Re: con-translation (was: Semitic/Celtic Ties)

In message <l03130300b30eff0bb423@[195.8.78.249]>, "Raymond A. Brown"
<raybrown@...> writes

> The Psykhro Inscription is thus named because it found near Psykhro on
> the Lasithi plateau in Crete.
> For those who would like to find 'proof' that their conlang was
actually
> used in Crete of the 3rd cent. BC - and for others - I give a
> transliteration of the inscription.
I was a bit surprised by your translation, as it's clear to me that
the inscription is in fact written in an archaic form of Elet Anta.
My own command of archaic EA is pretty sketchy, but the inscription is
not very difficult.

epioi
ep - be simple, uncomplicated; the modern EA is _epen_, having acquired
-en "person" as a suffix.  Here in attributive form
-o - quality, character; here in attributive form
"of simple character, of ordinary rank"

zETanTE
sec - this
tanat - day; here in the form indicating until (this is not used with
tanat in the modern language).  The attributive (needed here) is not
indicated
"until today"

enetE
en - person, people
enta - be at the front of; here in form indicating movement towards
"came to the front of"

par - boy

siPai
shif - left
a - folk, nation; here in attributive form
Or possibly this is a name.

> RE-A-NJA (the three symbols)
The three linear symbols should in fact be read
LO-A-NA
Note that Linear B and the other syllabaries of the area do not
distinguish between /l/ and /r/.  This is clearly the name of the Anta
goddess Loarna.

Thus the text in fact reads:

 "The boy (or prince) of the Left-Hand Folk, of ordinary rank until
 today, comes to lead the people.  LOARNA."

Matching it to the modern EA:

 Epenyoye setanirvey enente par Shifaye.  Loarna.
 epioi    zETanTE    enetE  par siPai     LO-A-NA

Or if siPai is a name:

 "The boy (or prince) Sipai, of ordinary rank until today, comes to
 lead the people.  LOARNA."

For a further discussion of EA connections with several language
groups in Europe, see V. Wolf and T. Carroway, _Antaye Leshsu
Eropalpey_, in a forthcoming number of _Resecsu Antaa_ (communicated
personally).

[[No words were invented for this, btw]]

--John
--
John Fisher   john@drummond.demon.co.uk   johnf@epcc.ed.ac.uk