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Lifashian: Difference between revisions
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Moreover, loanwords are not evenly distributed in terms of frequency; all function words are native, inherited from Proto-Indo-European, as are many of the most commonly used words, so that the most basic forms of the language contain mostly native roots. However, very basic words are not always native, sometimes due to semantic drift that has caused loanwords to fit into the other meaning. Almost as a counterpoint to basic words being mostly inherited roots, nearly all Lifashians carry given names that are borrowed: most of them from Middle Persian, while Western names are typically borrowed through Medieval Greek or through Ligurian; Islamic theophoric names are borrowed from Arabic. | Moreover, loanwords are not evenly distributed in terms of frequency; all function words are native, inherited from Proto-Indo-European, as are many of the most commonly used words, so that the most basic forms of the language contain mostly native roots. However, very basic words are not always native, sometimes due to semantic drift that has caused loanwords to fit into the other meaning. Almost as a counterpoint to basic words being mostly inherited roots, nearly all Lifashians carry given names that are borrowed: most of them from Middle Persian, while Western names are typically borrowed through Medieval Greek or through Ligurian; Islamic theophoric names are borrowed from Arabic. | ||
Among borrowings, the most ancient layer was borrowed in the Lifashian prehistory, and some of them are of disputed etymology. However, while not all words attributed to those sources may effectively be loanwords, there definitely is a prehistorical layer of borrowings that likely dates back to the first coming of Lifashians into eastern Anatolia, consisting of loanwords attributed to ancient languages of the Near East: Hurrian, Urartian, and Akkadian. Nearly all of proposed etymologies attributed to these languages belong to (or originally entered the language in) the semantic fields of animals, plants, agriculture, and early technology; some examples are ''syorón'' "cat", ''lesp'' "honey" (from Akkadian), ''henjá'' "apple", ''syelur'' "plum" (from Hurrian), ''hér'' "road" (attributed to Urartian). Words generally attributed to Indo-European Anatolian languages are most likely to be influenced, areal, or calques, as the phonological shape does not always support the hypothesis of direct borrowing. | Among borrowings, the most ancient layer was borrowed in the Lifashian prehistory, and some of them are of disputed etymology. However, while not all words attributed to those sources may effectively be loanwords, there definitely is a prehistorical layer of borrowings that likely dates back to the first coming of Lifashians into eastern Anatolia, consisting of loanwords attributed to ancient languages of the Near East: Hurrian, Urartian, and Akkadian. Nearly all of proposed etymologies attributed to these languages belong to (or originally entered the language in) the semantic fields of animals, plants, agriculture, and early technology; some examples are ''syorón'' "cat", ''lesp'' "honey" (from Akkadian), ''henjá'' "apple", ''syelur'' "plum" (from Hurrian), ''hér'' "road" (attributed to Urartian). Words generally attributed to Indo-European Anatolian languages are most likely to be influenced, areal, or calques, as the phonological shape does not always support the hypothesis of direct borrowing.<br/>A few dozen words are generally categorized as Iranian loans, being either early loans from Proto-Iranian or mediated by other unspecified languages: such words include ''mirajé'' "rice", ''súftá'' "milk", possibly ''nársé'' "woman". | ||
The largest share of loanwords into Lifashian comes from Persian, and they were borrowed from different dialects of Persian at different times in the space of nearly 2000 years. Persian loanwords are found in every semantic field, from many everyday words (seasons, e.g. ''tábestán'' "summer", ''bahár'' "spring"); words related to general urban life (''syahr'' "city", ''meydán'' "square"); knowledge (''námé'' "book"; ''dánesy'' "knowledge"); agriculture ('' | The largest share of loanwords into Lifashian comes from Persian, and they were borrowed from different dialects of Persian at different times in the space of nearly 2000 years. Persian loanwords are found in every semantic field, from many everyday words (seasons, e.g. ''tábestán'' "summer", ''bahár'' "spring"); words related to general urban life (''syahr'' "city", ''meydán'' "square"); knowledge (''námé'' "book"; ''dánesy'' "knowledge"); agriculture (''zardálá'' "apricot", ''kanaf'' "hemp"), to more abstract concepts (''firdáws'' "paradise", ''yádi'' "memory, remembrance"). More abstract concepts, ethnonyms, and Islam-related words come from Arabic but in the vast majority of cases they entered Lifashian through Persian, so they are usually considered of Persian origin too; such words include e.g. ''Dár'' "home (used as "homeland" or with a genitive as "country of", cf. ''Dár Lífasyám'' but also ''Dár Hayám'' (Armenia), ''Dár Pársyám'' (Iran, sometimes referring to Greater Iran) and even ''Dár Ondúhám'' (a possible name for Earth, literally "home of the people")", ''táj'' "jewel", ''haylá'' "family", ''akbar(syás)'' "great".<br/> | ||
Dating back to the first millennium CE are also likely most Armenian loans, which also cover many semantic fields, but more everyday words than Persian loans; they include the previously mentioned ''gurémi'' "to write" and ''sirémi'' "to like", but also e.g. ''órén'' "rule; law", ''dedum'' "pumpkin", ''tulay'' "boy", ''yo'' "yes", ''hamár'' "number". Also from the early first millennium (around the time of the earliest attestations of Lifashian) are the Aramaic loans, introduced alongside Syriac Christianity and generally limited to that semantic field, such as ''hettá'' "Church; a church", ''násrey'' "Christian", ''mahmolítá'' "baptism", ''sów'' "priest", ''Esyuh Misyihów'' "Jesus Christ". | Dating back to the first millennium CE are also likely most Armenian loans, which also cover many semantic fields, but more everyday words than Persian loans; they include the previously mentioned ''gurémi'' "to write" and ''sirémi'' "to like", but also e.g. ''órén'' "rule; law", ''dedum'' "pumpkin", ''tulay'' "boy", ''yo'' "yes", ''hamár'' "number". Also from the early first millennium (around the time of the earliest attestations of Lifashian) are the Aramaic loans, introduced alongside Syriac Christianity and generally limited to that semantic field, such as ''hettá'' "Church; a church", ''násrey'' "Christian", ''mahmolítá'' "baptism", ''sów'' "priest", ''Esyuh Misyihów'' "Jesus Christ". | ||