Re: Language naming terminology
| From: | Steg Belsky <draqonfayir@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Wednesday, September 23, 1998, 0:57 |
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On Mon, 21 Sep 1998 23:49:25 +0200 vardi <vardi@...> writes:
>Since the subject of language/country names has come up, can anyone
>solve a mystery for me?
>
>The Russian for "Germany", if I remember correctly, is "nyemetz"
>(sorry
>if my transliteration isn't accurate, but it's something close to that
>I
>think). The Arabic for Austria is namsa. I assume there's some link,
>but
>can anyone cast any light on either or both of these words?
I can't really help with this, but a friend of mine's lastname is Nemes,
Nemesh originally (pre-immigration). It might have something to do with
it.
>Hebrew, by the way, likes to draw on Biblical words to name
>appropriate
>countries, leading to Sefarad = Spain, Tsarfat = France. I get
>Turkish
>cable tv here in Israel, and on the news maps of Europe show some
>fascinating names (Bulgaristan = Bulgaria, Yunanistan = Greece (cf
>Arabic yunan = Greece, Hebrew: yavan) and a name for Albania I can't
>recognize or remember).
Yavan is also a biblical name....one of Yefet's descendents if i remember
correctly. Also Ashkenaz, Mitzrayim (of course :) ), Teiman,
Hodu...there are probably others that i can't think of right now.
Also, i just learned that, interestingly, Hebrew is one of the few(?)
languages to refer to Gypsys by their own name, _Romanim_ (from Romany
"romano").
For those reading this not familiar with Hebrew place/people names:
Yefet = Japheth, Noah's son
Ashkenaz = the area of the Rhine valley, and the old name for Germany
(now just called Germanyah)
Mitzrayim = Egypt. i think it's _miSr_ in Arabic also
Teiman = Yemen
Hodu = India
>Any explanations/comments/additions welcome!
>
>Shaul Vardi
>
>--- and Shana Tovah (Happy New Year) to Steg, and anyone else on the
>list who may be marking the entry of 5759.
Thanks, to you too!
-Stephen (Steg)
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