The Lojban Kalevala Project

[Ivan A Derzhanski <cbmvax!uunet!cogsci.ed.ac.uk!iad>]

>  Date:        Wed, 19 Aug 1992 10:39:24 -0400
>  From: "Mark E. Shoulson" <shoulson@EDU.COLUMBIA.CTR>
>  >From: Ivan A Derzhanski <iad%COGSCI.ED.AC.UK@CUVMB.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU>
>  >>  From: nsn@AU.OZ.MU.EE.MULLIAN
>  >>
>  >>  Ivan writes (btw, welcome back;
>
>  >Welfound.  (I mean, _kalws se brhka_.)
>
>  I take it that's an Arabic expression? (the _brhka_ root leads me to
>  believe that).

No, it is Greek (well, my idea thereof  :-)), _brhka_ `I found, I
discovered', pronounced {vrika}, as in "Heureka" (the same in
Classical Greek), _kalws se brhka_ `well I found thee [here]'.

>  Very similar one in Hebrew:

And in Turkish and Bulgarian.  I must say I wish there were an English
equivalent - I'm always at a horrible loss when someone says "Welcome"
or "Welcome back" to me.  I just need some equally standardised
formula to reply, and none is available.

Ivan