E 0254          DERFIAN

The Old English verb " derfian " is of Germanic origin .

H 0331            ש ר ד

Concept of root : need and demand

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ש ר ד

darash

require, demand, search

Related English words

Old English derfian

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ש ר ד

darash

require, demand, search

d . r . sh

Old English

ğearfian;

-

-

ğurfan;

-

-

durran;

dorste

to require, be in need, miss;

to be required, must, want;

to dare;

dared

d . r f .

-

-

-

-

-

d . r

d . r s .

Old Norse

ğurfa, ğyrfa ; ğarf

ğurfa, ğürfa;ğarf

to need,

 need

d . r f

d . r f

Middle Dutch

dorven, durven, dorren ;

-

derven, darven;

-

dorst

-

dorven, durven, dorren;

-

derven, darven;

-

dorst

-

to require, behoove, need, may, dare;

to lack, be in want of, to cede;

 need, courage

d . r v. < d . r

-

-

-

-

-

-

d . r s.

-

German

darben, bedürfen

darben, bedürfen

to need, demand

d . r f

d . r f

d . r f

Swedish

tarva

tarva

to need, demand

t . r v

 

 

Proto-Semitic *DARASH --- *DŎRS-T, *DĂRBS Proto-Germanic < *DĂR(S) Indo-European

 

 

The basic message of the roots of this entry is that of demanding, requiring what one needs. The development in Hebrew has led to a specialization on the concept of "religious need" and consequently "search of God" and "study of the sacred texts". These texts, in particular the Torah, were abundantly available and, probably unique fact in human history, were read by the Hebrew people in general.

 

Hebrew and Semitic in general use a root "D R SH", whereas Germanic has a root "D R S" used especially in the past forms of at least part of the related verbs, but mainly uses a root "D R B", that can be a parallel or a later development.

 

The two actually main roots, Hebrew "D R SH" and Germanic "D R B", are not identical and diversification has carried them a bit away from a common basis . But Germanic has also that second root, "D R S", more similar to Hebrew, found in verbal forms, like Old English "durst", Dutch "dorst". They are still recognizably near a possible "*D . R" for " need and demand" or the likes. That means that the basic message was present in a combination of the consonants D and R. The third consonants V or F in Germanic may then be later developments, after the ethnic groups had split their ways . "*DH R S" or "D R S" is usually seen as a Proto-Germanic root, preceded by an Indo-European "*DH R S" <: "D . R".

 

Then there is a complication in the development. A basic root "D . R" in Germanic is seen in the English verb "to dare". This verb has sister words in many Germanic languages, and uses also an extended root "D R S", especially in the past forms and participles. But also the root "D R B/V" is used in Germanic tongues to express the concept of "to dare". It is also very difficult to distinguish forms between the two meanings of " to need" and "to dare". Some scholars say that here two verbs have melted. In the example of Middle Dutch these are "dorven" = to need" and "dorren" = "to dare". But in reality Middle Dutch "dorren", that is a sister of English "to dare", carried already the various meanings, as shown in the table : "to dare; to need, behoove; to be allowed to". Besides this there is in Middle Dutch an unrelated second verb "dorren" that says " to dry out, wither".

 

In German , "bedürfen", " be- " is a prefix. And as seen in the Table, in this case Swedish has changed over from D to T.

 

There are more complications. In German the verb "dürfen", from basic concept of "to need", that can be recognized in words like "dürftig" = "needy" and "Bedarfnis" = "need, what one needs", has also shifted to "to be allowed to".

 

The essence of Hebrew "darash", through the influence of the development of Monotheism and the Holy Scriptures has become "to inquire what to require" . Around this principle it indicates religious studies, important to define one's need of God. And a point in our comparison is that this special aspect of "inquiring", developed later, naturally is not found in the Germanic words .

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic This root is found in Aramaic . It is used also in Arabic and Ethiopic, but there they are considered Aramaic loanwords, as they are used to express the meaning of "to learn, interprete", that are rightly considered later developments on the basis of the important Hebrew word " מ ד ר ש, midrash = study, exposition, homiletical interpreation/commentary of the Holy Scriptures".

     

    There is some debate about the original message of this root. Some link it to another root , in the word מ ד ר ס, midras = treading, trampling, place trodden upon". There is a real lack of semantic relation though. We rather stick to that meaning of "to seek, try to find (what you need), need", that can be more practical as in Germanic tongues or more spiritual as in Hebrew.

     

    In any case it is quite possible that Proto-Semitic had already this root "* ד ר ש, D R SH".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. An existing hypothesis says "*DERS, *DARS, *DURS" and this seems right. Then a second form is *D Ŭ RB-", with other vowels (A, Y, O, Ü).

     

    The opening consonants vary in Germanic languages from D to TH ( as in thin or as in there) to T. There is not a too clear common view on the pronunciation of "TH" in older languages, but the most accepted view seems to be that of a voiceless TH in North- and East Germanic (Gothic ) and the voiced version of TH in West Germanic. Consequently modern Scandinavian tongues have an initial "T", also already present in Old Danish "törve". But West Germanic mostly (German, Dutch, partly Old English) has "D", as already seen in Old High German "durfan". This variation can be explained with an original "D".

     

    The vowel between the consonants is in the basic verbs nearly always a short "U" , sometimes a long "Ü". But various verbal and nominal forms use a short vowel "A" or "O". The basic forms will have been a short "U", near to the one in "but".

     

    The closing couple of consonants is often spelled "RF" , especially at the end of a word and in some Old North Germanic languages and Old English (Nordic influence?). But we find mainly "RB" besides "RF(T)" in Gothic and "RV" (from *RB) in Old Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. Then there is "RB" besides "RF" in German, some "RF" besides "RB" also in Old High German, but clearly "RB" in Middle High German. Further "RV" in Old Saxon, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch and Dutch. The origin probably was "RB". Presumably Proto-Germanic still had "*D Ŭ RB-", with other vowels (A, Y, O, Ü) used in different verbal and nominal forms.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. There is a hypothesis "dhers- dhors-, *dhrrs", that has to be amended. The initial "DH", as distinguished from " D ", represents a way of pronouncing that may be local or even individual and better is not generalized for all of Indo-European. This goes, even if sometimes, as in Old English in the Table, a semantic difference is recognized, perhaps a doubtful difference. Secondly the final "S" has been present, but an earlier root, that still lives on in English "to dare" had no final " S ". Thirdly the "RR", based on Sanscrit, wrongly reflects what in reality should be seen as a specific local development of Sanscrit, that has in fact "dhrishnú" = daring, bold, courageous", related to "dharsha" for the concept of "aggression, violation, assailing". Interesting is then "dárídra" = "poor" and "lacking", with an opposite distinction between "D" and "DH" in confrontation with what Old English shows. This once more demonstrates that the distinction between these two ways of pronouncing a consonant " D " should not receive too much weight. The hypothesis for Indo-European is "*D Ă R ( S )".

 

 

 

 
"...the town, to which was given the name Babel, because it was there that the Lord confused the language of all the world on the face of which He dispersed them. GENESIS 11,9"
 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 24/12/2012 at 14.51.34