Re: Sin once more

At 12:53:42 PM on Saturday, August 2, 2008, tgpedersen
wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen"
> <tgpedersen@...> wrote:

>> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "indravayu" <sonno3@>
>> wrote:

>>>>> Yes, though I believe that I've finally figured out
>>>>> what you're trying to say. You're claiming that the
>>>>> standard interpretation of <Míl> as a mangled version
>>>>> of <Miles (Hispaniae)> is an attempt to etymologize
>>>>> the Irish name, possibly incorrect, and that any
>>>>> conclusions resting on the interpretation are
>>>>> therefore also tentative. Correct?

>>>> Yes.

>>> That's an idiotic position to take.

>> Care to elaborate?

> The standard theory wants us to believe that whoever
> translated Isidor's Miles Hispaniae to Mil Espain knew so
> little Latin that he didn't recognize the word miles
> "soldier", tranlating it instead as a proper name.

No, it doesn't. Re-read Ó Corráin:

One of the nodal characters in this legend is Míl of
Spain, a transparent literary invention (= Miles
Hispaniae, `Soldier of Spain').

Note the key phrase: 'literary _invention_'. The
transformation of <miles> to <Míl> is taken to be
deliberate.

Brian