γάγγαμον

Neumann 1961a:100 connected the Ancient Greek word γάγγαμον ‘small round net for catching oysters’ (or probably molluscs in general, see the discussion in Dale 2019a:474f.) with Hitt. kānk-/kank- ‘to hang’ and explained it as a loanword from a Luwian participle ‘das (ins Wasser) gehängte’ (alternatively, Melchert apud Dale 2019a:477 suggested a Luwian neuter -m(m)an-stem). Nevertheless, most of the overviews of Anatolian loanwords did not take into account this word (Yakubovich 2010d:113f., 146f., Yakubovich 2013a:118–120; Sh. Hawkins 2010a:224f.; Gasbarra & Pozza 2012a:189–196, Gasbarra & Pozza 2019a:57–70; Hajnal 2014a:110f., Hajnal 2018a:2041f.), for the views of Simon and Oreshko see below. This etymology was ignored by DELG:205 (assuming unknown origin) and was considered as “most uncertain” by EDG:254 without arguments, proposing “Pre-Greek” origin instead (this etymology was not published yet at the time of GEW I:281 that also assumes unknown origin). Neumann’s etymology was accepted by Simon 2017e:247f., Simon 2018a:388 (providing further semantic support), Dale 2019a:477, and Bianconi 2020a:139 n. 5. Simon, however, pointed out the unexpected initial voiced consonant (the preservation of the initial stop instead of an affricate can be attributed to paradigmatic levelling as per Melchert apud Dale 2019a:477 n. 35). In Simon 2017e he underlines that this is not an isolated phenomenon and argues for the existence of a (perhaps Northwestern Anatolian) Luwic dialect without initial devoicing. It is remarkable that a Sapphic fragment (fr. 101 Voigt, line 1, Dale 2019a:470) shows a derivative of this word with an initial voiceless consonant and Dale 2019a:477 n. 35 entertains the idea that it reflects the original voicing and the initial voiced consonant is only the result of secondary assimilation. However, the form is entirely corrupted (†καγγόνων†) and thus no hypothesis can be built upon it.

However, Oreshko 2018a:104 n. 32 rejects Neumann’s etymology claiming that there was no need to borrow such a word and the Aegean fishermen were more experienced in oyster-catching than the Central Anatolian ones. By doing so, he ignores that the word was explained from a Western Anatolian dialect explicitly including the coastal areas (Simon 2017e:253) and it is especially the vocabulary of technical terms that is frequently borrowed, Moreover, his “why to borrow?” argument is not a valid argument in general, since there are no semantic restrictions for borrowings. Finally, his argument that oyster catching does not involve any hanging does not take into account the fact that hanging is only etymologically and not synchronically present in the term (Oreshko’s analysis was also rejected by Dale 2019a:479 n. 39, but only via ad hominem arguments): the Hungarian phrase szedi a sátorfáját ‘moves away, starts off’ means literally ‘removes the timber of his tent’, but nowadays starting off does not involve the removal of the timber of the tent.

[Zs.S.]

Last updated: 24 June 2020