--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "ualarauans" <ualarauans@...> wrote:
>
> But some Narty names are in fact Mongolian. Or so Abaev says.
I wouldn't be surprised if they were, though I'd rather any
of Abaev's etymologies to that effect be reviewed. There's
a certain amount of, what shall we call it, "romance" to some
of his etymologization?
> And, don't the Ossetes remember the Mongols as former enemies
> because they read history books? Or is it an oral tradition?
I led you wrong there. I checked and it is the 'Tætær' who
are so remembered.
> I remember reading somewhere that in the Ossetic folklore there
> are reminiscences of the Gotho-Alanic contacts. Could anybody
> clarify
I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of Ossetic literature
of the sort to allow me to say no such reminiscences exist,
yet I suspect that it is Abaev's own set of supposed Germano-
"Skifo-evropeijskie izoglossy" alone that forms the basis of
his claim of reminiscences.
> this? In Abaev's dictionary I find gûton / goton meaning 'plough'
> which Abaev explains as a "pan-Caucasic word of an unknown origin"
> and that "*kut could be a tribal name pointing towards the origin
> of this kind of instrument". He hypothesizes: *kut- < *skut-
> "Scythian". Isn't < Gutane "of the Goths" more plausible? Cf.
> PSlav. *plugU < PGrm. *plôga-.
Oh surely. As I say, many of Abaev's etymologies are in need
of review. For one thing his understanding of Ossetic sound
changes wasn't as complete as ours, as seen in his claim that
*nar > næl. Secondly he would, on one occasion, jump through
hoops to create an Iranian etymology for a word with a fairly
obvious Caucasian or other origin, but can't be accused of an
Iranian bias for on the next occasion he would go to just as
much effort to create a Caucasian or non-Iranian etymology for
a word with a fairly obvious Iranian origin.
Lacking, as Abaev apparently did, any nationalistic or ethnic
bias, and obviously very intelligent and well informed, I have
to confusedly fall back upon "romance" to explain his stranger
etymologies.
David