Re: Greek kitharis

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

>
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "stlatos" <stlatos@> wrote:
> >
> > --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Piotr Gasiorowski <gpiotr@> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Also, I never said k > s (or anything similar) before new y.
> > > > The message in this thread that apparently sparked the recent
> > > > question is below; complain to him if you disagree.
> > >
> > > No need to complain. An obvious blunder on my part, as the
> > > present discussion of <sitar> has shown. <guitar> and <zither>
> > > derive from <kítHaris, kitHára>, <sitar> doesn't.
> >
> > He didn't have any need to complain about my answer, but he
> > did anyway.
>
> I didn't complain about your post, but merely denied the claims
> therein.

I made no claims about the origin of sitar; you said I was wrong
about something I didn't say. What are you saying is wrong about my
words: "He didn't have any need to complain about my answer, but he
did anyway." Do you think complaining about my answer is different
from complaining about my claims as you understood them?

> > I don't think you made an obvious blunder; the existence of E
> > three-peat doesn't mean E repeat isn't related by borrowing
> > to Romance words.
>
> I'm afraid I don't know what "E three-peat" and "E repeat" mean,

E = English

> but if you're trying to claim that 'sitar' could have given rise
> to 'zither', 'guitar', then again I have to express my doubts.

I didn't say anything at all about that direction of borrowing. My
implication, which I thought would be clear to everyone, was that if
*kithar > *c^ithar in Persian (or something similar) a possible
attempt at folk etymology (that I mentioned) might result in a change
(like asparagus > sparrowgrass, *harbena- > hornbeam, etc.).

> The question isn't one of comparing the form of the words alone,
> it must be understood. Quite a bit is known about the history
> of these musical instruments and their designations, with which
> facts any theory about their etymologies needs to accord.

Since I didn't know anything about it, I said nothing. My response
concerning the origin of sitar came when Piotr said he had made an
obvious blunder, but I disagreed (if it really was a blunder, it
wasn't obvious).