SV: Yavana; a peculiar Pali toponym

-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
Fra: palistudy@yahoogroups.com [mailto:palistudy@yahoogroups.com] På vegne
af navako
Sendt: 15. oktober 2005 12:33
Til: palistudy@yahoogroups.com
Emne: [palistudy] Yavana; a peculiar Pali toponym


A short and interesting article as to how various forms of the Pali term
"Yavana" seems to have been applied to Greece, Northern Thailand, and also
Northern Vietnam:

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/TXT/letters/L1214-2.htm

As always, Vickery manages to insinuate his political detestation for his
sources into the argument: "Headley, working in a reactionary American
environment (The Catholic University of America, Washington DC) in the
1970s, apparently decided to adopt a late and minor usage of yavana to favor
the Cambodian chauvinist usage of yuon."  Even Etymology is a politically
charged phenomenon!

E.M.

Even! Think of the current "war" about Indoeuropean origins that is going on
in India. The Indian nationalists would like to have all Indoeuropean
languages originate in India, and hate the idea that India was invaded by
Indo-Iranian speaking tribes via Afghanistan etc. And speakers of Dravidian
languages hate the idea that Indian culture is not in every single aspect
Dravidian. The debate is beyond rational discourse. Every one is in denial,
and even the most obvious facts to comparative linguists, such as the simple
fact that more than just a handful of Sanskrit words, like their cognates in
other Indoeuropean languages, are Semitic loanwords like the word seven (I
shall not go into details), causes such furor, even among educated people,
that one gets quite frightened. Yes, etymology is a politically charged
phenomenon.

Ole Pind

--
A saying of the Buddha from http://metta.lk/ View Streaming Dhamma Video
http://dharmavahini.tv/ Just as a merchant, with a small escort and great
wealth, avoids a perilous route, just as one desiring to live avoids poison,
even so should one shun evil things.
Random Dhammapada Verse 123


------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get
fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page
http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/GP4qlB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->


Yahoo! Groups Links