tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905541471605961414.post8339657989800077639..comments2024-03-28T17:25:17.827+07:00Comments on Thai 101: Etymologist 4: แม่มดRikkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196282287835224940noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905541471605961414.post-69124831638963106372011-01-17T12:42:19.287+07:002011-01-17T12:42:19.287+07:00Here is my guess.
Cambodian word โขฺมจ means spir...Here is my guess.<br /><br />Cambodian word โขฺมจ means spirits ผี. Perhaps แม่มด was originally แม่โขมจ before gradual changes in spelling, elision, length and tone of sound:<br />1) -> แม่โขมด(pronounced mae-kha-mot)<br />2) -> แม่โหมด<br />3) -> แม่หมด<br />4) -> แม่มด<br />Thai embraced many ritual/animistic beliefs from Hindu-influenced Khmer. โอม (อะ+อุ+มะ - Hindu, "เพี๊ยง" Phiang and "พ๊วง" phuang.<br />I saw a documentary on Cambodian mediums in which a medium said "พ๊วง" phuang in the same way Thai mediums do.Bancha Suvannanondahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03690357147670676614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905541471605961414.post-47017237782192269102008-07-30T13:54:00.000+07:002008-07-30T13:54:00.000+07:00Here's something else that may or may not be a coi...Here's something else that may or may not be a coincidence.<BR/><BR/>Harry Shorto's 1962 <I>A Dictionary of Modern Spoken Mon</I> has /əca həlùˀ mòt/ in the sense "conjurer".<BR/><BR/>The phrase literally means "one who deceives the eyes". /əca/ is from the same Sanskrit word as Thai อาจารย์. /mòt/ is the Mon word for "eye". And /həlùˀ mòt/ means to deceive the eye (/həlùˀ/ means to darken or blind).<BR/><BR/>Mon and Khmer are members of the same language family (Mon-Khmer). The word /mòt/ appears to be native Mon. If so, the Khmer cognate of /mòt/, if there is one, isn't obvious.<BR/><BR/>The common Khmer word for "eye" is ភ្នែក /pnɛɛk/. Other Khmer words for "eye" come from Indic: ចក្ខុ /cakkʰoʔ/ and ចក្សុ /caksoʔ/ (cf. Thai จักษุ and จักขุ, plus variations);<BR/>នយនៈ /neaʔyeaʔneaʔ/ (cf. Thai นัยน์ or นัยนา); and នេត្រ /neit/ (cf. Thai เนตร).<BR/><BR/>So is there any connection between the Mon /mòt/ and Khmer មត់ /mʊət/? I couldn't say.<BR/><BR/>For what it's worth, <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuon_Nath" REL="nofollow">Chuon Nath</A>'s 1967 Khmer dictionary says មត់ is probably from Pali <I>mata</I>. So with Banchob that's two revered native scholars (one Thai, one Khmer) who have come to that conclusion, though I have no idea of whether either knew of the other's work or was influenced by it.<BR/><BR/>So perhaps the Mon connection really is just a coincidence. But I thought I'd put my thought process up here anyway, for the record.Rikkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17196282287835224940noreply@blogger.com