http://blog.oup.com/2011/10/boat/ Academic insights for the thinking world. Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:42:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 http://blog.oup.com/2011/10/boat/#comment-236088 OUPblog » Blog Archive » Monthly Gleanings, Part 1: October 2011 Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:03:07 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=18724#comment-236088 [...] and boat. With so many unknowns we will hardly ever know the truth.  At the very least I would suggest [...] [...] and boat. With so many unknowns we will hardly ever know the truth.  At the very least I would suggest [...]

]]> http://blog.oup.com/2011/10/boat/#comment-233709 Roland Schuhmann Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:23:52 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=18724#comment-233709 There seems to be a quite good etymological proposal by A. Bammesberger in Anglia 126 (2008) (http://plosjournal.deepdyve.com/lp/de-gruyter/zur-etymologie-von-ae-b-t-m-boot-schiff-mMXj00LLEU) explaining both the semantics and the form. There seems to be a quite good etymological proposal by A. Bammesberger in Anglia 126 (2008)
(http://plosjournal.deepdyve.com/lp/de-gruyter/zur-etymologie-von-ae-b-t-m-boot-schiff-mMXj00LLEU) explaining both the semantics and the form.

]]> http://blog.oup.com/2011/10/boat/#comment-233121 Douglas Fear Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:32:19 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=18724#comment-233121 Yes, it is not bad - but the worst etymologies tend to be onomatopoeitic ones, don't you find? One should attempt all else before resorting to them. Of course, one way to strengthen the hypothesis would be to cite parallels in other languages. Do you know of any? Yes, it is not bad – but the worst etymologies tend to be onomatopoeitic ones, don’t you find? One should attempt all else before resorting to them.
Of course, one way to strengthen the hypothesis would be to cite parallels in other languages. Do you know of any?

]]> http://blog.oup.com/2011/10/boat/#comment-233018 John Cowan Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:30:49 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=18724#comment-233018 <i>Bát-bát-bát</i> sounds to me like plausible onomatopoeia for the sound of waves slapping against a boat's hull. Bát-bát-bát sounds to me like plausible onomatopoeia for the sound of waves slapping against a boat’s hull.

]]> http://blog.oup.com/2011/10/boat/#comment-233007 Douglas Fear Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:10:00 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=18724#comment-233007 Fascinating - Mr Liberman, you have certainly pointed out a puzzle. Of course, even worse perhaps than the vowel difficulties, the thing has to start with a b. I have a nasty - completely unfounded - suspicion that any IE cognates may end up not starting with bh vel sim. Then there is the question of the lack of Germanic cognates. The Norse connection looks very much like the borrowing went from OE to ON, rather against the usual pattern, but not impossible. Any luck with Celtic? Or, for that matter, with Tocharian? Although I have to say that all this is in the nature of grasping at straws.... Fascinating – Mr Liberman, you have certainly pointed out a puzzle. Of course, even worse perhaps than the vowel difficulties, the thing has to start with a b. I have a nasty – completely unfounded – suspicion that any IE cognates may end up not starting with bh vel sim. Then there is the question of the lack of Germanic cognates. The Norse connection looks very much like the borrowing went from OE to ON, rather against the usual pattern, but not impossible. Any luck with Celtic? Or, for that matter, with Tocharian? Although I have to say that all this is in the nature of grasping at straws….

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