Article

Name: Some notes about «arc(h)olino» / «coccolino» in the Book of the Marvels of the World by Marco Polo

Authors: Elizabetta Ragagnin, Baiarma Khabtagaeva

Free University, Berlin, Germany; Ca’ Foscari University, Venice, Italy; Szeged University, Hungary; Free University, Berlin, Germany

In the section Linguistics

Abstract: This paper discusses the enigmatic zoological term arcolino, documented in the travelogue of Marco Polo in the description of the Land of Darkness. Marco Polo’s world-wide famous travelogue «Book of the Marvels of the World» is a goldmine of information regarding «the mysteries and marvels of the East», especially concerning the Ta(r)tars, that is, the Mongols. His travel story became the greatest travelogue of his time. During the 13th and 14th centuries, 119 manuscripts of his travelogue were the object of wide interest. The «Land of Darkness» is generally assumed to refer to Yugria, an area generally identified with the upper reaches of the Ob river, that is, the region where Khanty-Mansi peoples currently live. At Polo’s time, that region and the neighbouring territories were inhabited by Yenisey, Samoyeds, as well as, perhaps, by Mongolian, Turkic and Tungus peoples. The traditional occupation of these peoples involved fishing, taiga hunting, and reindeer herding. Hunted fur would be sold in the markets of various cities on both sides of the Caspian and the Black Sea. From the Marco Polo’s description, the term arcolino seems to refer to an animal with valuable fur similar to a squirrel and/or a sable. We assume that this incognitos animal belongs to the mustelidae zoological family and most likely represents a loan translation from Mongolic solongγo ‘rainbow, Siberian marten’. Ancient Italian arcolino morphologically consists of the lexeme arco ‘bow’ and a diminutive suffix, i. e. ‘little bow’. Moreover, at that time, the term arco was widely used for ‘rainbow’. As for the Mongolic term solongγo, it refers to both ‘rainbow’ and ‘Siberian marten, weasel’. The Italian and the Mongolian term are related both in view of the colourfulness (rainbow vs. fur of the weasel) and, possibly, for the bow-shaped form. Direct borrowings of Mongolic solongγa are attested in Turkic, Tungusic and Yeniseian languages. From Tungusic, it was borrowed to Russian and re-borrowed to some Turkic and Samoyedic languages.

Keywords: Marco Polo, etymology, Mongolian languages, borrowing

Bibliography:

Afanas’ev P. S., Voronkin M. S., Alekseev M. P. Dialektologicheskiy slovar’ yakutskogo yazyka [The dialectological dictionary of Yakut language]. Moscow, Nauka, 1976.

Anikin A. E. Etimologicheskiy slovar’ russkikh dialektov Sibiri. Zaimstvovaniya iz ural’skikh, altayskikh i paleoaziatskikh yazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Russian Dialects of Siberia. Borrowing from the Ural, Altai and Paleo-Asiatic languages]. Moscow, Nauka, 2000.

Apatóczky Á. B. Yiyu (Beilu Yiyu). An Indexed Critical Edition of a 16th Century. Sino-Mongolian Glossary. Global Oriental, Folkstone, Kent, 2009.

Baskakov N. A. Khakassko-russkiy slovar’ [Khakass-Russian dictionary]. Moscow, Gos. izd. inostr. i nats. slovarey, 1953.

Baskakov N. A. Dialekt lebedinskikh tatar-chalkantsev (kuu-kizhi). Grammaticheskiy ocherk, teksty, perevody i slovar’ [The Quu-kizhi dialect of Altay language. Grammar, texts, translations and dictionary]. Moscow, Nauka, 1975.

Cardona G. R., Pizzorusso V. Marco Polo: Milione: versione toscana del Trecento. Edizione critica a cura di V. Bertolucci Pizzorusso, indice ragionato di G. R. Cardona. Milano, Adelphi, 1975.

Charignon A. J. H. Le livre de Marco Polo: In 3 vols. Pékin, 1924–1926.

Cheremisov K. M. Buryatsko-russkiy slovar’ [Buryat-Russian dictionary] Moscow, Sov. entsikl., 1973.

Cortelazzo M. Coccolini e arcolini. In: Lingua Nostra. 1998, vol. 59, pp. 43–46.

Doerfer G. Mongolo-Tungusica. (Tungusica 3). Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz, 1985.

Erdal M. Old Turkic Word Formation. A Functional Approach to the Lexicon. Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz, 1991.

Fasmer M. Etimologicheskiy slovar’ russkogo yazyka: V 4 t. [The etymological dictionary of Russia: in 4 vols]. Moscow, Progress, 1986.

Hauenschild I. Bei den Türkvölkern gebräuchliche Benennungen für das Mauswisel. In: Trans-Turkic Studies. Festschrift in Honour of Marcel Erdal (Türk Dilleri Araştırmaları Dizisi 49). M. Kappler, M. Kirchner, P. Zieme (Eds). Istanbul, 2010, pp. 315–329.

Haenisch E. Wörterbuch zu Manghoḷ un Niuca Tobca’an. (Yüan-ch‘ao pi-shi.) Geheime Geschichte der Mongolen. Leipzig, 1939.

Joki A. J. Die Lehnwörter des Sajansamojedischen. Helsinki, 1952.

Joki A. Wörterverzeichnis der Kyzyl-Sprache. Helsinki, 1953.

Kałuż yński S. Mongolische Elemente in der jakutischen Sprache. Warszawa, 1961.

Khabtagaeva B. Mongolic Elements in Tuvan. Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz, 2009.

Kurpeshko-Tannagasheva N. N., Apon’kin F. Ya. Shorsko-russkiy i russko-shorskiy slovar’ [Shor-Russian and Russian-Shor dictionary]. Kemerovo, Kemer. kn. izd, 1993.

Lessing F. D. Mongolian-English Dictionary. Bloomington, 1996.

Luvsandendev A. Mongol’sko-russkiy slovar. Mongol oros tol’. [Mongolian-Russian dictionary]. Moscow, 1957.

Mascherpa G., Skliar X. Ancora su “arcolino”. Un’indagine etimologica. Studi di lessicografia italiana. 2011, vol. 28, pp. 233–237.

Mostaert A. Dictionnaire Ordos. New York, London, 1968.

Olschki L. Marco Polo’s Asia: An Introduction to His Description of the World called “Il Milione”. Transl. by J. A. Scott. Berkley: Univ. of California Press, 1960.

Pallas P. S. Zoographia Rosso-Asiatica. Vol. 1. Petropoli, 1811.

Pelliot P. Notes on Marco Polo. Publ. by L. Hambis. Vol. 1. Paris, Imprimerie nationale, 1959.

Pelliot P. Notes on Marco Polo. Vol 2. Paris, Imprimerie Nationale, 1963.

Pekarskiy E. K. Slovar’ yakutskogo yazyka: V 3 t. [Yakut dictionary: in 3 vols]. Leningrad, 1927.

Radloff W. Versuch eines Wörterbuches der Türk-Dialecte: In 4 Bde. St. Petersburg, 1893–1911.

Ramstedt G. J. Kalmückisches Wörterbuch. Helsinki, 1935.

Ragagnin E. Dukhan, a Turkic Language of Northern Mongolia: Description and Analysis (Turcologica 76). Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz, 2011.

Räsänen M. Versuch eines etymologischen Wörterbuchs der Türksprachen. Helsinki, 1969.

Rassadin V. I. Fonetika i leksika tofalarskogo yazyka [Phonetics and lexicology of Tofan]. Ulan-Ude, Buryat. kn. izd., 1971.

Rassadin V. I. Stanovlenie govora nizhneudinskikh buryat [The formation of the Lower Uda Buryat dialect]. Ulan-Ude, Buryat. nauch. tsentr, 1999.

Ricci A. The travels of Marco Polo. Transl. into English from the text of L. F. Benedetto. London, Routledge, 1931.

Rozycki W. Mongol elements in Manchu. Bloomington, 1994.

Shcherbak A. M. Nazvaniya domashnikh i dikikh zhivotnykh v tyurkskikh yazykakh [The names of domestic and wild animals in Turkic languages]. In: Istoricheskoe razvitie tyurkskikh yazykov [The historical development of Turkic languages]. E. I. Ubryatova (Ed.). Moscow, Izd. AN SSSR, 1961, pp. 82–172.

Sravnitel’nyy slovar’ tunguso-man’chzhurskikh yazykov: V 2 t. [The comparative dictionary of Tungusic languages: in 2 vols]. V. I. Tsintsius (Ed.). Leningrad, Nauka, 1975–1977.

Tuvinsko-russkiy slovar’ [Tuvan-Russian dictionary]. E. R. Tenishev (Ed.). Moscow, Sov. entsikl., 1968.

Werner H. Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der Jenissej-Sprachen: In 3 Bde. Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz, 2002.

Yule H. The book of Ser Marco Polo. London, 1921.