Publication details

Was the Xiongnu gloss "dried fermented milk" borrowed from Tocharian?

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Authors

BLAŽEK Václav

Year of publication 2015
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Journal of Sino-Western Communication
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
Field Linguistics
Keywords Chinese; Xiongnu; Tocharian; Iranian; glos; dried curd; milk
Description In the present contribution the Tocharian etymology of the gloss mi-luo/lí/li "dried fermented milk" < Middle Chinese *mek-lwa (or *-lye) is introduced. It is based on Tocharian A malke, B malkwer "milk", replacing the etymological attempt of Bailey, who speculated about the Iranian source of the Xiongnu gloss, reconstructing *mi:la:ka- < *miža:ka- < *miyž- on the basis of Khotanese biśi:, beśi: "buttermilk", Yaghnobi mešin, mayšin id., Ossetic Iron mi:syn, Digor mesin "whey".
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