Re: Pseudo-cognates?

Piotr Panek <VVVpiotrpanekVVV@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:elrtdk$59l$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dusan Vukotic napisał:
Paul J Kriha wrote:
A Czech word "c^erstve'" (fresh) has an etymologically related
and sililarly sounding word in Polish meaning rotten, spoiled.
That should qualify. :-)
pjk

Polish 'zepsuty' (rotten, spoiled; Serb. 'zapahnuti').
It does not seem
to be similar to 'cerstve' (new, fresh, Polish 'nowy' new, fresh;
Serb. 'krepak' fresh). May be there is another polish word for rotten
(Czech. shnilý rotten; interesting, from 'hniloba' rottenness: Serb.
gnjilo rotten); vielleicht 'cervotoc', 'cervivý' wormy; Serbian
'crvati' infest; 'crv' vorm)

'Rotten, spoiled' is even rather "zgniły" ("zepsuty" has more general
meaning - 'broken, not working, rotten').
Polish "czerstwy" when referred to bread means 'stale', which is
connected with drying, while 'rotten' is rather connected with moisture.
But when referred to a human (in such phrases as "czerstwy staruszek",
"czerstwa skóra" it remains its old meaning - 'healthy old man',
'healthy, though weathered, skin'). The last phrase preserves the medium
stage - "czerstwa skóra" is dried, but healthy, good, "czerstwy chleb"
is dried, so bad. But these phrases are rather archaic. You'd hear
"zdrowy staruszek", "zdrowa skóra" more frequently than "czerstwy ..."
Actually, "czerstwy chleb" is not as archaic as above phrases, but you
can also more frequently hear just "zeschły chleb" 'dried bread'.

Heureka! :-)
'ere we are... P. "czerstwy chleb" (dry/stale bread) would be
pronounced almost exactly the same as Cz "c^erstvy' chle'b"
(freshly baked bread).
The anecdotal story I heard was told by a girl who asked
a saleswoman at a vegetable stall in Poland if her lettuce was
"czerstwy". The saleswoman got somewhat agitated shook the
lettuce in her hand showing my friend that of course it was NOT
czerstwy at all. My friend shrugged her shoulders and walked
away. The woman continued calling after her, that it wasn't
czerstwy, it really WAS NOT!!! :-)

pjk

piotrek


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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Pseudo-cognates?
    ... Polish 'zepsuty' (rotten, spoiled; Serb. ... shnilý rotten; interesting, from 'hniloba' rottenness: ... as Serbian 'čvrst'; ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Pseudo-cognates?
    ... Polish 'zepsuty' (rotten, spoiled; Serb. ... to be similar to 'cerstve' (new, fresh, Polish 'nowy' new, fresh; ... shnilý rotten; interesting, from 'hniloba' rottenness: ... as Serbian 'čvrst'; ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Pseudo-cognates?
    ... and sililarly sounding word in Polish meaning rotten, ... shnilý rotten; interesting, from 'hniloba' rottenness: ... But these phrases are rather archaic. ...
    (sci.lang)