Proposed Illyrian vocabulary
This article contains information about Illyrian vocabulary. No Illyrian texts survive, so sources for identifying Illyrian words have been identified by Hans Krahe[1] as being of four kinds: inscriptions, glosses of Illyrian words in classical texts, names—including proper names (mostly inscribed on tombstones), toponyms and river names—and Illyrian loanwords in other languages. The last category has proven particularly contentious. The names occur in sources that range over more than a millennium, including numismatic evidence, as well as posited original forms of placenames.[1] The Messapian language, which may be related, does have a small attested corpus, but it is not in this page's scope due to the uncertainty about its relationship to Illyrian.
Proposed etymologies
Illyrian lemmas
This is a list of lemmas explicitly mentioned as Illyrian by classical authors.
Lemma | Attestation | English meaning | PIE etymology | Proposed cognates |
---|---|---|---|---|
bra (βρα) | Hesychius:[2]
<βρα>· ἀδελφοί, ὑπὸ Ἰλλυρίων |
"brother" | PIE *bʰréh₂tēr | Alb. vëlla/vllâ "brother", Germ. "Bruder", Eng. "brother" |
deuádai (Δευάδαι) | Hesychius:[3]
<Δευάδαι>· οἱ Σάτοι, παρὰ Ἰλλυρίων |
"satyrs" | PIE *dʰu̯ésmi | Alb. dash "ram", Skt. dhūnoti "he shakes", Gk. thýein "to rage, seethe", théeion "sulfur vapor", Eng. dizzy, Paeonian Dýalos "Dionysos", Lat. furere "to rage", belua "wild animal", Old Ir. dásacht "rage, fury", Lith. dvėsti "to croak, perish, die (animals)", dvelksmas "breath, waft, aura", Hitt. tuhhai "to gasp", Rus. dɨhánije "breath, waft", duh "spirit, soul, mind, aura, ghost, wind" also "aliveness, breathing, willingness, meaningfulness, truthfulness", dušá "spirit, soul; heart, kindness, truthfulness". |
*rhinos or rhinon (ῥινόν) | Scholion to Odyssey 5.281:[4][5]
Οί δέ λέγουσιν Ἰλλυριούς ῥινόν λέγειν τήν άχλύν |
"fog, mist" | PIE *h₁rinéHti | Old Alb. ren, mod. Alb. re, rê "cloud",[6] rij, rî 'to make humid'; further to Gk. (Lesbian) orínein "to move", Old Ch. Slav. rinǫti "to flow", Skt. riṇá-ti "to pour, let flow". |
sabaia, sabaium, *sabaius | Ammianus Marcellinus:[7]
Est autem sabaia ex ordeo vel frumento in liquorem conversus paupertinus in Illyrico potus ζύθον, quod genus est potionis ex frugibus aquaque confectum et vulgo in Dalmatiae Pannoniaeque provinciis gentili barbaroque sermone appellatur sabaium |
"a type of beer" | PIE *sap- | Eng. sap, Lat. sapere "to taste", Skt. sabar "sap, juice, nectar", Avestan višāpa "having poisonous juices", Arm ham, Gk. hapalós "tender, delicate", Old Ch. Slav. sveptŭ "bee's honey"; borrowed into Lat. and from there into Ital. zabaione "frothy drink". |
*sibina (La. sibyna ~ sybina; Gr. σιβυνη ~ σιβυνης ~ συβινη ~ ζιβυνη) | Ennius (Annals, 5.540):[9]
Illyrii restant sicis sybinisque fodentes Festius compared it to συβηνη (Gk.), "flute case", a word found in Aristophanes' Thesmophoriazusai |
"a hunting spear", generally, "a spear", "pike" | Alb. thupër "bar, stick" (Proto-Alb. *tsupina "stick"),[10][11] Pers. zôpîn, Arm. səvīn "a spit". | |
sica (Lat. sica ~ sicca) | First mentioned in Ennius (Annals, 5.540):[9]
Illyrii restant sicis sybinisque fodentes Of Illyrian soldiers;[12] later used in Pliny to describe Thracian implements |
"curved knife, dagger" | PIE *ḱeh₁kʷeh₂ | Alb. thika 'knife',[13] Old Ir. cath "wise", Lat. cōs, (gen. cōtis) "whetstone", catus "sharp, acute", Eng. hone, Arm. sur "sharp", srem "to sharpen", Avest. saēni "pot", sal "slab, anvil", Skt. śitá "sharp"; borrowed into Lat. sicca "dagger", Lat. sicarii "assassins", Rus. siečiénije "cut, section; cross-section", siečj, rassiekatj "to whip, flog; to cut, shred, split, sever". |
Messapic lemmas
Messapic language is oftentimes regarded as close to Illyrian[14] even though there is still no consensus among scholars regarding their proximity.[15][16] See Messapic lemmas for a list of Messapic words.
Non Illyrian words of possible Illyrian origin
Additionally to the words explicitly mentioned as Illyrian, scholars have extracted a list of non-Illyrian words that may have derived from Illyrian language.
Lemma | Source language | Notes | English meaning | PIE etymology | Proposed cognates | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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bagaron (βαγαρόν) | Laconian Greek[17] | Hesychius:[17]
<βάγαρον>· χλιαρόν. Λάκωνες Defined as "Gk.-Illyr." by Pokorny.[18] |
"warm" | PIE *bʰōg- | Alb. bukë "bread", Phrygian bekos "bread", Eng. bake, Lat. focus "hearth", Old Ir. goba "blacksmith", Gk. phōgein "to roast", Armenian bosor "red", bots "flame", Rus. bagrovɨj, bagrianɨj "crimson, saturated red, color of dark blood, purpur", bagriéc, bagrianiec "redness of someone's face, cheeks, of heated up material (e.g. metal), crimson cloth, fabric". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
brisa | Latin[19] | Passed from Illyrian to Latin, ultimately of Thracian origin.[20]
Pokorny instead talks of a Messapic or Venetic origin of brisa.[18] |
"husk of grapes" | Alb. bërsí "lees, dregs; mash", Eng. broth, Lat. defrutum "new wine boiled down", Welsh brwd "brewage", Old Ir. bruth "heat, wrath", Thrac. brỹtos "barley alcohol", brỹtion "wine must", Gk. apéphrysen "to seethe, boil", ? Lith. bręsti "to mature, ripe", brendimas "ripening", also brinkti "to swell", brinkìmas "swelling" ?, Rus. braga, bražka "must, ale, unfinished or badly produced alcohol drink", broditj "to ferment (brew)", brožénije "fermentation (brewage)". | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
daksa -*dassa
(δάξα) |
Epirotic Greek[21] | Hesychius:[21]
<δάξα>· θάλασσα. Ἠπειρῶται Regarded to be of Illyrian origin.[22] May be connected to the Illyrian tribe of the Dassareti[22] and the Chaonian Greek tribe of the Dexaroi[23] (see table below) |
"sea" | Alb. Det
Toponyms, hydronyms, anthroponymsSome words have been extracted from toponyms and anthroponyms.
Proposed Illyrian anthroponyms![]() Greek inscription with Illyrian onomastics (name and patronymic) on a funerary stele, 2nd century BC, Apollonia, Albania.[68] The following anthroponyms derive from Illyrian or are not yet connected with another language unless noted, such as the Delmatae names of Liburnian origin. Alföldy identified five principal onomastic provinces within the Illyrian area: 1) the "real" Illyrians south of the river Neretva in Dalmatia and extending south to Epirus; 2) the Delmatae, who occupied the middle Adriatic coast between the "real Illyrians" to the south and the Liburni to the north; 3) the Liburni, a branch of Venetic in the northeast Adriatic; 4) the Iapodes, who dwelt north of the Delmatae and behind (inland from) the coastal Liburnians; 5) the Pannonians in the northern lands, and in Bosnia, northern Montenegro and Western Serbia. Katičić does not recognize a separate Pannonian onomastic area, and includes the Pannoni with the Delmatae.[69] Below, names from four of Alföldy's five onomastic areas are listed, Liburnian excluded, having been identified as being akin to Venetic. A Dardanian area is also detailed.[70][71][72] South Illyrian![]() Coin from Apollonia bearing the inscription ΒΑΤΩΝ ![]() Coin from Dyrrhachion bearing the inscription ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΟΝΟΥΝΙΟΥ
DelmataeHundreds of Delmatae names have been recorded. Characteristic names include:
Delmatae names in common with the Pannoni (some also occur among the south Illyrians):
Some Delmatae names probably originate from the Liburnians. This conclusion is based on the Liburnian suffixes: -icus, -ica, -ocus, -ico; and from the distribution of the names among the Liburni/Veneti, and from their absence or scarcity in other onomastic areas:
From the southern Illyrians, the names Boria, Epicadus, Laedicalius, Loiscus, Pinnes and Tato and some others are present. From the Iapodes, Diteio and Ve(n)do, and a few names of Celtic origin (not shown here). PannoniSome names attested among the Pannoni:
The following names are confined to the Pannonian onomastic province:
Northern Pannoni:
Names attested among the Colapiani, an Illyric tribe of Pannonia:
Among the Jasi: Scenus. The Breuci: Scilus Bato (first and last name), Blaedarus, Dasmenus, Dasius, Surco, Sassaius, Liccaius, Lensus. The Amantini, the Scordisci: Terco, Precio, Dases, Dasmenus. MessapicIllyrian theonymsThe following names of gods (theonyms) derive from possibly several languages (Liburnian, Illyrian, etc.) and are names of gods worshipped by the Illyrians. However, they are known through Interpretatio romana and their names may have been corrupted.[75] External influencesThe Ancient Greek language would have become an important external influence on Illyrian-speakers who occupied lands adjacent to ancient Greek colonies, mainly on the Adriatic coast.[80] The Taulantii and the Bylliones had, according to Strabo, become bilingual.[81] Invading Celts who settled on lands occupied by Illyrians brought the Illyrians into contact with the Celtic languages and some tribes were Celticized especially those in Dalmatia[82][83] and the Pannoni.[84] Intensive contact may have happened in what is now Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia. Due to this intensive contact, and because of conflicting classical sources, it is unclear whether some ancient tribes were Illyrian or Celtic (ex: Scordisci)[85] or mixed in varying degree. Thracians and Paeonians also occupied lands populated by Illyrians, bringing Illyrians into contact with the Thracian language and Paeonian language. Certainly, no serious linguistic study of Illyrian language could be made without the inclusion of Latin, in addition to ancient Greek, Thracian and Celtic languages, as the peoples that spoke those languages were recorded by both ancient and modern historians to have lived in lands inhabited by Illyrians at one period of time in history or another. Last, but certainly not least, any comprehensive study of Illyrian language must take into account the Indo-European glossary.[86] CelticThe following Illyrian names derive from Celtic:
ThracianThe following names derive from Thracian:
GreekThe following names may derive from Greek:
LatinThe following names may derive from Latin:
References
Bibliography
Further reading
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