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From: "Paul J. Kriha" <kriha_p@actrix.gen.nz>
Subject: Re: Pronouncing your name in another language
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Date: Sun, 15 Jan 1995 14:03:19 GMT
References: <moose-1101951036570001@pacsci-28.pacsci.org> <3f5tif$l5o@nic.umass.edu> <9501423.14645@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU> <1995Jan15.020738.21297@midway.uchicago.edu> <3faend$ck7@ixnews3.ix.netcom.com>
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Marek1@ix.netcom.com (Marek Konski) wrote:

[...]
 
> On the other hand a Slav (Slowianin, Slovak, Slovenec, Slowiniec, and 
> pl. Slovienie ) derived probably from the root slovo or slowo -- a word.

That's probably right, however, it's been a bone of contention
for many people.  There are many similar words derived from the
stem slav-.  See the sentence attributed to Dobrovsky (Czech
linguist of early 1800s) containing words all derived from
the same word stem "slav-", he used it to demonstrate the 
pliability of Slavic languages:

"Slav  slavne^  sla'vu  slavny'ch  Sla'vu'!"
Celebrate  with festivities  the glory  of the famous  Slavs! 
(beautifully jingoistic)

I can imagine him with a smirk on his face, saying
"just try to do this with a non-Slavic language you lot".

[...]

> In <1995Jan15.020738.21297@midway.uchicago.edu> deb5@ellis.uchicago.edu 
> (Daniel von Brighoff) writes: 

> >Historians speculate that the Latin name "Germani"
> >came from a Celtic term which originally designated a Celtic people
> >dwelling in what later became German territory.  Such confusion was
> >frequent in those days.

It sure was. Just next door to "Germani" Czechs ended up being
called "Bohemians" because during early Roman times the Czech
basin used to be Boii-homene occupied by a large Celtic nation
of Boii.

No sense of PC in those days :-)
Nobody asked anybody "Excuse me, what is that you call
yourself?"  :-)


Paul JK
