Albanian: dalendüse

[ThomasK]

A Dutch etymological dictionary suggests that a swallow is a dalendüse in Albanian, but dictionaries suggest that gjëlltit(de). No mention of dalendüse when I google or look up in those dictionary. Can anyone help?

BTW: I found another, probably more correct form of the word dałɛndüše, but even when Googling, you find no reference, not even to an Albanian site...

 

[L'irlandais]

My assimil pocket conversation guide has some 2000 words. But the closest I can find is gjeldét = turkey.
That's not much help really. Neither of those words get any google hits outside of (dot) nl

 

[ThomasK]

Indeed, very strange. yet, I suppose there must be some reason for mentioning the above words. I thought the form in correct in Albanian spelling might help, but again: in vain... Yet, thanks!

 

[L'irlandais]

Some online English Albanian dictionaries give dallëndyshja as the bird's name.
While gëlltit is the verb to swallow, i.e. to pass food from one's throat to one's stomach

Yet, this online Hungarian dico mixes them up again :
Keresés - Történettudományi Intézet
(I think it is the problem with online resources, they are only as good as their author. A simple mistake to swallow (verb) is not the same as a swallow (noun). Perhaps you could email them and ask if they stand by their translation.

We have lots of Kosovar refugees here in Mulhouse, I can check if the academics are correct after.)

 

[ThomasK]

Quite right: that is the solution! It opens up a lot of sources of information. Thanks a lot.

 

[Red Arrow]

Does Albanian still have the letter ü? Wikipedia says it changed to y 200 years ago.

(I don't know anything about this language so this is probably not very helpful)

 

[L'irlandais]

If Albanians no longer use ü, then I think it helps highlight that dałɛndüše in the OP is probably of Dutch origin.

 

[Red Arrow]

Dutch doesn't use ü as a separate letter like German, Hungarian and Estonian, but it is possible.

And Wikipedia says ë is pronounced [ə], not [ɛ].

 

[L'irlandais]

Hi again,
In any case both words are mentioned on this Dutch website, where/when the error occurred, I know not.

P.A.F. van Veen en N. van der Sijs (1997), Van Dale Etymologisch woordenboek
zwaluw* [zangvogel] {swaluwe, swalewe, swelve 1201-1250} oudsaksisch swala, oudhoogduits swalawa, oudengelsswealwe, oudnoors svala; denkbaar is verband met grieks alkuōn [ijsvogel] ofwel met russisch solovej [nachtegaal], dan wel met albaans dalendüse [zwaluw].

...

C.B. van Haeringen (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, Supplement
zwaluw. Zeer onzeker is de verbinding met russ. solovéj, po. słowik ‘nachtegaal’ (de combinatie met gr. halkuṓn is hiermee niet te verenigen). Daarentegen schijnt alb. dałɛndüše ‘zwaluw’ terecht door M.E.Schmidt KZ. 50, 236 vlg. gecombineerd te zijn (dałɛn- = germ. *swalwôn-; of -nd- formantisch met Vasmer t.a.p. 247 vlg.?).
Vla. zwalm is geen andere formatie, maar heeft m < w (vgl. Kil. swaelem).

*My emboldening.

 

[AgonSK]

"Dallendyshe" (indefinite) / "Dallendyshja" (definite) is the bird's name.

Not sure about its usage, but I think it's mostly used in Gegë.

"Gëlltit" is the verb that means "to swallow". It's mostly used in Toskë and you rarely here it in Gegë.

There is no "ü" letter in Albanian. The "ü" sound (like the German "ü") is expressed by the letter "y".