On Fri, 17 Mar 2000, Chris Doss wrote:
> Allemanni would be the form of "Alle Maenner" in the German (presumably Low
> German) dialect of the region at the time, I presume. From what I know of
> German history of the period (not a whole lot), it was actually a
> confederation of tribes, hence the "all men" designation.
If I remember my Gibbons correctly, the same is true of the Franks: they were originally a confederation of german tribes. "Frank" supposedly refered to the truth or loyalty of their mutual oath (although Scott Martens' warning is well taken, especially back in these primeval forests). I'm under the impression that during this period there was more difference between local tribes than there was between the French or Germans (or Saxons) as peoples or as languages.
And while we're on about non-native names, what about "German," which has nothing to do with the native language in any form? Buncha Roman imperalists. . . .
Michael
__________________________________________________________________________ Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com