Following up....
Pokorny gives PIE *tor- as the root from which the Irish 'taran'
derives.
I don't have any info on what Watkins believes to be the PIE root of
taran.
Both Pokorny and Watkins give the distinct PIE *(s)ten- as the origin
of such Gmc terms as Thunder, Thor, Donner, etc.
On the other hand, in 'An etymological lexicon of Proto-Celtic' by
Matasovic, I found this entry:
Proto-Celtic: *torano- 'thunder' [Noun]
Old Irish: torann [o m and f] 'thunder, noise'
Middle Welsh: taran [f] '(peal of) thunder, thunderclap'
Middle Breton: taran (OBret.) gl. tonitru, MoBret. taran
Cornish: taran gl. tonitruum (OCo.), MCo. taran
Gaulish: Taranis [Theonym]
Proto-Indo-European: *(s)ten-r-
Page in Pokorny: 1021
IE cognates: OHG donar, English thunder
Notes: The Gaulish word for 'thunder' is preserved in the Gasconian
dialect of French (taram). The Celtic forms are best explained by a
metathesis *tonaro- > *torano-, despite some doubts expressed by LEIA
(s. v.). The unmetathesized form is perhaps attested as the OBrit.
theonym Tanaro and in the old name of the river Po,
Tanarus 'thundering'.
References: LEIA T-113, GPC III: 3447, Delamarre 290
Matasovic follows Pokorny and Watkins in saying that PIE *(s)ten-r-
is the origin of Thunder/Donner ; and yet Matasovic disagrees with
Pokorny by staing that the Celtic forms do not derive from a distinct
PIE root (*tor-) but rather from a metathesis of *tonaro- > *torano-.
Whereas, as I posted earlier, Nikolaev and Starostin give: PIE *taron-
as the origin of both the Celtic Taran and the Gmc Thunr/Thunraz.
Any ideas or suggestions?
Sincerely,
Aydan
--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "A." <xthanex@...> wrote:
>
> A question which I thought (and hope) someone might have the answer
for.
>
>
> Way back in 1900, the antiquarian H. Munro Chadwick mentioned the
> dedication in Chester, England, which is to "I.O. M. Tanaro".
Chadwick
> remarks about the other inscriptions to Taranus and Taranucus. He
also
> makes mention that Tanarus corresponds to Thunuraz.
>
> In the IE database of Nikolaev and Starostin, they give:
> Proto-IE: *taron- <PIH *-rH->
> as the origin of the Celtic Taran and the Gmc Thunr/Thunraz; as
well as
> the Hittite Tarhun and other derivatives.
>
> Watkins AHDIER gives PIE *(s)tene- as the root from which PGmc
> Thunaraz derives. Of course AHDIER only gives English roots and so
no
> mention of a possible link to taran is made.
>
> Could someone give me a bit of insight on whether Nikolaev and
> Starostin are correct in that Taran and Thunder share a common IE
root
> (whether that root be *taron- or (s)tene-)?
>
> Any insights would mean a great deal to me. Thanks!
> -Aydan
>