Linguistic glob

I’m revisiting a topic I wrote about years ago. A Codical–Ideographic Interpretation of the Albanian Words grua (“woman”) and burrë (“man”) 1. Introduction The Albanian lexical items grua (“woman”) and burrë (“man”) are among the most fundamental terms of the language. Their earliest known written attestations appear in the glossary of Arnold Ritter von Harff (1496), where they are recorded respectively as: Groëa – woman Geneyre – man In Modern Albanian, these forms have stabilized as grua and burrë. This study proposes a non-traditional, codical–ideographic interpretation of these words, drawing on symbolic structures attributed to the Danube Script and on logographic principles rather than on standard comparative Indo-European methodology. 2. Methodological Framework The analysis is based on the assumption that early linguistic formations may preserve ideographic and logographic encoding, in which phonetic forms are secondary to symbolic structures. In this framework, graphemic ele...

 

The English flower: proposed etymology and Albanian perspective Abstract This study examines the etymology of the English word flower, combining traditional Indo-European derivations with a proposed semantic perspective based on Albanian. While conventional etymologies trace flower to Latin flōs, flōris and Proto-Indo-European *bhel- (“to thrive, bloom”), such accounts do not address the primordial semantic concepts embedded in human cognition, particularly those related to birth and life. This analysis proposes that a flower may be conceptualized as the “child” of a tree, a notion reflected in Albanian lexemes such as bilë (“daughter”), bir (“son”), lule (“flower”), and verbs associated with birth and movement (bë, lind, lëviz). This approach highlights the continuity between early symbolic meanings and the later lexical development of words designating natural phenomena. 1. Introduction The English word flower is commonly derived from Latin flōs, flōris (“flower”), via Old French flo...

Linguists generally propose that the English word flower derives from Latin flōs, flōris (“flower”), via Old French flor, and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *bhel- meaning “to thrive” or “to bloom.” This root is said to be shared with words such as bloom, blossom, and flora (the Roman goddess of flowers). Many flower names have distinct origins—for example, daisy from Old English dæges ēage (“day’s eye”)—while others, such as chrysanthemum, derive from Greek roots like ánthos (“flower”) and khrýsos (“gold”). The commonly cited etymological chain may be summarized as follows: Latin: flōs, flōris (“flower”), with the accusative form flōrem Old French: flor or flur (“flower,” “prime,” “innocence”) Proto-Indo-European: *bhel- (“to thrive, bloom”), linked to Germanic forms such as blōstma (“blossom”) and bloom However, within these proposed etymologies, something fundamental is missing. Contemporary methods of tracing word origins reveal a significant gap: the absence of the p...

The word " kumbon " in Albanian, meaning “echo” or “to produce a repeated sound,” should be understood within the internal linguistic context of Albanian, and not simply as a loanword from Latin. Its root can be analyzed as ka (to have) + mbon (to sound like an echo), reflecting the phonetic structures of Albanian that convey the meaning of sound and the perceptual experience of hearing. Etymological analysis: Kumbon (Albanian): “echo,” “produce a sound,” or “boon / bh(ë)oon.” (to make OO-n) Some authors have attempted to connect it with the Latin com-bonare (“to sound well”) and the root bonus (“good”), but this connection is purely formal-linguistic and lacks primordial semantic support. There is no evidence that the core meaning—“echo / repetition of sound”—derives from Latin. The Albanian language word bumbullim / bubullim (storm, thunder) come from the same sound symbolism “ bum, bum ” and are directly related to kumbon, reflecting the same concept of repeated sound as ...

Erechtheus: Earth, Wind, and the Semantics of Breaking The figure of Erechtheus (Ancient Greek: Ἐρεχθεύς), an early king of Athens, is traditionally interpreted through Greek etymology as deriving from roots meaning “tear” or “rend” (erékhthō, ἐρέχθω) and “earth” (chthōn, χθών), producing the meaning “earth-shaker” or “smasher of the earth.” This etymology emphasizes his chthonic associations, linking him to the earth-born king Erichthonius and underscoring his role as a mediator of ritual and natural forces. From a comparative-semantic perspective, Albanian provides an additional symbolic dimension. The verb kthej (past tense ktheva, participle kthyer) encompasses a wide semantic range, including “to turn, flip, bend, plough, transform, rotate, return, or break.” Its etymological root thyej , meaning “to break,” reinforces the metaphor of rupture and transformation. Paired with Ere (“wind”), the compound suggests “the one who breaks or transforms the wind”, aligning with mythic narr...