So, it finally struck me. I had no idea why the Balkans (the former Yugoslavia and Albania) were called the Balkans. And no idea why the Baltic Sea (also called the Baltic in Russian, but the East See [die Ostsee] in German) was called the Baltic Sea.
And I bet you don't either (except for you Serbs or Litvaks who occasionally look at this blog).
Well, I now understand that the Turkish word for mountains is Balkan. That explains that.
But the Baltic? I need serious help on this one.
Speaking of Die Ostsee, did you know that the word "See" in German, meaning "lake" is masculine, der See. Except in connection with the two feminine seas, which are die Ostsee and die Nordsee.
Explain that one, bitte.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment