Re: CHAT: silly names (in Brithenig)

At 3:18 pm +1200 20/3/01, andrew wrote:
>Am 03/19 21:01  John Cowan yscrifef:
>> Eric Christopherson scripsit:
>> > 3) Did the sound change rules change sometime recently? It's been a while
>> > since I read through them, but I'd think it'd be something like
>>*Caradag or
>> > *Caraethag for the person, and *Caradeg' or *Caraetheg' <
>>*Cara(c)tacia for
>> > the place. No?
>>
>> No.  This name was borrowed directly from Old British, not filtered
>> through Vulgar Latin, I think.
>>
>Although Caraethag is listed in the Onomasticon.  I would have to agree
>with Eric, Caradeg' is closer to the sound changes in the Master Plan
>for *Caratacia.
..and the ancient name for the prince, as far as we ca tell, was
/kara:takos/ in ancient Brit., Latinized as _Cara:tacus_.  The name appears
in modern Welsh as Caradog.

G & S's _Caractacus_ is due to some medieval scribe's typo (the typo
_Cataratacus_ also occurs).  Unfortunately, the guy was more well known to
the Victorians by his typo, just like the queen of the Iceni whom the
Victorians called "Boadicea"; scholars now agree that the proper reading of
her name is _Boudicca_ (modern Welsh _Buddug_ /'b1DIg/  )

So I'm curious about _Caraethag_ - it seems to be a sound change of a
medieval typo.  Or am I mistaken?

Ray.


=========================================
A mind which thinks at its own expense
will always interfere with language.
                   [J.G. Hamann 1760]
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