W dniu 2010-07-14 06:42, stlatos pisze:
> That is not a reasonable possibility; the odds of two words rec. *
> austro- for dir./wind with dif. origins is too small to consider.
How did you calculate these odds? Chance similarities and spurious
cognates are rather inconveniently common. Besides, Lat. <auster> does
_not_ primarily indicate a cardinal point, so you should actually have
said "the odds of a word for a wind and a similar-looking word for a
direction with different origins are too small to consider".
> A change in dir. needs
> no explnation, especially when speakers of one l. have moved to a place
> w dif. wind patterns.
Contrariwise, there is a lot to explain here. Latin has no other terms
for winds/directions to support the idea of a 90-degree shift in
comparison with other IE groups. Did the proto-Italici migrate from a
place where there had been a sirocco-like wind blowing regularly from
the direction of the rising sun? Mind you, I don't absolutely exclude
the possibility of Lat. auster reflecting *h2aus(s)-tero- or the like,
but I feel entitled to doubting it.
Piotr