Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!netnews.upenn.edu!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!cert.sei.cmu.edu!krvw From: RZOTTO@DKNKURZ1.BITNET (Otto.Stolz) Newsgroups: comp.virus Subject: re: Mysterial message (KONIEC) Message-ID: <0004.9009101250.AA03627@ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu> Date: 6 Sep 90 18:23:00 GMT Sender: Virus Discussion List Lines: 41 Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu Hello amateur linguists, my note of yesterday was a near miss or (stated euphemisticly) almost correct. A browse through our library's dictionaries during lunch-break revealed that the exact spelling KONIEC is used only in the West-Slavic languages Polish and Slovac, not in Serbo-Croatian as I had erroneously assumed. In particular, the Bulgarian word is spelled differently and has a completely different meaning (see below); this might be of interest to virus researchers, as we have read of many viruses originating in Bulgaria. Btw. the C is pronounced like a TS (definitely not like a K or G) in all slavic languages using the Latin script; hence there is no connection with the Germanic root KING/K by somebody else. I hope this will settle the discussion. Best wishes Otto - - - - - - - - - - Appendix: Summary of KONIEC root East-Slavic Languages: Russian * KONJEC End, tip, point; distance, way (between 2 points) Ukrainian * KINEC' end, termination, conclusion, limit; extremity, point Bjelo-Russian not checked West-Slavic Languages: Polish KONIEC End, tip, termination Czech KONEC End, termination Slovac KONIEC End, termination Minor West-Slavic languages not checked South-Slavic Languages Slovenian KONEC End, termination, aim; thread Serbo-croatic KONAC End Makedonian * KONJEC Thread (KRAJ = end) Bulgarian * KONJEC Thread (KRAJ = end) * These languages use the Cyrillic script, where JE is one single letter