Ancient Macedonian language: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:19, 29 July 2005

The Ancient Macedonian language (provisional ISO-DIS 639-3.5 XMK) was a Greek dialect and was tongue of the Ancient Macedonians. It was spoken especially in the inland regions of Macedon, away from the coast, during the 1st millennium BC, surviving into the early centuries of the Common Era.

Our knowledge of the language is very limited because there are no surviving Macedonian texts, though a body of authentic Macedonian words has been assembled from ancient sources, mainly from coin inscriptions, and from the 5th century Greek lexicon of Hesychius of Alexandria, amounting to about 700 words and proper names. Most of these are confidently identifiable as Greek, but some of them are not easily reconciled with standard Greek phonology.

Properties

Only little about the language can be said from the few words that survive. A notable sound-law is that PIE voiced aspirates appear as voiced stops, written β, γ, δ, in contrast to all known Greek dialects, which have unvoiced them, φ, χ, θ.

Macedonian danos (δανος) ("death", from PIE *dhenh₂ "to leave"), compared to Greek thanos (θανος).
Macedonian abroutes (αβρουτες) as opposed to Greek ophroues (οφρουες) for eyebrows
Macedonian Berenike (Βερενικη) vs. Greek *Pherenike (Φερενικη) "bearing victory"
adraia "bright weather", Attic αἰθρία, from PIE *aidh-
baskioi "fasces", PIE *bhasko
According to Hdt. 7.73 (ca. 440 BC), the Macedonians claimed that the Phruges were called Briges before they migrated from Thrace to Anatolia (around 1200 BC).

The same treatment is known from other Paleo Balkan languages, e.g. Phrygian bekos "bread", Illyrian bagaron "warm", but Attic phōgō "roast", all from PIE *bheh₃g.

If gotan "pig" is related to *gwou "cattle", this would indicate that the labiovelars were either intact, or merged with the velars, unlike the Greek treatment (Attic bous). Compare in this context Doric (Spartan) glep- for common Greek blep- (v. Blumenthal 1930:21).

kanadoi "jaws" PIE *genu and kombous "molars" PIE *gombh suggest that voiced stops were devoiced, at least word-initially.

Sample glossary

ἄβαγνα ábagna 'roses' (Hes. Attic ῥόδα; perhaps Doric ἀβός abós 'young, luxuriant' + ἁγνός hagnós 'pure, chaste, unsullied')
ἀβαρύ abarý 'oregano' (Hes. ὀρίγανον oríganon, perhaps Attic prefix α a 'not' + βαρύ barý 'heavy')
ἀβροῦτες or ἀβροῦϜες abroûtes or abroûwes 'eyebrows' (Hes. Attic ὀφρῦς ophrûs acc. pl., ὀφρύες ophrúes nom., PIE *bhru-)
ἄγημα ágēma, 'vanguard, guards' (Hes. Attic ἄγημα ágēma, PIE *ag-)
ἀγκαλίς agkalís 'weight, burden, load' or 'sickle' (Hes. Attic ἄχθος ákhthos or δρέπανον drépanon, LSJ Attic ἀγκαλίς agkalís 'bundle', or in pl. ἀγκάλαι agkálai 'arms' (body parts), ἄγκαλος ágkalos 'armful, bundle', ἀγκάλη agkálē 'the bent arm' or 'anything closely enfolding', as the arms of the sea, PIE *ank 'to bend')
ἀδῆ adē 'clear sky' or 'the upper air' (Hes. οὐρανός ouranós 'sky', LSJ and Pokorny Attic αἰθήρ aithēr 'ether, the upper, purer air', hence 'clear sky, heaven')
ἄδις ádis 'hearth' (Hes. ἐσχάρα eskhára, LSJ Attic αἶθος aîthos 'fire, burning heat')
ἄδραια ádraia 'fine weather, open sky' (Hes. Attic αἰθρία aithría, PIE *aidh-)
ἀκρουνοί akrounoí 'boundary stones' nom. pl. (Hes. ὃροι hóroi, LSJ Attic ἄκρος ákros 'at the end or extremity', from ἀκή akē 'point, edge', PIE *ak 'summit, point' or 'sharp')
ἀλίη alíē 'manure'
ἄλιζα áliza (also alixa) 'alder' (Hes. Attic λεύκη leúkē 'poplar', perhaps Pokorny Attic ἐλάτη elátē 'fir, spruce', PIE *ol-, *el-)
ἀμαλή amalē 'gentle' fem. (LSJ ἀμαλή, Attic ἁμαλή, ἁπαλή hamalē, hapalē)
ἄξος áxos 'timber' (Hes. Attic ὓλη húlē)
ἀορτής aortes, 'swordsman' (Hes. ξιφιστής; Homer ἄορ, sword; Attic [ἀορτήρ Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)], swordstrap; Modern Greek αορτήρ, riflestrap; hence Aorta)
ἄργελλα árgella 'bathing hut' (LSJ Greek of Magna Graecia and Pokorny Cimmerian ἄργιλλα árgilla 'subterranean dwelling', Old Indian argala-ḥ, argalā 'latch, bolt', PIE *areg-, hence Romanian argea (pl. argele), 'wooden construction', Albanian ragal 'cabin')
ἀργιόπους argiópous 'eagle' (LSJ Attic ἀργίπους argípous 'swift- or white-footed', PIE *hrg'i-pods < PIE *arg + PIE *ped)
ἀρκόν arkón 'leisure, idleness' (LSJ Attic ἀργός argós 'lazy, idle' nom. sing., ἀργόν acc.)
ἄσπιλος áspilos 'torrent' (Hes. χείμαῤῥος kheímarrhos, Attic ἄσπιλος áspilos 'without stain, spotless, pure')
βάσκιοι báskioi 'fasces' (Hes. Attic δεσμοὶ φρῡγάνων desmoì phrūgánōn, Pokorny Macedonian βασκευταί baskeutaí, Attic φασκίδες phaskídes, perhaps Attic φάσκωλος pháskōlos 'leather sack', PIE *bhasko-)
γοτάν gotán 'pig' acc. sing. (PIE *gwou- 'cattle', Hes. Attic ὗν hûn 'swine')
γράβιον grábion 'torch' (PIE *grabh-, 'hornbeam', Umbrian Grabovius an oak-god, etymologically linked by LSJ and Pokorny to Attic κράβ(β)ατος kráb(b)atos 'couch, bed', Latin grabātus - which LSJ derives from Macedonian - hence modern Greek κρεβάτι kreváti 'bed')
δανός danós 'death', δανῶν danōn 'murderer' (Hes. Attic thánatos θάνατος 'death', from root θαν- than-)
δάρυλλος dárullos 'oak' (Hes. Attic δρῦς drûs, PIE *doru-)
ἐταῖροι etaîroi 'comrades' nom. pl. (Attic ἑταῖροι hetaîroi, PIE *swe-t-aro < suffixed form of *swe)
ἴλαξ ílax 'the holm-oak, evergreen or scarlet oak' (Hes. Attic πρῖνος prînos, Latin ilex)
καλαῤῥυγαί kalarrhugaí 'ditches, trenches' (Hes. τάφροι - attributed to Amerias) -LSJ: Ambraciot word, acc. to Sch.Gen.Iliad 21.259 (in form kalarua).
κάναδοι kánadoi 'jaws' nom. pl. (Attic γνάθοι gnáthoi, PIE *genu, 'jaw')
κάραβος kárabos 'gate, door' (Hes. Attic karabos 'meat roasted over coals'; Attic karabos 'stag-beetle'; 'crayfish'; 'light ship'; hence Modern Greek karavi)
karabos 'the worms in dry wood' (Attic karabos, 'stag-beetle, horned beetle; crayfish')
karabos 'a sea creature' (Attic karabos, 'a crayfish, a prickly crustacean; stag-beetle')
κίκεῤῥοι kí[k]erroi 'pale ones (?)' (Hes. Attic ὦχροι ōkhroi, PIE *k̂ik̂er- 'pea')
κλινότροχον klinótrokhon, according to Theophrastus a sort of maple of Stageira, Pokorny Attic γλεῖνον gleînon), LSJ: γλῖνος or γλεῖνος, Cretan maple, Acer creticum, Thphr.HP3.3.1, 3.11.2.
κόμβους kómbous 'molars' acc. pl. (Attic γομφίους gomphíous, dim. of γόμφος gómphos 'a large, wedge-shaped bolt or nail; any bond or fastening', PIE *gombh-)
λακεδάμα lakedáma 'salt water with garlic', Hes.; according to v. Blumenthal (1930), -ama corresponds to Attic ἁλμυρός halmurós 'salty'; laked- is cognate to English leek, possibly related is Λακεδαίμων Laked-aímōn, the name of the Spartans.
λείβηθρον leíbēthron 'stream' (Hes. Attic ῥεῖθρον rheîthron, also λιβάδιον libádion, 'a small stream', dim. of λιβάς libás; PIE *lei, 'to flow'); note typical Greek productive suffix -θρον (-thron)
Πύδνα Púdna, a toponym (Pokorny Attic πυθμήν puthmēn 'bottom, sole, base of a vessel'; PIE *bhudhnā; Greek πύνδαξ, pyndax, 'bottom of vessel')
σάρισσα sárissa (also σάρισα sarisa), a long pike used by the Macedonian phalanx (Theophrastus, Polybius; etymology unknown - v. Blumenthal (1930) reconstructs *skwrvi-entia- to a root for 'cut', but this is speculative; perhaps Attic σαίρω saírō 'to show the teeth, grin like a dog', esp. in scorn or malice, also 'to sweep clean or away')

References

H. Ahrens De Graecae linguae dialectis, Goettingen, 1843.
Albrecht von Blumenthal, Hesychstudien, Stuttgart, 1930.
Edmonds, J.M. The Fragments of Attic Comedy, "Strattis, Passage 28". Leiden: Brill, 1957.
Fasmer, M. The Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language. Moscow, 1986.
S. Hornblower, A. Spawforth (Editors), The Oxford Classical Dictionary, revised 3rd ed., New York/London, Oxford University Press, 2003.
O. Hoffmann Die Makedonen. Ihre Sprache und ihr Volkstum, Goettingen 1906
Brian Joseph (1999), Ancient Greek in: J. Garry, C. Rubino, A. Faber, R. French (editors), Facts About the World's Languages: An Encyclopedia of the World's Major Languages: Past and Present, New York/Dublin, H. W. Wilson Press, 2001
Katcic, Ancient Languages of the Balkans, The Hague, Mouton (1976).
J. P. Mallory, D. Q. Adams (edd.) Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture, 1997.
Olivier Masson, Sur la Notation Occasionnelle du Digamma Grec par d'Autres Consonnes et la Glose Macédonienne Abroutes, Bulletin de la Société de Linguistique de Paris, t. XC, 1995, p. 231-239.
Neroznak, V. Paleo-Balkan languages, Moscow, 1978.
Pokorny, Julius, Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern, 1959.

External links

Graeco-Macedonian group (Ohio State University)
Linguist List Hellenic tree
- Linguist List ancient languages
Greek Language (Encyclopedia Britannica 1911 edition)

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