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From: iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Ivan A Derzhanski)
Subject: Re: Etymology of Butterfly
Message-ID: <CzDpxs.5pJ@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh, UK
References: <1994Nov13.154648.29914@ac.dal.ca>
Date: Wed, 16 Nov 1994 21:20:14 GMT
Lines: 72

In article <1994Nov13.154648.29914@ac.dal.ca> nextug@ac.dal.ca (Christopher Majka) writes:
[replying to me]
>[...] however, (Bulgarian) _dushka_ = _dushechka_ (Russian) *exactly*

As I said, _dushka_ is hardly ever used in Bulgarian, though when it is,
it can, in fact, be translated into Russian by means of the rather more
common _dushechka_ (among other things).  So I'd use `\subset' instead
of your `= ... *exactly*'.

>(S. B. Bernshtein. 1975. Bolgarsko-Russkii' Slovar'. Russkii' Yazik. Moskva).
>There is no mention of _dushichka_ at all.

I'm not surprised.  Dictionaries don't usually list diminutives formed
in productive ways.

>See for instance the Polish _miotl'a_ and Russian me"tla = broom.

That's _metla_ (stressed on the ending), not _me"tla_.  (Minor point.)

>>> _Metkii_ means quick, dextrous, nimble.
>
>> No, _metkij_ means `precise'.  I'm pretty sure the cognate _metit'_ `aim'
>> is not related to _mesti_ `sweep' and _metat'_ `throw'.
>
>Ahh Tovarishch Derzhanski, your great-Russian chauvinism betrays you!

Yes, I somehow disregarded the fact that Gromadjanyn Majka had
switched to discussing Wee Russian data.  Your _metelyk_ was properly
labelled as Ukrainian, but I didn't realise that the same applied to
_metelycja_ and _metkyj_.

>Tsk, tsk -- the Don Cossaks will have your head for that one.

Since I'd rather keep my head yet for a while, I thought I had to make
up for the omission, so I went and checked the _Etymologichnyj slovnyk
ukrajinskoji movy u semy tomax_ (Kyjiv, 1982-).  (Our library only has
the first three volumes, but fortunately that includes the _m_-words.)
It sides with Vasmer, that is, it derives _metelyk_ from Proto-Slavic
_motylI_, _metylI_ `beetle, butterfly dwelling in filth, dung' (_zhuk,
metelyk, shto zavodyt'sja u brudi, gnoju_), and then goes on to say:

 _v kinci praslov`janskogo periodu nazva metelyka bula vtorynno
  zblyzhena z dijeslovamy _metati sE_ "metatysja", _motati sE_
  "motatysja" (za xarakterom litannja); bezposerednje vyvedennja
  psl. _metelI_ (_motylI_) "metelyk" vid _metati_ (_motati_) mensh
  obgruntovane._

 `at the end of the Proto-Slavic period the name of the butterfly has
  undergone secondary association with the verbs _metati sE_ `rush
  about', _motati sE_ `reel' (because of the character of its flight);
  the immediate derivation of the Proto-Slavic _metelI_ (_motylI_)
  `butterfly' from _metati_ (_motati_) is less justified.'

Does that settle the matter between the patriotic Xoxly and me?

>> There's also Hebrew _parpar_, Georgian _p'ep'ela_, ...
>
>From my feeble Hebrew it transliterates more correctly as _parpor_.

It is transcribed _parpar_ in the two dictionaries I consulted
(thus more accurately _parpAr_, given the way it's actually written).

>The Finnish word for butterfly is _perhonen_ or _perho_, a curiously similar
>sounding word ... Estonian anyone?

_liblikas_.  The _libli-_ part sounds rather butterflyish, doesn't it?

-- 
`That's yer oan problem, Judas', they telt him.  `It's nae concern tae us.'
Ivan A Derzhanski (iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk/chaos.cs.brandeis.edu)  (The G-- G--)
* Centre for Cognitive Science,  2 Buccleuch Place,   Edinburgh EH8 9LW,  UK
* Cowan House E113, Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Pk Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5BD, UK
