
storm' < *sru-g-; shtrezë 'snow frozen on tree branches; hoarfrost'
from *sri:g'- 'cold, frost'. It is to be noticed as well
nestra 'tomorrow' from nes(ë)r-a.
>
> Piotr
Konushevci