On the Meaning of Avestan nāuuiia- and Pahlavi *nāydāg
Author(s)
Date Issued
2017
Type
bookPart
Start Page
99
End Page
138
ISBN
9788866871156
Abstract
The meanings of Avestan nāuuiia- and Pahlavi *nāydāg, two adjectives always accompanying words for ‘watercourses’ and conveying the notions of ‘strength’ and ‘abundance’, have always been a matter of discussion. The present paper examines in depth the relevant textual and lexical documentation in Avestan, Old Persian and Pahlavi, and reviews all the hypothesis put forward over time by the different scholars as regards the meanings of these items, which still remain elusive ((1) “navigable;” (2) “channelled, flowing in channel;” (3) “deep;” (4) “tumultuous;” (5) “unfordable;” (6) “in spate, flooding;” (7) “streaming, raging.”). Two main theories may be envisaged: the ‘channel’-theory and the ‘navigability’-theory. If the meaning of Av. nāuuiia-, OP nāviya- and Pahl. *nāydāg is disputed, on their etymology there has been an almost unanimous agreement: they have generally been referred to Ir. *nāu-. The large lexical family derived from Ir. *nāu- has been considered in the paper. It covers a large semantic range, with different senses acquired through metonymical and metaphorical associations (‘boat,’ ‘gutter,’ ‘aqueduct,’ ‘feeding trough,’ ‘hopper,’ ‘mill-race,’ ‘valley,’ etc.). This fact permits to satisfy both the requirements of the supporters of the ‘channel’-theory and the supporters of the ‘navigability’-theory. Tentatively, one might also point to a different hypothesis, assuming a change direction like ‘valley where the flood produced by raining and snow-melting water flows’ > ‘flood produced by raining and snow-melting’ > ‘great amount of water’.
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Filippone_Gnoli Memorial Volume.pdf
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Versione editoriale
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1.26 MB
Format
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Checksum (MD5)
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Conference(s)
Studia Philologica Iranica. Gherardo Gnoli Memorial Volume