Re: Meaning of Aryan: now, "white people"?

From: Francesco Brighenti
Message: 53420
Date: 2008-02-16

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Ryan" <proto-language@...>
wrote:

> I have already told you, perhaps you did not see it, that Pokorny
> mentions a root *ar- for *ar(e)g^-, 'whitish', which only makes
> sense since PIE roots are *CVC (*Ha(:)r); and for Egyptian, is
> <j3q.t>, 'leeks', white enough for you?

As expected, the only PIE root you can turn to to support your own
**ar-yo- 'the White People' is *ar(e)g^-, which at least REALLY
denotes a kind of 'white'.

Apart from the fact that the PIE root *ar(e)-g^-, *rg^i-
'glittering, white, fast' has a clear semantic connotation of
brilliance, brightness and shine which badly reconciles with your
posited *Ha(:)r- 'pale/white' < PL *HHA-RA 'water-(foam)color/white
blueish', my understanding of Pokorny's connection mentioned by you
above is that the extended PIE root *ar(e)g^, *rg^i- would be
derived from *er-1, *or- 'eagle, fast', and certainly not from a pre-
existing PIE root *ar- 'whitish', which is just an invention of
yours.

See Lubotsky and Sarostin's opening note to their machine-translated
and subsequently recognized English version of Pokorny's dictionary
(available in the List's files section -- I hope the diacriticals
will come out in the post!):

-----------------------

Root / lemma: ar(e)-ĝ- (arĝ-?), r̥ĝi- (*her-(e)-ĝ-)
Meaning: glittering, white, fast
German meaning: `glänzend, weißlich'

Note:

Old Indian r̥ji-pyá ` darting along ' epithet of the bird śyená-
(`eagle, falcon'), Av. ǝrǝzi-fya- (cf. gr. ἄρξιφος ἀετὸς παρὰ
Πέρσαις H., αἰγίποψ), arm. arcui (< *arci-wi) `eagle' prove that
from Root / lemma: er-1, or- : `eagle, *fast' derived extended
Root / lemma: ar(e)-ĝ- (arĝ-?), r̥ĝi- : `glittering, white, fast'
and its subsequent zero grade Root / lemma: reĝ-1 : `right, just, to
make right; king'.

Material:

Old Indian árju-na-ḥ ` bright, white '; rajatá- ` whitish ', rajatám
híraṇyam ` whitish gold, i.e. silver ', rajatám ` silver ' with
flashy, in spite of Osthoff MU. VI 33 not from zero grade r̥ (or
likewise) deducible vocalism compared with av. ǝrǝzata- n., Old
pers. ardata- ` silver ' (r̥-) : TN illyr. Ardiaei common alb. -
illyr. -ĝ- > -d- phonetic mutation.
lat. argentum, osk. aragetud `silver', air. arggat, mir. airget,
cymr. arian(t), corn. mbret. argant, nbret. arc'hant ` silver ',
gall. PN Arganto-magus; arcanto-dan .. ` coin minter, mint-master,
the master or superintendent of a mint ',
Maybe alb. (*argento) argjend `silver'.
arm. arcat` `silver', toch. A ārkyant N. Pl. f.; with other
formation gr. ἄργυρος `silver' (in spite of these equations the
knowledge of the silver for the primeval times stands not sure, see
about that point and about the borrowing question Schrader RL.II2
394, G. Ipsen IF. 39, 235 f., Festschr. Streitberg 228), messap.
argorian (: ἀργύριον) ds., argora-pandes (*arguro-pondi̯os)
`quaestor, state treasurer '.
Thrak. ἄργιλος ` (*white) mouse ', FlN ῎Αρζος (*Argi̯os).
Gr. ἀργός ` white, fast ', in compounds ἀργι- : ἀργι-κέραυνος `
with shining thunderbolt ', ἀργι-όδων ` with brilliantly white
teeth ' (thereafter also *ἀργινός for ἀργεννός, further formation to
ἀργινόεις, epithet of towns situated on white lime or chalk
mountains); ἀργαίνω ` is white '.
ἀργός probably after Wackernagel Verm. Beitr. 8 f. from *ἀργρός
dissimilated, wherefore i-stem ἀργι- of compounds behaves as av.
dǝrǝzi-raϑa- ` possessing steady chariot ' to dǝrǝzra- ` solid '.
With ἀργός phonetically same Old Indian r̥jrá- connotes also `
shining ', is in this meaning with ἀργός `white' etymological
identical (in addition also Old Indian ŕ̥jīti-, r̥jīka- `
radiating ').
Old Indian r̥jrá- ` fast ', Ṛji-śvan- ` the allied Indras ordering
about fast dogs ' = gr. ἀργός `fast' (likewise of dogs, also already
proto linguistic epithet, see Schulze Kl. Schr. 124), ἀργί-πους `
fleet-footed ', horses Πόδ-αργος, upholds Persson Beitr. 828 from
ἀργός (r̥jrá-) ` white ' different word (to the root reĝ- `
straight, right, directly ' in Old Indian r̥jīšá- ` rushing straight
for ', r̥ji-pyá ` darting along ', etc), against Bechtel Lexil. 57,
the concept of the lights allows to have flowed from that of the
quick movement (compare ` as quick as a flash, at lightning speed ')
as well as Schulze aaO.
Sides of the same observation considered as to try illuminating
power, brightness of the color, and quickness of the movement
(compare lat. micāre `move rapidly to and fro, vibrate, flicker; to
shine, glitter, sparkle').
ἄργεμον, ἄργεμα n. ` the whiteness (in the eye, nail)', ἀργήεις,
dor. ἀργᾶς (*ἀργᾱFεντς `shining'; es-stem in ἐναργής ` perspicuous,
clear ', ἀργεσ-τής epithet of νότος, ` elucidative, brightening '
(see lastly Schwyzer Gr. Gr. I 5001), ἀργεννός ` white sheen, white
luster, white-gleaming ' (*ἀργεσ-νός); maybe also in ἀργειφόντης
epithet of Hermes (` in slaying brilliance '?).
On account of es-stem av. аrǝzah- ` afternoon and evening ' so
that belongs together etymologically, at least half the meaning is
quite doubtful, see. Bartholomae Airan. Wb. 202, Bechtel aaO.
Maybe alb. (*аrǝz-) errët `dark', err `darken' : av. аrǝzah- `
afternoon and evening '
ἀργής, -ῆτος, -έτι, -έτα ` white-gleaming '; ἄργιλλος and
ἄργῑλος ` white clay ' (lat. Lw. argilla, argīla : alb. argjilë
`white clay, mud'): ἄργυ-ρος see above, ἄργυ-φος, ἀργύ-φεος `
shining white ' (in the word ending probably to root bhā- ` shine ',
Prellwitz BB. 22, 90, Bechtel Lexil. 57 f.).
Maybe alb. harc, harca Pl. `rocky landscape'; alb. has preserved the
old laryngeal ḫ-.
Lat. argentum see above; arguō `to put in clear light; to
declare, prove; to accuse, blame, expose, convict ', argūtus `to the
eye, expressive, lively; talkative to the ear, piercing, shrill,
noisy; of omens, clear, significant; of persons, sagacious, cunning;
(since Cicero also:) beaming, shimmering ' and ` shrewd '.
Toch. A ārki, В ā̆rkwi `white' (*arĝu̯i̯o-), ārcune ` epithet of
the royal title ', A ārki-śoṣi ` white world ' (compare cymr. elfydd
S. 30); hett. ḫar-ki-iš (ḫarkis) `white'.
Maybe alb. (*arg-) jargë `white saliva'
Note:
alb. j- stands for the lost old laryngeal ḫ-.
e-vocalism shown by those of Osthoff MU. V, S. V, and MU. VI 33
considered for got. unaírkns ` impure, unclean ', aírkniÞa `
cleanness, genuineness ', ahd. erchan ` right, just, real, true,
genuine ', anord. jarknasteinn, ags. eorcnanstān ` precious stone,
jewel ' (in addition also anord. jarteikn n. ` emblems ' from *jar
[kn]-teikn, Lidén by Noreen Aisl. Gr.3 ̨p. 281, 6); compare also
Feist 25b.
As securely one cannot consider the affiliation of germ. words,
however, was concerning the vocalism intersection from germ. *ark- =
idg. *arĝ- with *erk- = Old Indian árcati, idg. *erk- at least
conceivable.
About that of Uhlenbeck KZ. 40, 552, 560 considered for lit.
áržuolas, ąžuolas, dial. áužuolas, ostlit. dial. úžolas ` oak ', see
rather Bezzenberger KZ. 42, 263, Trautmann Old Prussian 301,
whereupon anž- (compare аpr. ansonis) the original form is
(different Zupitza KZ. 36, 66, Germ. Gutt. 214).
By Hirts (Abl. 124) basic *ar(e)ĝ- cause germ. words difficulty,
however, see above. The basis of a 2th root vowel (areĝ-) is given
only by Old Indian rajatám ` whitish ', thus dubious.
References: WP. I 82 f., II 362 f., WH. I 66, 848, Feist 25,
Schwyzer Gr. Gr. I 260, 447, 481, Frisk Nominalbildg. 4.
Specht (Dekl. 1141) places because of gr. ἄρμη λευκή Hes. a
color root in ar-, he equates with al- (see above S. 31).
Page(s): 64-65

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Regards,
Francesco