Re: "CALAF" THROUGH WELSH EYES

Thanks, thanks also to all those who have made sensible comments.

My understanding is that the Latin calamus refers usually to an object made of reed rather than the plant itself. The Welsh, Cornish and Breton cognates/derivatives refer to straw/stems. The formal similarity appears to make either scenario (borrowing or cognate) plausible but the semantic difference seems to suggest that these are cognates.

This relates to an article on a Brittonic river-name and a resolution would have been most welcome!

From: G&P <G.and.P@...>
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, February 8, 2009 8:20:45 AM
Subject: RE: [tied] Re: "CALAF" THROUGH WELSH EYES

Pokorny (the big book on all this) lists cognates in Greek, Latin (culmus), Germanic, Baltic and Slavic. He says that the Old Irish kaláma- (a reed or quill for writing?) and the Welsh calaf are borrowed. He does suggest a possible connection with words for “spear”: mid Irish cail, celtair, Greek ke:lon.

Calaf is probably borrowed.

Peter