On 2008-11-03 13:03, Sergejus Tarasovas wrote:
> It may also be Baltic, though. It even has been claimed to be very
> characteristic of West Baltic (Prussian, Yatv-ing-ian) toponymy (with
> examples galore in South(-Western) Lithuania). One can always posit a
> borrowing, but a more safe null hypothesis would still be that the
> suffix is native. Wouldn't it?
Yes, though the Germanic etymology (a *-k(^)รณ- extension of suffixes
forming nasal stems, perhaps originally with a hypocoristic value) is
transparent and has parallels elsewhere, while a purely Baltic etymology
is just one more mystery. I'll check it tomorrow in Smoczynski's new
etymological dictionary of Lithuanian if I don't forget; he takes into
account a lot of up-to-date scholarship and perhaps offers some ideas as
to the origin of Baltic -ing-. Anytway, Wda and Wdzydze are located
squarely in the heart of Gothiskandza :)
Piotr