Why did Greek and Latin use a K sound in Slav such as in Sklabenoi, Sclavi?

[rashka]

The name Sklaveni (Greek: Σκλάβήνοι - Sklábēnoi, Σκλαύηνοι - Sklaúenoi, or Σκλάβίνοι - Sklabinoi, Latin: Sclaueni, Sclavi, Sclauini, or Sthlaueni - Sclaveni) was used to describe all Slavic peoples that the Byzantine Empire came into contact with.

[alfieb]

Well, the "k" is because there is no "c" in Greek.

And the Greek "sklabos" meant "slave" in English.

[rashka]

Well, the "k" is because there is no "c" in Greek.And the Greek "sklabos" meant "slave" in English.

The C was like a K in Latin. Can you elaborate on the Greek sklabos?

[Comte Arnau]

Greeks wouldn't be the first in the world to do something like this, adding a letter because the ethnonym sounds very similar to an existing word. Latin copied Greek in this, I think.

Modern Romance languages distinguish between SCLAVUS and SLAVUS. In mine, for instance, an esclau is a slave but an eslau is a Slav, so the ancient connection is not made any more.

[alfieb]

I had an elaborate post written but the forum deleted a day's worth of posts.