A. Papadimitriou
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I was reading the following greek text yesterday
http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG...nitus_PG 112-113/De administrando imperio.pdf
A Wikipedia entry about it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Administrando_Imperio
It is a domestic and foreign policy manual written by an Eastern Roman Emperor in the tenth century.
What's interesting from a linguistic point of view is that the author mentions some words used by Sclavenes who live in the land of Rus and some words used by Rus. The Sclavenes who live in the land of Rus are "πακτιώται αυτών", tributaries. It's not about the Sclavenes who live elsewhere. That should be clear.
It's obvious that they speak different languages. I am quite sure that the language the Sclavenes speak is Slavic. I'll list the words mentioned.
Rus Ουλβορσί /ulvor'si/
Scl. Οστροβουνιπράχ /ostrovuni'prax/ (x is not 'ks' in IPA)
Grk το νησίον του φραγμού
= the island the dam
Ιn Russian, Czech island=ostrov. In Bosnian, Serbian, Slovenian: island = ostrvo, dam= brana. So, it's obvious that the Sclavenes there speak a Slavic language. I don't know anything about the language of the Rus.
The following words are mentioned also:
Scl. Γελανδρί /ʝelan'ðri/
Grk ήχος φραγμού
= sound of dam
That word sound have meant 'sound' imo.. I am thinking something about possible (Germanic) cognates but since I am not sure I won't say anything yet.
Scl. Νεασήτ /nea'sit/
Rus. Αειφόρ /ai'for/ or /aei'for/
He says that it is named that way because pelikans make nests on the rocks of the dam (διότι φωλεύουσιν οἱ πελεκᾶνοι εἰς τὰ λιθάριατοῦ φραγμοῦ)
"Neasit", of course, means 'nest'. We see that the Bosnian, Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Polish, Russian equivalents are "gnijezdo", "gnezdo", "gniazdo"
Rus. Βαρουφόρος /Varu'foros/
Scl. Βουλνηπράχ /Vulni'prax/ (again prax is closer to prah or prakh because x in IPA is not 'ks' as it is in English)
He says that it is called that way because that dam consists of a big lake. (διότι μεγάλην λίμνην ἀποτελεῖ)
I also have some possible cognates for this. But I'll also leave it for now. "Ni prax", though, should mean "of the dam". And the meaning that I propose is "filling of the dam".
I have no idea about the word used by Rus, again.
Rus. Λεάντι /Le'adi/
Scl. Βερούτζη /Ve'rudzi/ (probably 'verudz' is closer to the actual word they used and the final -i is an hellenized form of the name)
The meaning of this word should be something like "water outfall". The greek words used to descibe it are "βράσμα νεροῦ". 'Βράσιμο' today means boiling but 'ξεβράζω' means wash up.
Rus. Στρουκουν /'Strukun/
Scl. Nαπρεζή /Νapre'zi/
And that is supposed to mean little dam "μικρὸς φραγμός"
So I want to know is the language the Rus spoke Indo-European? And second of all, is it Germanic?
Because the language of the Sclavenes gives the impression of being more (let's say) Germanic-influenced.
But I don't know much for that so I'll wait for your input.
http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG...nitus_PG 112-113/De administrando imperio.pdf
A Wikipedia entry about it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Administrando_Imperio
It is a domestic and foreign policy manual written by an Eastern Roman Emperor in the tenth century.
What's interesting from a linguistic point of view is that the author mentions some words used by Sclavenes who live in the land of Rus and some words used by Rus. The Sclavenes who live in the land of Rus are "πακτιώται αυτών", tributaries. It's not about the Sclavenes who live elsewhere. That should be clear.
It's obvious that they speak different languages. I am quite sure that the language the Sclavenes speak is Slavic. I'll list the words mentioned.
Rus Ουλβορσί /ulvor'si/
Scl. Οστροβουνιπράχ /ostrovuni'prax/ (x is not 'ks' in IPA)
Grk το νησίον του φραγμού
= the island the dam
Ιn Russian, Czech island=ostrov. In Bosnian, Serbian, Slovenian: island = ostrvo, dam= brana. So, it's obvious that the Sclavenes there speak a Slavic language. I don't know anything about the language of the Rus.
The following words are mentioned also:
Scl. Γελανδρί /ʝelan'ðri/
Grk ήχος φραγμού
= sound of dam
That word sound have meant 'sound' imo.. I am thinking something about possible (Germanic) cognates but since I am not sure I won't say anything yet.
Scl. Νεασήτ /nea'sit/
Rus. Αειφόρ /ai'for/ or /aei'for/
He says that it is named that way because pelikans make nests on the rocks of the dam (διότι φωλεύουσιν οἱ πελεκᾶνοι εἰς τὰ λιθάριατοῦ φραγμοῦ)
"Neasit", of course, means 'nest'. We see that the Bosnian, Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Polish, Russian equivalents are "gnijezdo", "gnezdo", "gniazdo"
Rus. Βαρουφόρος /Varu'foros/
Scl. Βουλνηπράχ /Vulni'prax/ (again prax is closer to prah or prakh because x in IPA is not 'ks' as it is in English)
He says that it is called that way because that dam consists of a big lake. (διότι μεγάλην λίμνην ἀποτελεῖ)
I also have some possible cognates for this. But I'll also leave it for now. "Ni prax", though, should mean "of the dam". And the meaning that I propose is "filling of the dam".
I have no idea about the word used by Rus, again.
Rus. Λεάντι /Le'adi/
Scl. Βερούτζη /Ve'rudzi/ (probably 'verudz' is closer to the actual word they used and the final -i is an hellenized form of the name)
The meaning of this word should be something like "water outfall". The greek words used to descibe it are "βράσμα νεροῦ". 'Βράσιμο' today means boiling but 'ξεβράζω' means wash up.
Rus. Στρουκουν /'Strukun/
Scl. Nαπρεζή /Νapre'zi/
And that is supposed to mean little dam "μικρὸς φραγμός"
So I want to know is the language the Rus spoke Indo-European? And second of all, is it Germanic?
Because the language of the Sclavenes gives the impression of being more (let's say) Germanic-influenced.
But I don't know much for that so I'll wait for your input.
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