From: tgpedersen
Message: 63802
Date: 2009-04-14
>The one thing that strikes me about the above list is the seeming umlaut, ie backwards-working vowel harmony, whereas, AFAIK, FU vowel harmony is exclusively forwards-working, or am I mistaken?
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Peter P" <roskis@> wrote:
> >
> > --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > 5.
> > > umpe 'closed, closed state' FP
> > > ?[ Finn. umpi 'closed state':
> > > ummessa silmin, silmät ummessa 'with closed eyes',
> > > tie on ummessa 'the road is snowed under';
> > > Estonian umbe 'closed, inaccessible, unbroken (of road),
> > > clogged, not ready, opaque, incomprehensible',
> > > umb, umbes 'quite, completely, over and over' |
> > >
> >
> > The SSA gives this origin for...
> > umpi - enclosed
> > ympäri - all around (lative case)
> > ympyrä - hoop, ring,
> >
> > < germ. *umbi
> >
> > Peter P
> >
>
> Another Finnish word that belongs here is ymmärtää - to understand,
> that is to enclose an idea in one's mind. Interstingly Häkkinen
> mentions that some have argued unconvincingly for the Germanic
> origin, and she favours 'unkown' as the best origin of the above
> words.
> So I guess another point for Torsten.Oh nice! I'll put the star in my little book.