During my search for 'parsley' names in various languages my resources have been native speakers, libraries, embassies and mostly the web, as without the Internet I couldn't possibly have reached the help I needed from various experts. I found that people working in academic institutions were extremely generous and without their help, guidance and stimulation I couldn't have gone so far.
For instance two very important web contributors were: Professor G.J.P. O'Daly, University College London, who told me about the etymology of Maydanoz and Dr Agius Dionisius, Leeds University, who explained to me the etymology of Baqdunis/ Maqdunis. The latter was very important information because there are no Arabic etymological dictionaries yet.
Therefore I am very grateful to countless people, some of which I mention below, and also others whose names I have never taken, in particular some very helpful refugees from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, etc. Yes I took to carry in my handbag some parsley and coriander leaves.
First and foremost many thanks to the mathematician Professor Louis de Branges, Purdue University, USA, who started me on this quest in August 1998, when he visited us to discuss some mathematics with my husband.
Second Dr Abdel Salhi, University of Essex, U.K., yet another mathematician, also had a very important influence on the course of this study. Having collected enough names that easily proved the P hypothesis, I decided just to check further west of Egypt (Baqdunis), before packing up the project. Imagine my surprise when Abdel told me that the Algerian Arabic for 'parsley' was Maqdunis, at this point the penny dropped. After that on many occasions, he very patiently translated the impenetrable Arabic texts for me.
Third a huge hug to my family; first to my husband for his infinite patience with proof reading and then to my son Peter who helped me making this work available to web users.
Here are the others who also have helped me:
Dr Agius Dionisius, Leeds University, Maltese Arabic
Dr David Appleyard, SOAS, Amharic
P. Asaf, Modern Hebrew
Jutta Austin, Grey Friars
Prof. Jorge Morais Barbosa, Universidade de Coimbra, Portuguese
Leila Berg, Hebrew
Elaine Bigelow, Egyptian Arabic
Prof. Anibal de Castro, Universidade de Coimbra, Portuguese
Peter Colvin, SOAS, Arabic
Brian Cooke, Grey Friars
Milan Cvetkovic, Serbian
Dr Ibrahim Darwish, University of Essex, Arabic
Dr Mirna Dzamonja, University of East Anglia, Bosnian and Croatian
Joseph M Farrugia, Maltese
Clive A Fierstone, London School of Jewish Studies, Hebrew
Peter Fremlin, the supreme webmaster
Cesar Merchan Hamann, Acting Librarian, Leo Baeck College, London
Jennifer Levy Halford, Hebrew
Bushra Hamad, Iraqi Arabic
Susan Hobson, Grey Friars, English
Mark Jones, Azeri
Gernot Katzer, Kurdish and photo links
Aglaia Kremezi, Greek
Dr Gennady G. Kuznetsov, University of Essex, maps
Language hat, Armenian, Georgian, Kyrgyz and Uyghur
Prof. Victor Lobo, Universidade de Coimbra, Portuguese
Steven R. Loomis, Maltese
Antigone Margariti, Grey Friars, Greek
Dr Rita Marnoto, Universidade de Coimbra, Portuguese
Dr Adrian Mathias, Université of La Réunion, Welsh & Amharic
Dr James McMullen, Oxford University, Japanese
Sadie Morgan-Cheshire, British Library, Albanian & Turkic languages
Prof. G.J.P. O'Daly, University College, London, Greek & Latin
Dr Martin Orwin, SOAS, Somali
Paul Rädle, Azeri & Uzbek
Andras Rajki, Esperanto and many others
Iva Salis, Slovenian & countless other languages
Dr Abdel Salhi, University of Essex, Algerian Arabic
Lameen Souag, Algerian Arabic
Besiki Sisauri, Georgian
Dr Eric Tanenbaum, University of Essex, Hebrew
Alex Tarran, Persian and Arabic
Giacomo Valentini, Sardinian and Sicilian dialects
Anat Vernitski, Hebrew & Yiddish
Erica Wald, Jordanian
Dr. Peter Wexler, University of Essex, English
Marina Zaretskaya, Russian
Also thanks to the staff at the following embassies who enabled me to complete my map: Armenia, Belorus, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazkhstan, Kuwait, Macedonia, Moldova, Tunisia and Yemen.
29 April 2004, Colchester, Essex, England