Re: On Greek thalassa 'sea'

From: Joao S. Lopes
Message: 70803
Date: 2013-01-27

Good point, but what's known about Macedonian? I think it's a very few attested and known language. g^h2 = g^H in Sanskrit and perhaps Indo-Iranian,  why not in Macedonian?


JS Lopes


De: Bhrihskwobhloukstroy <bhrihstlobhrouzghdhroy@...>
Para: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Enviadas: Domingo, 27 de Janeiro de 2013 13:10
Assunto: Re: [tied] Re: On Greek thalassa 'sea'

 
I would find it difficult to understand: 1) why */gH/ from */gˆH2/
(despite Pinault's Law */H/ > 0 before */y/) when mégas shows always
/g/? 2) Why Macedonian /kh/ while */dH/ > /d/?

2013/1/27, Joao S. Lopes josimo70@...>:
> Could second part of  *dHal-MgHya- < *meg^H2-  "big"? Was Thalassa applied
> to the Mediterranean, in opposition to Pontos (Black Sea, or maybe
> originally the Bosphoros) and Okeanos (World-envolving River, later applied
> to the Atlantic.
>
> JS Lopes
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> De: Bhrihskwobhloukstroy bhrihstlobhrouzghdhroy@...>
> Para: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
> Enviadas: Sábado, 26 de Janeiro de 2013 22:43
> Assunto: Re: [tied] Re: On Greek thalassa 'sea'
>
>
>
> It should be *dʰlh₂nk⁽’⁾ih₂ > thálassa vs. *dʰlh₂enk⁽’⁾h₂-eh₂ > dalagkhā
>
> 2013/1/26, stlatos sean@...>:
>>
>>
>> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Francesco Brighenti" wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Dear List,
>>>
>>> A friend of mine (Prof. Victor Mair) has asked a large private mailing
>>> lis
>>> about the etymology of Gk. thalassa 'sea'. I attach below my reply to
>>> him
>>> with the hope someone here will be able to provide some fresh insights.
>>>
>>
>>
>>> Victor Mair wrote:
>>>
>>> > I'm also going to be commenting on the origin of Greek
>>> > thalassa ("sea"). Do you have any ideas about that (some
>>> > lost Mediterranean word)? If thal(a)- is the root, what
>>> > sort of ending would -(a)ssa be?
>>>
>>
>>
>>> Dear Victor,
>>>
>>> The root traditionally posited as the base for Greek thalassa (if it is
>>> IE, which is not very likely) is *dhal- 'to spring, sprout', not
>>> **thal(a)-.
>>>
>>> M. Nyman (“A Pre-marine Vestige of θάλασσα,†Arctos 14
>>> [1980]:
>>> 51-78) derives θάλασσα, with convoluted and devious arguments
>>> involving the “Erechtheid Sea†(θάλασσα ÎˆÏ ÎµÏ‡Î¸Î·Î¯Ï‚, a
>>> sacred Mycenaean spring-well located on the Athenian Acropolis), from
>>> the
>>> IE root *dhal- which, according to him, would be semantically associated
>>> with the feature “moisture†or “liquid†. From this IE root would
>>> derive both Greek θάλ-λω ‘to SPRING, gush forth’ > ‘to bloom,
>>> grow’ and θάλ-ασσα ‘SPRING’ > ‘sea’.
>>>
>>> The attested forms of Greek thalassa ‘sea’ are:
>>>
>>> Ionic θάλασσα (thalassa)
>>>
>>> Attic θάλαττα (thalatta)
>>>
>>> Doric σάλασσα (dalassa)
>>>
>>> Hesychius (5th century CE) includes the following gloss, which has been
>>> classified as Macedonian (but which could even be a fake one!):
>>>
>>> δαλάγχαν = θάλασσαν (dalankhan, with prenasalization),
>>> that is, dalankha = thalassa
>>>
>>
>>
>> I'd say it's related to words for 'deep, down, cave, vault, etc.', so:
>>
>> thálassa = sea G; dalágkhan (a) Mac;
>>
>> directly with:
>>
>> thálamos = inner room, thaláme: = cave/den, ophthalmós = *socket > eye G;
>>
>> and further:
>>
>> dals = valley Go; thólos = vaulted room G; dolU = pit OCS;
>>
>> etc.
>>
>>
>> Notice how the accent in thálassa G; dalágkhan (a) Mac; varies directly
>> with thálamos = inner room, thaláme: G; which, if Mac is like other G
>> dia.,
>> means the fem. for 'sea' ended in -ix+ ( > ya ) or -ax+ ( > a: \ e: ),
>> and
>> the long V caused the accent to move in both such forms (dalágkhan &
>> thaláme: ). Ending in -ya not -a: is also why the alt. pal. vs plain is
>> in
>> G vs Mac.
>>
>>
>> In my theories, an earlier alt. in PG * dHeL-x-m-XYo+ \ dHeL-x-m-qYHo+
>> created, with dif. endings added, both thálassa & thálamos , etc.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>