From: Francesco Brighenti
Message: 66212
Date: 2010-06-19
--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Joao S. Lopes" <josimo70@...> wrote:
"I suspect a relation between Tiamat and Greek Te:thys, with -m- > -v-> -F-."
At <http://tinyurl.com/3y4djok> M.L. West proposes the following:
PSem. *tiha:matu (f.) 'sea, the deep' > Akk. tia:m(a)tu, tâm(a)tu, têmtu (Mari), taken over as a loan in Greek as *te:(m)thu > te:thus.
See also footnote 200 on the same page for his critique of Burkert, who derives Te:thys from the Akk. form taw(a)tu attested occasionally in the Enuma Elish. The historical change in Old Babylonian is from intervocalic -w- to -m-, not vice versa.
Regards,
Francesco