[MoochPooch]

The term barbarian is the Latin derivative of how a Roman would describe the speech of the nothern tribes. To the romans their speech sounded like the bleating of sheep. “Ba...Ba...Ba...Ba”

I thought it had something to do with the Romans' being clean-shaven. They equated these tribes with bearded men -- hence, the word "barbe."

I also heard that the word may have originated from Greek, as well. The xenophobic Greeks equated beards with foreigners.

[Cronos]

allendale The term barbarian is the Latin derivative of how a Roman would describe the speech of the nothern tribes. To the romans their speech sounded like the bleating of sheep. “Ba...Ba...Ba...Ba”

One point wrong, Allen -- The English term “barbarian” is derived from the Greek barbaros, Latinized as barbarus.

The rest of what you wrote is correct

Moochpooch, it had nothing to be done with beards - the Greeks were big on their beards, it was a Latin thing to go clean-shaven (as then when you fought, your opponent had nothing to grab on)

This is similar to the Polish (and to a large extent Slavic) terms:

for Germans - Niemcy - basically from "mute" i.e. people who can't speak clearly

Wloch - Italians - the origin is from the German term Wallach meaning Italic speaking non-German and was the term for the Britons (hence Wales/Welsh), French (Wallons/Wallonia), Romanians (Vlachs, Wallachia)