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From: iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Ivan A Derzhanski)
Subject: Re: "Slave" vs "Slav"
Message-ID: <D69u72.E0s@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh, UK
References: <3kklt3$nh2@panix.com> <3kkvdi$5t3@usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 20:57:00 GMT
Lines: 33

In article <3kkvdi$5t3@usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu> lcj+@pitt.edu (Lester C Jacobson) writes:
>[...] Jakobson was a proponent of the connection with _slovo_ 'word,
>speech'.  Others have connected _Slav_ with _slava_ 'glory, honor'.
>Vasmer proposes that it comes from an ancient East European hydronym.
>Still other theories have linked this root to Gothic _slawan_ 'to be
>mute, silent' (a mirror image of naming of the Germanic peoples by
>the Slavs) [...]

>A starting point would be the corresponding entry in Vasmer's
>_Russisches etymologisches Woerterbuch_ (or the Russian edition of same).

He reports the existence of, and gives references to, several proposals,
among which are the three mentioned above.  He also mentions someone's
attempts to derive the word from _sloboda_ < _svoboda_ `freedom', which
he characterises as `unbelievable experiments'.  (The Russian edition
says _neverojatnye eksperimenty_, which I initially interpreted as
saying that it's unbelievable that anyone would propose such a thing;
then it occurred to me that there was a second reading, namely that it
is unbelievable that the etymology might be valid, and I checked the
German original, which indeed says _unwahrscheinlich_ `implausible'.)
It has also been attempted to derive _Slav-_ from the same IE root
from which the Greek _laos_ `people, nation' comes.

Vasmer's own hypothesis, on which he's not putting any money, is based
on the consideration that the Old Slavic suffix _-&ninU_/_-aninU_ (as
in _slov&ninU_) is only used with toponyms, not common nouns, and the
only geographical objects with _Slov-_/_Slav-_ in them are hydronyms.

-- 
`"Na, na ... ah mean, *no wey*, wi aw due respect, ma lady," stammers Joe.'
Ivan A Derzhanski (iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk)    (J Stuart, _Auld Testament Tales_)
* Centre for Cognitive Science,  2 Buccleuch Place,   Edinburgh EH8 9LW,  UK
* Cowan House E113, Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Pk Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5BD, UK
