125s aipsniai / a icles
schLÜsseLWÖ e : hyd onym, his o ische Phonologie, his o ische Mo phologie, Wo bil-
dung, e ymologie, seman ische ypologie, slawische hyd onymie,
Ge manic hyd onym, Cel ic hyd onym, ancien Eu opean hyd onym,
Caland-Wacke nagel[…]sches su ix sys em. Keywo ds: hyd onym, his o ical
phone ics, his o ical mo phology, wo d o ma ion, e ymology, seman ic
ypology, Sla ic hyd onym, Ge manic hyd onym, Cel ic hyd onym, old Eu opean
hyd onym, su ix sys em o caland and Wacke nagel.
ha aLd bichLMeie
sächsische akademie de Wissenscha en
Ma in-Lu he -uni e si ä halle-Wi enbe g
Wissenscha liche o schungs ich ungen: al eu opäische hy-
D onymy, Indo-Ge manic, Cel ic, Ge manic e ymology, his o ical
phonology and mo phology, Mycenaean, and ancien I anian syn ax.
VácLaV bLaŽek
The Uni e si y o Masa yk
Scien i ic esea ch a eas: ancien Eu opean hyd onymy; Indo-Ge manic, Cel ic, Bal ic, Sla ic and
Tocha ian e ymology; His o ical phonology and s em o ma ion, semaneLbe […] o he queLLen o a
hyd onyMs* anno a ion o he a icle illumina es he hyd onym Albis/Elbe/Labe om di e en angles:
ische ypologie.
om ha o geog aphy, om ha o his o ical e idence and om ha o diach onic phonology and
mo phology, especially wo d o ma ion. he e ymological p oposals made in he con ex o Ge manic,
elbė: apie ieno hid onimo iš akas
Cel ic and so-called […]Al eu opean hyd onymia[…] a e e alua ed in e ms o hei seman ic mo i a ion
in he ligh o he seman ic ypology o wa e names. * he au ho s hank he wo anonymous
e iewe s o he con ibu ion o a ious use ul ips on he con en as well as on o e looked
li e a u e.
126 ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXI anno a ion g aphy, his o ical documen a ion, diach onic
ha aLd bichLMeie , VácLaV bLaŽek
phone ics and mo phology, especially wo d omapean hyd onymies a e e alua ed wi h espec
o hei seman ic mo i a ion in he ligh o seman ic ypology.
in he a icle he hyd onym Albis/Elbe/Labe is s udied om a ious poin s o iew: geo-
ion. he e ymological a emp s in he con ex o ge manic, cel ic and so-called ‘old eu o-
1. geog aphical indica ion he Elbe o igina es in he gian moun ains o K konoše on
he Sog. Labská louka (li e ally […]elbwiese[…]) a an al i ude o 1,386 o 1,387 m,
abou one kilome e sou hwes o he moun ain Violík. I lows in o he No h Sea
be ween he ci ies o Cuxha en and F ied ichskoog in a mou h abou 100 km long
and 2.5 o 15 km wide. I d ains an a ea o 144,055 o 148,286 km2, i s leng h is 1,096 km
(acco ding o o he s 1,154 o 1,165 km [depending on whe e he ac ual mou h is
loca ed]). The connec ion be ween he Elbe and he Moldau wi h i s sou ce in he
Bohemian Fo es is e en 1.245 o 1.329 km long, because he Moldau alone is al eady
430 o 433 o 440 km long, while he Elbe is only 255 km om he con luence wi h he
Moldau.
Mode n names o he elbe he names in mode n languages a e: nhd, ndl, english, swedish,
innish. The Elbe, Denma k. Elben (including he pos poned a icle), ndd. El , Ca alan,
Spanish, Po uguese, I alian, Romanian, Hunga ian. Elba, he Russian. Elba, look he
o he way. I 's called Łobjo, ndso b. The ci y o Łobje, Poland. I 's called Łaba.
3. his o ical documen a ion o he hyd onyMs he hyd onym is om
he 1s cen u y. I 's called ch . a es ed (subsequen ly e idenced in
selec ion)2:
1 in he Ba a ian-Bohemian bo de a ea loca es he sou ce o he Elbe Taci us a he end o he 1s
cen u y AD. (See also no e 7). Dio Cassius, be o e he yea 229 AD. P oconsul in Pannonia, loca ed he
sou ce o he Elbe in he Vandal Moun ains, i.e. in he Gian Moun ains (see no e 9). 2 See also Pape o
Bensele (1863-1870: i, 53; udolph 1990b: 89-98.
elbe – zu den Quellen eines hyd onyms
127s aipsniai a icles by
18 h cen u y […]lbis3 [S abo Vii, 292]; also known as […]lbis3[…]
30 h cen u y Albis4 [Velleius Pa e culus ii, 106.2]; also known as Albis IV 44 n.
o he yea . Albis5 [Mela iii, 30[…]31]; also known as Albis 61 o 65 C.E. Albis6 [Lucanus, Pha salia ii, 52]; also known as Albis.
77 n. o he yea . Albis 7 [Pliny he Elde , 100] was bo n in he ci y o Rome.
I has he shape o an elephan 's unk, he shape o an elephan 's unk, he shape o an elephan 's unk, he
shape o an elephan 's unk, he shape o an elephan 's unk, he shape o an elephan 's unk. The Rhine is
abou h ee housand s adia om he Elbe, assuming you ha e s aigh oads a you disposal. In eali y, you
ha e o make many de ou s h ough he ough, ma shy and o es ed coun y. ( e e ence 2003: 240 .) 4 F ac i
Langoba di, gens e iam Ge mana e i a e e ocio ; also known as F ac i Langoba di The quod numquam an ea
nedum ope e emp a um e a , ad quad ingen esimum milia ium a Rheno usque ad lumen Albim, qui Sem-
nonum He mundu o umque ines p ae e lui , Romanus cum signis pe duc us exe ci us. E eadem mi a
spe concep um, elici a e e cu a ducis, empo um quoque obse an ia, classis, quae Oceani ci cumna iga e a
sinus, ab inaudi o a que incogni o an e ma i lumine Albi sub ec a, cum plu ima um gen ium ic o ia pa a cum
abundissima e um omnium copia exe ci ui Caesa ique se iunxi . This is he i s ime ha his has happened. The
Lomba ds we e de ea ed, a ibe e en wilde han he sa age Ge mans. And inally i happened, which no one had
e e hough o be o e, no ha anyone had e e ied be o e, ha a Roman gen leman wi h a badge o hono
up o he 40 h. Meilens ein was led om he Rhine o he Elbe s eam, which lows h ough he e i o ies o
he Semenones and he He mundu s. And because o he same mi aculous luck and he ca e o he leade and also
because o he (ca e ul) obse ance o he (yea s) imes, a lee uni ed, which had sailed h ough he bays o
he ocean and had come down he Elbe Ri e o e a comple ely unknown sea, a e i had won he ic o y o e a
numbe o peoples and wi h an immeasu able amoun o all goods, wi h he Lo d Caesa . 5 Mon ium al issimi
Taunus e Re ico, nisi quo um nomina ix es eloqui o e Romano. This is he i s ime ha his has happened.
Amnium in alias gen es exeun ium Danu ius e Rhodanus, in Rhenum Moenis e Lupia, in oceanum Amissis, Visu gis
e Albis cla issimi. I is also known as he Amnium o he Sea. Supe Albim Codanus ingens sinus magnis pa isque
insulis e e us es . This is he name o he species. This is he i s ime ha he Commission has been able o
submi a p oposal o a egula ion on his subjec .
I'm no su e wha you' e alking abou .
O he moun ains, he highes a e Taunus and Re ico, i you lea e ou he ones ha a Roman mou h
can ha dly p onounce. O he i e s ha low o o he peoples, he Danube and he Rhône a e he
mos amous, o hose ha low in o he Rhine, he Main and he Lippe, o hose ha low in o he
ocean, he Ems, he Wese and he Elbe. Beyond o no h o he Elbe, i is epo ed, he e is a huge
bay (named) Codanus wi h la ge and small islands.
6
Found om ex eme la os Aquilone Sue os Albis, and indomi um Rheni capu . The Elbe lows om he
a no h o he blond Sue en, and unconque ed is he main uppe cou se o he Rhine. 7 Amnes cla i in
oceanum de luun Gu halus, Visculus si e Vis la, Albis, Visu gis, Amisis, Rhenus, Mosa. This is he i s
ime I' e seen him in public. The ollowing amous i e s low in o he ocean: gu halus ( oday he P egel
o pe haps he o ), Visculus o Vis la (Weichsel), albis (Elbe), Visu gis (Wese ), amisis (ems), henus
(Rhine), Mosa (Meuse). […] om he o de o he i e s i appea s ha Pliny localized he i e
Gu halus eas o he Weichsel; So i could be he p egel, maybe i could be he memel he nemunas.
Acco ding o Solin, he i e Gu halus lowed wes o he Weichsel/Wisła, so i is pe haps mos likely
he o . P.J. Wha a e you doing? Ša á ik (1862: 539 ., anno a ion 41) exp esses he a ac i e idea ha
his hyd onym co esponds o he Scandina ian hyd onym Gö a-Äl = Go helba by Adam o B emen.
hen he ini ial o m would be a La in masculinum*Gu albus, i.e. Go hic albus.
128
ha aLd bichLMeie , VácLaV bLaŽek
ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXI
98 n. o he yea . Albis8 [ aci us, Ge mania 41; ann. i,59 u.ö.]; This is he i s ime I' e seen his. Abou he
ca. 150 n. ch . Ἄλβις9 [P olemaios ii, 11, 1–2];
yea 200 C.E. This is he case in he case o he case o he case o he case o he case o he case o
he case o he case o he case. Abou he yea 200 C.E. This is he case in he case o he case o he
case o he case o he case o he case o he case o he case o he case o he case. Abou he yea
200 C.E. This is he case wi h he case o L 1,28: 300 Alba [Mame in. sene . Maximiani 10,4]; also known as
Alba. Abou 300 ad Ge manicum Albam ( .l. album) [Paneg. cons an ino aug. 21,5]; 11 8 In He mundu is Albis
o i u , lumen inclu um e no um olim, nunc amen audi u […]In he land o he he mundu s he Elbe, a
amous and once known i e , now a ely hea d o […]
[Ge many 41]
9 1. Τῆς Γερμανίας τὴν μὲν δυσμικὴν πλευρὰν ἀφορίζει ὁ Ῥῆνος ποταμὸς, τὴν δὲ ἀρκτικὴν ὁ Γερ-
μανικὸς Ὠκεανός, ἧς ἡ περιγραφὴ ἔχει οὕτως. Μετὰ τὰς τοῦ Ῥήνου (ποταμοῦ) ἐκβολάς
, …
I'm no su e wha
you' e alking abou . I'm no su e wha you' e alking abou .
I'm no su e wha you' e alking abou . I'm no su e wha you' e alking abou .
Ἀμισίου ποταμοῦ ἐκβολαὶ κθ° νε°
αἰ πηγαὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ λβ° νβ°
Οὐισούργιος (Οὐισουργ
ὸ
ς) ποταμοῦ ἐκβολαί λα° νε° δ´ (νε°)
I 's a place whe e you can go and ha e a d ink.
Ἄλβιος (Λάβιος) ποταμοῦ ἐκβολαί λα° νϛ° δ´
αἰ πηγαὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ λθ° ν°
2. Κιμβρικῆς Χερσονήσου
[…] measu e […] l in […] exoque l ° ν[…]° Lg[…]
„1. he wes e n side o Ge many is bounded by he Rhine, he no he n side by he Ge manic
Ocean, he No h Sea and he Bal ic Sea, i has he ollowing desc ip ion: a e he [eas e n]
mou h o he Rhine; …
Vid us mou h 28° 30' (27° 30') 54° 20'
Mana manis (Ma a manis) po 28° 54° 45 ́ (15 ́)
amisia-/ems mou h 29° 55°
Sou ces o he i e 32° 52°
Visu gis-Wese es ua y 31° 55° 15' (55°) and he mou h o he i e
Sou ces o he i e 34° 52° 30'
albis-elbe mou h 31° 56° 15'
Sou ces o he i e 39° 50°
2. on he Kimbe ley Peninsula (Denma k):
Top o he coun y no h o he Elbe 32° 56° 50 ́
(Elbe ge and G aßho 2006: 220[…]223). This is he i s ime ha his has happened.
10 κἀν τεῦθεν πρός τε τὴν Χερουσκίδα μετέστη, καὶ τὸν Οὐίσουργον διαβὰς ἤλασε μέχριτοῦ Ἀλβίου, πάντα
πορθῶν. ἐκεῖνον γάρ ῥεῖ δὲ ἐκ τῶν Οὐανδαλικῶν ὀρῶν, καὶ ἐς τὸν ὠκεανὸν τὸν προσάρκτιον πολλῷ μεγέθει.
F om he e he wen on o he land o he Che usci, c ossed he Wese and ad anced o he Elbe, des oying
e e y hing along he way. I o igina es in he Vandalenbe gen and lows back as a powe ul s eam in he
no he n pa o he coun y. […]h p://zoche - egel.gmxhome.de/a balo schlach /cassiusdiod usus od.h ml> 11
ozean. e un e nahm es, diesen luss zu übe que en, abe als dies nich gelang, s ell e e opaia au und zog
See he quo e by udolph (1990b: 90), who ci es his as […] asch 5[…], whe eas […] asch[…] does no appea in he
li e a u e di ec o y. This is p obably he disse a ion o Ge ha d Rasch, in whose p in ed e sion ( asch
2005[1950]) he composi ion is on page 12.
elbe – zu den Quellen eines hyd onyms
129s aipsniai a icles by
The 5 h. [Solin XX 2]; Alba is loca ed in he sou h o
he coun y. abou 700 Albis [geog aphe om
Ra enna iV, 18]; 786 om Albia lu io [Hambu g's
eco d book i 3]; 805 Albia [Ch onicon Moissiacense; MM h i: 58]; This is he i s ime ha he Bible has been ansla ed in o English.
The 9 h cen u y. Æl e muþa [o osius] and o he s. ; 12 a ound he yea 1120 he
ch onis Kosmas o P ague used alongside each o he he La inized o ms Alb, Albe,
Albye, also Albia, and he na i e o m Labe, which al e na ed wi h he o m Albea; 13
he Middle High Ge man o m o he hyd onym was al eady Elbe; F om he Old
English documen s, he o ms Iel , Æl 14 a e a es ed.
4. e yMoLogie he p e ious conside a ions abou he o igin o he hyd onym
can be summa ized in h ee g oups acco ding o he linguis ic de e mina ion
o he p esumed sou ce:
4.1. Ge manisch Holde (1896: 85) and Schwa z (1931: 28; 1961: 48) placed he name o he Elbe
among he hyd onyms o Ge manic o igin. This happened in iew o he isola ion. el , nisl.
Wha a e you alking abou ? Ele en and a hal . El e o El a, No way. The Danish i e .
Swedish i e . The i e , Swedish. The dial. The i e bed is deepened, he i e bank is
s eep. Bu al eady in he scholien o he wo k o Adam o B emen om he 11 h
cen u y. (iV, 21; c . Udolph 1994: 857 […] 859) a a ional explana ion eme ges, which p oceeds
om a change o he p ope in o an appella i e: Go helba [ oday Gö a-Äl ] lu ius a
No dmannis Go hiam sepa a , magni udine non impa es Albiae Saxonum, unde ille nomen
so i u […] he i e Go helba sepa a es he Go hs om he no he n men. Acco ding
o i s size, i is no unlike he Elbe o Saxony, om which i s name also comes. A simila
de elopmen has also been expe ienced by he hyd onym Wisła, which is ound in
sou he n Poland. The dial. I 's called "o e looding". I 's called " eshwa e looding". 12
See o mo e de ails udolph 1990b: 89 . 13 See also B e holz 1923: 6, 39, 49, 56, 93, 206, 218.
14 See also The V ies 1962: 100.
15 See also de V ies 1962: 100; Magnússon 1995: 151; bjo and/Lindeman 2007: 223; k oonen 2013: 20: This is a lis o people who we e bo n in, esiden s o , o o he wise closely associa ed wi h he ci y o V ies.
I 's called albi .

130
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ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXI
jislo ‘ lusslau , bach’16 wandel e, ode das hyd onym Dunaj (‘donau’), das zu
This is Uk aine. looding, la ge amoun o wa e , Russian. The dial. Some hing
simila is abou also om he ans o ma ion o he name o Cha les d. g . As an
indi ec a gumen agains he Ge manic o igin, J. Udolph (1994: 857) a gues ha i
would be su p ising i such a la ge and
bedeu ende luss einen jünge en namen üge als seine zu lüsse, ü die egel-
mäßig ein o ge manische u sp ung angenommen wi d, wie e wa im alle de
namen on ise /jize a und ege /ohře in böhmen ode on saale, ilm, see e,
bille, os e und ande en in deu schland.
In Czech his o ical and a chaeological li e a u e he e is always he claim ha
p e-Ge manic hyd onyms such as Elbe, Labe, e c. a e o Cel ic o igin.20 Bu none
o hese names bea ai s ha would be cha ac e is ic only o he Cel ic
Ege /Ohře, Ise /Jize a19
languages. Simila i e names appea no only in o me ly Cel ic-popula ed a eas,
such as
Alba (ein küs ennahe bach in spanien [Plinius 3, 22]);
Aube ( low o he Seine: 877 Alba, in he geog aphe o Ra enna Albis);
Aube in ( lowing in o he G and-Mo in: 632 Alba);
Albe (zu luss de saa : 1200 Alba);
( low o he Rhine nea Ka ls uhe: 890 Alpa-gowe) e c. ; 21 possibly also he Eas Slo ak
i e name Labo ec ( low o he La o ice: 1150
Lobo cy, 1254 Labo ch)22; bu also a beyond he bo de s o ha se lemen a ea,
e.g. I'm no going o do ha . […]l ios ( i e s in he A cadia, he Elis and he Bi hynia);
16 See also Udolph 1990a: 309. This is he i s ime I' e seen i .
17 See also This is V, 156 .
18 See also Be neke 1924: 572 . ; I 's 357. 19 See
his i e name bichlmeie 2013: 425. 20 See also
z.b. This is a lis o people who ha e been awa ded he Nobel P ize in Physiology o Medicine, so ed by he yea o hei dea h.
21 Vgl. k ahe 1964: 52 .
22 See also Lu e e and Maj án and Š ámek 1982: 170.
elbe – zu den Quellen eines hyd onyms
131s aipsniai a icles by
Albula (ein ande e name des ibe und ein luss bei ibu – beide in La ium);
Gö a-Äl , Kla -Äl , Ljusne-Äl , Vindel-Äl and o he i e s in Scandina ia. The meaning
[…]whi e(e i e )[…], which is a ibu ed o he hyd onym Albis, also has no di ec
suppo in he Cel ic languages. You can only ind de i a ions ha s a om he
p ima y meaning ‘whi e o ‘ligh . These ha e ini ially adop ed he non-sc ip u al
Romance dialec s o dialec s om Gallic dialec s: *albēna > swiss.- . O beina, Val
soana (Piemon ) Albena, which is loca ed in he municipali y o Ra o om. I 's a o es .
Amblana and o he snow chickens, 23
I 's called albuca. (dauphiné) obüzo […]whi e o es ine[…] […]Clema is i alba[…],24 nex
o he albuka […] occi . (Mo and) obü, ( oue gue) aubügo […]whi e, ea h con aining
me cu y[…].25 The name Albion was used by ancien au ho s o e e o B i ain, e.g. in
he 1970s o he i s cen u y. I 's called ch . Plinius [4, 102]: Albion ipsi [B i anniae
insulae] nomen ui , cum B i anniae oca en u omnes, de quibus mox paulo dicemus. This
is he i s ime ha he name o he island has been used.
I used o be called Albion, bu now all he islands we a e going o alk abou a e
called B i ain. The Old I ish name o B i ain and la e o Sco land is Albu. bo h
oponyms, Albion and ai . Albu, can be de i ed om a Cel ic p e ix *albi[…]ōnh, om
which also kym . el ydd […]wo ld[…] comes om.26 and ob iously also belongs he e
he composi ion p e ix o Gallic pe sonal names o he ype Albio- ix […]wo ld-king[…]
( om he Gallic god co esponding o he Roman Ma s; c . ciL Xii, 1300). a connec ion
wi h […]whi e, b igh […], which he la . albus di ec ly anspo s, see e.g. holde 6
(189: 83 .) in he cha ac e is ic chalk ocks on he sou h sho e o he B i ish
mainland.27 The Cyp io and appa en ly also Gaulish designa ion o […]wo ld[…] has
an analogue in
gemeinslaw. *s ě ъ ‘hell, Wel ’.28
23 See also This is eW no. 319b.
24 See also This is No. 324a.
25 See also This is No. 325.
26 See also Meid 1990; edPc 29. This is a lis o people who ha e been ea u ed on he In e ne .
This is he i s ime I' e seen i . Howe e , (in he wake o hamp 1989: 109 .) sepa a ed u kel .
*albi[…]ōn- […]wo ld[…] o la . albus e c., bu gi es (as well as hemp) an e ymology in he p ope sense o
a basic meaning o be assigned o he oo unde lying he Cel ic lexeme. he a o emen ioned. The
non-Indo-Ge manic de i a ion o he wo d seems somewha hai y.
28 See also I 's he 30 h. I 's he 908 h.
132
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ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXI
4.3. ancien Eu opean on he basis o he mo e o less gene al occu ence o
hyd onyms o a ce ain s uc u e, which a e especially widesp ead on he Eu opean
con inen , he hypo hesis o he so-called I is o mula ed in he o m o an
"Al eu opean hyd onym". I s ounde , Hans K ahe, and his successo s, Wol gang P.
Schmid, Jü gen Udolph and o he s, assume ha i is a legacy o he i s wa e o
mig a ion ha b ough he Indo-Ge manic language o Eu ope. Bu i was no longe he
undi e en ia ed o iginal language, bu somehow i s main s eam, which had emained
a e he sepa a ion o he Ana olian, Tocha ian, Indo-I anian, A menian and G eek
b anches. The de i a ional su ixes wi h which he hyd onymic wo d bases a e
ex ended a e clea ly Indo-Ge manic, as is he hyd onymic oo spä u idg. I'm no su e
wha you mean. *h2el-bh, on which he name o he Elbe is based as well as nume ous
o he Eu opean hyd onyms:29Labe
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Albae ( i s cen u y)
[Plin. 3, 22]
Albis ( i s cen u y)
ElbeD&Laběcz is loca ed in he sou he n pa o he coun y.
Albina
(777) >
I 's called
Al ach
albula is
Tibe I
Alma Aen.
he name o a plan .
[Ve g. 16 h cen u y
8,332] E[…]ben asL is he name o he game.
(632) Alba >
The
The Elbe
Albula
[Plin. 3,110] This is he i s ime ha his has happened.
Aube in Ri e
dell[…]Albe oI is loca ed in he sou he n pa o he coun y.
The Labenza
(864)
The La ni za
(817) Alba > Al DAlbue aeAl enza Loca ed in he hea o he ci y
(877) Alba > Aube Aubance is loca ed in he sou he n pa o he coun y.
Alba (986) > AlbDUl undano is loca ed in he dis ic o Alba.
Alba (1095) […] Alpch abkÜ zungen: a Aus ia; also known as Alba (1095) and
Swi ze land; he Czech Republic; Ge many; and Spain; F ance; in I aly; Li huania;
No, no No way. In gene al, hese a e de i a i e su ixes, which we e p oduc i e
in he majo i y o Indo-Ge manic language b anches and o he basic language o
29 Vgl. k ahe 76, 1953: 40[…]42; k ahe 1964: 52 ., 101 . ; I 's a ab. 1 be ween pages 63
ekons uie en sind. es bleib nun noch, den u sp ung und die bedeu ung de
hyd onymischen basis spä u idg. *albh- zu bes immen.
and 64.
elbe – zu den Quellen eines hyd onyms
133s aipsniai a icles by
4.3.1. K ahe (1964: 52 .) el ha i was abou he designa ion o he […]whi e[…] o
[…]b igh […] colo o he wa e o a pa icula i e o a pa icula landscape
(s o ma ion) h ough which a wa e lows. In doing so, he elied on da a especially
om he I alian b anch o he Indo-Ge manic language amily: la . albus […]weiß[…]
wi h he de i a ions la . albu nus […]weißlich[…], alba us […]Weißpappel[…],30 umb . I'll
see you la e . Pl. n. al u, abl. Wha is he meaning o he name? Pl. n. al e
[…]whi e[…].31 The meaning […]whi e[…] is also p ese ed in he younge G eek glosses
ἀλφούς […] λευκούς32 and ἀλωφούς […] λευκούς,33 which da e om a ound 500 AD. The
Alexand ian lexicog aphe es i ies o hesych. Olde is g . I 's a whi e ou c y. in he
case o lep osy; This wo d was al eady known o Hesiod abou 700 B.C.
P obably ela ed o ms in o he Indo-Ge manic languages no longe had he
possibili y o di ec e e ence o he o iginal appella i e: u ge m. I 's no like I don'
know wha I'm doing. elp and lp , la e also álp , nisl. Al , ae. Wha a e you doing?
(Ken ) Elbi u, (Wessex) Iel e u, la e known as Yl e ( ) e, ahd. I 's called elbiz. Albiz,
alpiz, aluiz and so on, bu no in English. Al , ele en […]alse (alosa alosa) […]; 35 common
law. I 's no like I don' know wha I'm doing. I'm going o bed. I'm no su e wha you' e
alking abou . I 's called lbūd, Slo enian. I 's called labod, Slo ak, Czech. I 's good, Poland. I 's called a kaschub. I 's called łabądz, w uss. I'm no going o lie o you.
I'm so y, bu I ha e o go. The hypo he ical oo o u ge m. *al wi h he meaning
‘whi e, o b igh colou could also gi e ise o such wo ds as nhd. The dial. Alben […]
calca eous sand unde e ile soil[…], Swedish. The dial. I'm no going o be able o do
i . Rela ed a e u he mo e p obably alb. […] ba ley (~ g . […]l i […] ba ley lou o
-g aupen[…]) and he h. alpa- ‘cloud wi h egula loss o he la ynx *h2im appea s in
he ablau a ian *h2olbho-.37
4.3.2. he ‘old Eu opean hypo hesis is also unde going a de elopmen . he younge
gene a ion o i s ep esen a i es wi h W. P. Schmid and Jü gen Udolph a he
head p e e s a mo e hyd ological e ymology o he hyd onym Elbe/Albis/Labe. i
is assumed ha hyd onyme o he ype *Alo, *Alb(h)o, *Ald(h)o, 30 Vgl. eW n .
318, 329a. Wha is i ?
See also 31. This is he i s ime I' e seen i . ; 32 edL
See also 32. La e 1953: 117. He was bo n in La e, Ge many.
33 See also La e 1953: 119. This is he i s ime I' e seen i .
34 Vgl. L g e i, 591.
35 See also eWa ii, 1032[…]1036. This is he i s ime I' e seen i .
See also 36. Vasme 1986 […] 1987: ii, 470 . This is he i s ime
I' e seen i . ; This is Vi, 19; 32, 50 . ; This is edPs 365. 37 See also ieW 30 . ; This is edhiL 169; edg 77 . ; I'm no su e ha 's a good idea.
140 ac a
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Linguis ica Li huanica LXXI
I is ob ious ha no only om a phonological poin o iew, bu also om he poin
o iew o seman ic ypology, e ymologies o he name o he Elbe a e concei able,
which a e based on lexemes o […]whi e, ligh […], […]slow[…] o […]sliding[…] and so on.
a e based. Vocabula y o he Indo-Ge manic languages no ex ension o he oo
die einzige schwäche de le z genann en bes eh da in, dass im appella i ischen
nu se y. *h1elh2and u idg. *H1elh2und u idg. *H1elh2und u idg. *H1elh2und u idg.
*H1elh2und u idg. *H1elh2und u idg. *H1elh2und u idg. Wha is he meaning o his?
*h2elh2 wi h a labial elemen o su ix. I we compa e hese e ymologies, he
e ymology based on "whi e" eme ges as he mo e likely one, wi hou he o he wo
being eally excluded. he p e e ed e ymology is based on he clea ly de ined oo
complex u idg. *h2el-bh-, p obably shows a hys e odynamic (less likely a
p o e odynamic) ih2 s em, which o ms eminine subs an i e and adjec i e, and has
seman ic pa allels in nume ous "whi e" i e s as well as in he use o colo
designa ions in gene al in he designa ion o wa e s.
Adam B émský's li e a y di ec o y 2009: Czech bishop o he Hambu g chu ch. I 's
called P aha. Be necke and E ich (1924), Sla is ic e ymological dic iona y Fi s band: A
and L. Unchanged 2. Heidelbe g, win e is coming.
bi chlmeie ha ald 2012: ema ks on he e minological p oblem o he […]al eu opean
hyd onymie[…] oge he wi h Indo-Ge manic addi ions o he name o he Elbe. […]
Con ibu ions o he s udy o names, New Se ies 47/4, 2012, 365[…]395. c bi hlmeie ha al d 2013:
analysis and e alua ion o he linguis ic s anda ds o cu en esea ch o a adi ional
na u e on "ancien Eu opean hyd onymy" om he pe spec i e o oday's Indoge man
s udies. […] In o ma ion on he names 101/102, 2013, billy Pie e-hen i 1993: Thesau us Linguae
397–437.
Gallicae. This is a lis o he names o he languages o he wo ld. Hildesheim, Zu ich, New
Yo k. This is he ci y o Olms-Weidmann.
bily inge 1996: place name book o he Middle Elbe a ea. (Ge man-Sla ic esea ch on names
and se lemen his o y 38) Be lin: academic publishing house. bjo and ha ald lindeman
ede ik o o 2007: Vå e a eo d. This is he i s ime I' e seen his. I 's an e ymological
wo d. Re ised and expanded edi ion. Oslo: no us o lag (Ins i u e o Compa a i e
Cul u e) is loca ed in he ci y o Oslo.
Václa 2000: kel o é […] Ge man […] Slo enian, also known as Václa Linguis ic e idence o
con inui y and discon inui y o in e media e Eu opean languages. I would like o ask he
Commissione whe he he is p epa ed o accep he amendmen s abled by he Commi ee on he En i onmen , Public Heal h and Consume P o ec ion. I 's called Masa yko a Uni e si y, 9:30.

elbe – zu den Quellen eines hyd onyms
141s aipsniai / a icles
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I 's a man.
Cassius Dio Cocceianus: Wha a e you alking abou ?
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[…] new yo k: ha a d uni e si y p ess 1914. dobiáš jose 1964: The his o y o he
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b ill, 2010.
EdhiL […] kloekho s alwin: E ymological dic iona y o he Hi i e inhe i ed lexicon.
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indo-eu opean e ymological dic iona y se ies 4) Leiden – bos on 2008.
Lexicon. This is he i s ime ha he e m has been used in his way. (Leiden esjs […]
ha l o á, E a e al. This is he i s ime I' e seen his. The e ymological slang o he old
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142 ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXI ho lze g eo g 1994[…]1995: Whi e and black i e s. […]
ha aLd bichLMeie , VácLaV bLaŽek
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wha you' e alking abou . I'm no su e wha you' e alking abou . and e. Edi ed by Ma in
Kummel and Helmu
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I an Maj án Milan Š ámek Rudol 1982: Zeměpisná jména
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elbe – zu den Quellen eines hyd onyms
143s aipsniai / a icles
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hasso heiland. I'm no su e wha you' e alking abou . I'm no su e wha you' e alking abou .
This is he i s ime ha I ha e been able o do his. Mo i z Pinde and Gus a
Pa hey. I'm no su e i I'm going o be able o do i , bu I'm going o do i .
This is he i s ime I' e been able o do his in my li e. This is Heidelbe g.
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144 ac a
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Linguis ica Li huanica LXXI
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311–342.
ancien Indian ṛk- ype and he Hi i e nakkī-: he Indo-Ge manic ins umen al
be ween syn ax and mo phology. The language 45/12, 2005, zai nicholas 2012: The
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Languages and Linguis ics 7). Leiden, Bos on, b igh and shiny.
This con ibu ion was made wi h he inancial suppo o he Česká g an o á agen u a (No
P40612/0655).

146
ha aLd bichLMeie , VácLaV bLaŽek
ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXI
elbė: apie ieno hid onimo iš akas
The impo an his o ical in o ma ion, ela ed o he hyd onym Albisinius Elbe Labe wi h he
hyd onyms, he pada y ais su a pačia šaknimi, he se ice o he wo ds da ybos sunkumus
and inally e alua ed by he e ymology o he bandymus acco ding o he seman ic ypology.
I 's no a ques ion o whe he o no you' e going o be able o do i . I 's no a ques ion o
whe he o no you' e going o be able o do i .
gangas P. schmidas.
Į eik a 2014 m. spalio 14 d.
ha aLd bichLMeie
Sächsische Akademie de Wissenscha en
The wo kplace Jena: E ymological dic iona y o Old High Ge man
I is loca ed a Zwä zengasse 12, D-07743 Jena.
[Email p o ec ed]
Ma in-Lu he -Uni e si ä Halle-Wi enbe g
O ien al Ins i u e, Semina o Indo-Ge manic and
Gene al Linguis ics
D6099 Halle and Saale
[Email p o ec ed]
VÁCLAV BLAŽEK
Masa yko y Uni e si y, Facul y o
Philology, is loca ed in Ús a jazyko ědy a bal is iky.
A. No áka 1, CZ-60200B no
[Email p o ec ed]