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Faldage #177902 07/02/08 01:58 PM
Joined: Aug 2005
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
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The Shanyagir had a word for thunder but not for lightning?

Who knows? I suppose that Chuchan of the Shanyagir tribe spoke some sort of Tungusic language, but was speaking with I M Suslov in Russian or being translated for him by some bilingual person. Russian does distinguish between lightning (молния molnija, related to the Old Norse word for Thor's hammer mjo̧llnir) and thunder (гром grom). It is interesting that in English bolt of lightning can also be called a thunderbolt (удар молнии udar molnij 'thunder strike, blow').


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
zmjezhd #177906 07/02/08 06:06 PM
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
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He always runs where others walk......but about mjollnir,

Mjollnir means "crusher," referring to its pulverizing effect. It is related to words such as the Icelandic verbs mölva ("to crush") and mala ("to grind"), but similar words, all stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root melə can be found in almost all European languages, e.g. the Slavic melvo ("grain to be ground") and molotu ("hammer"), the Dutch meel(wiki(!)

We have a word : 'mollen' which means to crush, destroy, to ruin. That might come from the same origin.

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