zaNa (hemp)

[N. Ganesan]

'Hemp' (hibiscus cannabinus) is called "kONi" in tamil.
Compare Tel. gOnu, gOgu, cf. gOGgura, Kan. gOgi (DEDR 2183).

Some Tam. Lex. (OTL) entries;
a) kONikkayiRu = gunny twine
b) kONippaTTai = coarse gunny-cloth
c) kONippai = coarse sack, gunny-bag
d) kONiyal -> kONippai =coarse sack, gunny-bag
e) kONiyUci = packing-needle for sewing gunny-bags, bodkin
f) kONippaTTu = a kind of silk
g) kONi = 1. sacks made of jute fibre, gunny bag, sack cloths;
           2. a measure of capacity

Pointers were given where word-initial z- in loan words of Sanskrit
comes from changing k- from the original [**]. The Vedic word for
hemp, za.na (AV 2.4.5, PS 2.11.5) is also another loan exhibiting
this. Ie., Drav. kONi > Skt. zaNa. Also related are the N. Iranian
(Ossete) "goen, goenoe", and Greek "kannabis".

GodhUma, "wheat" is likely to be related with drav. *kOLam
which in tamil is cOLam, brahui xOlam, etc., My suggestion
of drav. *kOLam > godhUma has been approved as very likely
by world's foremost scholars who take the IVC script as dravidian.
The change of drav. kO- to Skt. za- in the words for hemp
is like drav. kOLam/skt. godhuma & avestan "gantuma".
http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/cgi-shl/WA.EXE?A2=ind9911&L=indology&P=R16411&D=1&H=0&O=D&T=1

M. Witzel, Substrate languages in OIA, EJVS, 1999, p. 30
"This is the opportune moment to briefly discuss another
northwestern peculiarity, the interchange of k/z in Vedic.
This has occasionally been observed, even one hundred years
ago in the case of KarkoTa/ZarkoTa, but it has not been put
into proper relief (Kuiper 1991: 41,42,44 as Proto-Munda,
cf. KEWA III 309, Witzel 1999). The interchange of k and z
is not related at all to the well-known Indo-Ir. dvelopment
of IE *k > Ved. z, as the present variation occurs only in
'foreign' words." [...]
" In consequence, Vedic loan words with the interchange of
z/k may go back to a phoneme K' with realization close
to [k'] or [z] in the Indus language."

The source for the loans in Sankrit beginning with z-
is likely to be Dravidian.

Regards,
N. Ganesan

[**] My earlier posts with word-initial drav. k- into skt. z-:
1) zaikya (related to steel) < Drav. *kEku/ tamil cEku
http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/cgi-shl/WA.EXE?A2=ind0009&L=indology&D=1&O=D&P=16985
2) ziva (23 Dec 1999) < *kiva < drav. kema(=good/auspicious/red)
http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/cgi-shl/WA.EXE?A2=ind9912&L=indology&P=R11011&D=1&H=0&O=D&T=1
3) zimIdin, ziva, zibi (30 Dec 1999)
http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/cgi-shl/WA.EXE?A2=ind9912&L=indology&P=R13503&D=1&H=0&O=D&T=1
4) karko.taka (25 Nov 1999) = drav. "gem-giver"
http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/cgi-shl/WA.EXE?A2=ind9911&L=indology&P=R17156&D=1&H=0&O=D&T=1


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