A question I like to share:
I like to know the original meaning for the names of continents.
Australia and Antharctis are clear, but what about the others?
America becomes from Amerigo Vespucci, but what does his first
name Amerigo really mean?
Asia meant at first only part of Turkey looking from Greece, right?
What does the word originally mean?
As far as I know Europe (not forgetting the ancient Greek legends)
means originally something like the land of sunset or eveningland
(Abendland) and could be originated (the word) even to old Babylonia.
In what language does the word Europe originally come from?
Africa? I don’t know, but perhaps it is easier to explain than Europe.
Thank you.
Jorma Kyppo
Laukaa, Finland
jo…@jytko.jyu.fi
As far as I know the name Amerigo comes from the German(ic) Heinrich.
hein=?, rich=rik=king ?
In article <D9Dy24….@news.cern.ch>, Pal Hidas <hi…@dxcern.cern.ch> wrote:
>As far as I know the name Amerigo comes from the German(ic) Heinrich.
>hein=?, rich=rik=king ?
hein <- heim (cognate with Eng. "home")
rich = reich (MHG r^ich) "realm, kingdom; rich"
–
Daniel "Da" von Brighoff /\ Dilettanten
(d…@midway.uchicago.edu) /__\ erhebt Euch
/____\ gegen die Kunst!
In article <3qelto$1
6…@mordred.cc.jyu.fi<, Jorma Kyppo <jo…@jytko.jyu.fi< writes…
<A question I like to share:
<
<I like to know the original meaning for the names of continents.
<
<Asia meant at first only part of Turkey looking from Greece, right?
<What does the word originally mean?
<
<As far as I know Europe (not forgetting the ancient Greek legends)
<means originally something like the land of sunset or eveningland
<(Abendland) and could be originated (the word) even to old Babylonia.
<In what language does the word Europe originally come from?
<
<Africa? I don’t know, but perhaps it is easier to explain than Europe.
<
<Thank you.
<
<Jorma Kyppo
<Laukaa, Finland
<jo…@jytko.jyu.fi
<
Asia, meaning sunrise, originally comes from Babylonia
amd refers to the land to the east. I don’t know whether
the original root word is Semitic or Sumerian.
"Usa" or "Asa" is often given as the word from which it came.
During the Roman Empire, the province of Asia was on the
Ionian coast of Anatolia.
Europe (meaning sunset) comes from "’rb", and also comes
from Babylon/Sumer. From this came (from language to language)
arba, aruba, aropa, europa, and europe (or something resembling
this sequence). Also the word Arab comes from this (originally
refering to the Arabian desert immediately to the west of the
Euphrates).
Before the Greeks discovered that the Black Sea was enclosed
by land, Europe vs. Asia made perfect sense as major
continental designations.
Also, as one looked toward the cardinal direction during
ancient times (toward the rising sun) names for north
and south came from words meaning left and right hand
(kind of like the modern-day designation of a left-handed
pitcher in American baseball as a "southpaw").
Africa comes from the Latin term africate (I think that’s
the spelling) which means early blooming. After the Romans
conquered Carthage the land became a major wheat-growing
region for Rome. The wheat ripened earlier than
in Italy and thus was available to Roman markets a few
weeks earlier (hence the name). Under the Roman Empire
modern day Tunisia was the province of Africa. Later
the name replaced Lybia and Ethiopia as names for the
continent.
HME (in utah)
In article <3qkebi$…@mordred.cc.jyu.fi<, Jorma Kyppo <jo…@jytko.jyu.fi< writes…
<helli…@cc.weber.edu wrote:
<
<< Also, as one looked toward the cardinal direction during
<< ancient times (toward the rising sun) names for north
<< and south came from words meaning left and right hand
<< (kind of like the modern-day designation of a left-handed
<< pitcher in American baseball as a "southpaw").
<
<This sounds interesting and is additive information to former
<thread concerning the origins of "left".
<I tried to find to Finnish left and right also a connection
<with the points of compass. For Finnish and Estonian south and
<north sound like "in front" and "bottom". But probably my logic
<is false.
<
<The explanations of Asia, Europe and Africa were interesting.
<Also the Amerigo in another branch of this thread, though
<there may be yet something to say about it.
<
<Jorma Kyppo
<Laukaa, Finland
<jo…@jytko.jyu.fi
<
See, for example, some illustrative placenames:
India’s Deccan peninsula comes from sanskrit ‘dakshina’
meaning right-hand (i.e., south).
A medieval welsh kingdom near modern day Cardiff
named Deheubarth (from the Welsh for right hand).
Bede refers in several instances to northern England
as the ‘sinistral’ part of England (i.e., the left-handed
part).
In some languages the words for east and west are
‘in front’ and ‘behind.’ (don’t ask me which ones,
I read this somewhere once).
HME
helli…@cc.weber.edu wrote:
> Also, as one looked toward the cardinal direction during
> ancient times (toward the rising sun) names for north
> and south came from words meaning left and right hand
> (kind of like the modern-day designation of a left-handed
> pitcher in American baseball as a "southpaw").
This sounds interesting and is additive information to former
thread concerning the origins of "left".
I tried to find to Finnish left and right also a connection
with the points of compass. For Finnish and Estonian south and
north sound like "in front" and "bottom". But probably my logic
is false.
The explanations of Asia, Europe and Africa were interesting.
Also the Amerigo in another branch of this thread, though
there may be yet something to say about it.
Jorma Kyppo
Laukaa, Finland
jo…@jytko.jyu.fi
In article M…@midway.uchicago.edu, d…@ellis.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff) writes:
> >As far as I know the name Amerigo comes from the German(ic) Heinrich.
> hein <- heim (cognate with Eng. "home")
I have also read the following: hein <- ein (one, alone).
Eirik, Erik.