Re: leopard

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Miguel Carrasquer Vidal <mcv@...> wrote:

>
> >Sanskrit PRDAKU- Russian PARS Greek PARDOS, PARDALIS, PORDALIS
> >
> >PIE word?
> >Russian < Scythian?
>
> Russian <bars>, according to Gamqrelidze & Ivanov, is borrowed from
> Turkic <ba:rs>, in turn from Persian <pa:rs>.
>
> G & I (not unexpectedly) claim that the word is PIE, based on Hitt.
> <parsana>, the Persian word, as well as the Grk. and Skt. forms you
> mention above (plus Sogdian <pwrD'nk>). I don't recall how they want
> to explain the *pard- ~ *pars- alternation. Not very likely.
>

IMHO this isogloss can be explained as two different results from a dental affricate in NEC *bX\erts'i 'wolf; jackal', a root apparently cognate to Altaic *borso 'badger' (Turkic, Korean, Japonic).

Possibly Spanish perro 'dog', which I formerly linked to NEC *XXHwej-rV 'dog' (olbique case) and IE *g´hwe:r- 'wild animal, could be derivated from this root if it's actually Vasco-Caucasian.