Re: Afrasian?

Jan van Steenbergen wrote:
>  --- Andreas Johansson wrote:
>
> > >No. In "Eurasia" the two components are more or less equally
>represented.
> >
> > I don't really feel that the first syllable of "Europe" plus the
>entirety of
> > "Asia" is equal representation. (Nor do I think this's a problem.)
>
>I hadn't thought of that. The problem is that "Asia" is a much shorter word
>leaving little freedom for the disposal of letters. Besides, the letters
>"Eur"
>have a clear and obvious connotation with Europe, much more than the
>letters
>"As" with Asia.
>But if you like, an alternative to "Eurasia" could be perhaps "Euras" or
>"Euraz"?
Where's that "z" from? I certainly prefer "Eurasia" to "Euras" or similar
anyway.
>
>Other contractions:
>Europe, Asia, Africa > "Eurafras", "Eurafraz", "Eurafrasica", "Afraseur"
>Asia, Australia > "Austrasia" (I may be hanged if this one doesn't exist
>already).
"Austrasia" was the name of one the the parts of the Merovingian kingdom; it
included bits of modern western Germany, northeastern France and the
Benelux. _Austr-_ means "east" here - it was the eastern part of the
Merovingian heartland.

I've seen "Australasia", but can't at the moment recall what it's suposed to
mean.


                                           Andreas



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