Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>]

On 22/05/2006 22:25, Yitzhak Sapir wrote:
> Peter Kirk wrote:
>
>   
> > What is "Syrianian"? Only 47 Google hits for this word, including
> > another discussion of this etymology at
> > http://omega.cohums.ohio-state.edu/mailing_lists/CLA-L/2001/03/0413.php.
> > And many of the hits are in 19th century works.
> >     
>
> See here:
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/sci.lang/browse_thread/thread/21d485230a93dc11/
>
>   
Well, the language could be Zyryan = Komi. But the name used by Liddell, 
Scott and Jones is closer to "Syrian" and "Syriac", and most of the 
other 47 hits on "Syrianian" make much more sense if related to Syria 
and Semitic languages. I accept that "Sirianian" is sometimes used of 
Zyryan/Komi, but the LSJ spelling is "Syrianian". But if pïš is in fact 
the Zyryan/Komi word for "hemp" rather than a form of the Syriac word, 
that is best explained as a contraction of KANNABIS, or else as a 
coincidence. It seems hardly plausible that the Greeks put together 
their word for "hemp" from a concatenation of the words in two different 
languages of remote "barbarian" peoples.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/