|
E 0400 GUESS
The word " guess " is of
Germanic origin .
H 0384 ש ש ג
Concept of root : to grope
|
Hebrew word
|
pronunciation
|
English meanings
|
|
ש ש ג
|
gishèsh
|
to
grope around, scout, grope
|
|
|
|
Related English words
|
to
guess
|
|
|
Comparison between European words and
Hebrew
|
Languages
|
Words
|
Pronunciation
|
English meanings
|
Similarity in roots
|
|
Hebrew
|
ש ש ג
|
gishèsh
|
to grope around, scout, grope
|
g . sh . sh
|
|
English
|
to guess
|
|
to guess
|
g . s
|
|
Middle Dutch
|
gissen
|
ghissen
|
to guess; to grope for one's way
|
g . s
|
Proto-Semitic *GÈSH --- *GĬSS- Proto-Germanic
Groping around one does when trying and guessing to find where to go.
Note:
- Hebrew has another root, "
נ
ח
ש
naghesh ", that a.o. means "to guess". We find this root in entry E 0401 (Hebrew 0647). The N of this root is a prefix of accentuation or stimulation. The basic part is "GH SH", which is strictly related to English "to guess" and Dutch "gissen". From this we see that one Germanic word gives two messages that we find in two Hebrew roots. One is an entension of "GH SH" into "GH SH SH" with the meaning of " to grope>". The other lies ion the adding of a prefix " N " to another root of two consonants, "G SH". Clearly "GH S" and " G SH" must be identical at origin.
This confirms once more that , when about 3.800 years ago, the people around Abraham began to registrate the language they spoke in an alphabetic manner, there was some confusion about some sounds. People had different, or anyhow not identical pronunciations, and the establishing of roots on the basis of etymology was certainly not yet an advanced technique.
Note:
- Proto-Semitic. Aramaic has this same root in "ג ש ש , geshash"
In Arabic there is a cognate "jassa = he touched ", in which the "G" has become a "J", as is frequent in Arabic. Doubling of the second consonant has not taken place.
This root was probably present in Proto-Semitic with "*ג ש ש , G SH SH", and there was anyhow an original two consonant version "*ג ש , G SH".
Note:
- Hebrew and Dutch. There is an aspect we find extremely interesting. This Hebrew word is in practice used and known only in its so-called intensive form. That means that we see not "*gashash", but "gishèsh". And also the Middle Dutch and Modern Dutch versions of this root use, exactly like Hebrew, the vowel " I ". But even the other Hebrew root, the one composed with an initial stimulating N, does not says "naghash", but "nighèsh" !
Sometimes we wonder, to what extent in the past there were things in common between what have become our modern groups of languages, but of which we are no more aware. It may be worth while to investigate further into the use of vowels in European verbs to see if there is a link with the Hebrew vowel-changes that also bring variations in meanings.
Note:
- Dutch. To grope is to try and find, guessing while moving one’s way. To guess is to guess, in many ways. The Middle Dutch word "gissen" has both meanings. Modern Dutch is nearly, but not quite, concentrated on "to guess". In the expression "hij giste zijn weg" or in English "he guessed his way" the action of groping might still be sensed.
Note:
- Proto-Germanic. English "to guess" is considered a loanword, probably from Middle Dutch "gissen, gessen, ghissen, ghessen", the sister of which, Middle Low German, had the same words. Swedish "gissa" is seen as a loanword from Low German. It has been tried to link "to guess", that is not found in Old English, to a group of verbs like Old Saxon "bigetan = to grip, seize, find", Old High German "bigezzan = to obtain" and Old English "begietan = to find, seize, to get", that is certainly related to Engllish "to get" and to Old Norse "geta" and Old Danish "getse" with the same meaning. If this is right, the consonant "T" is a Germanic development, realized also via "ZZ" and "TS" out of "S", indicating that the act of "seeking and groping " has led to "finding and gripping, getting". It remains probable that Proto-Germanic had a form "G I SS-".
Note:
- Indo-European. This similarity is one among many that regard Germanic, without indications of possible cognates out of other Indo-European groups of language.
|
|
|
| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 21/10/2012 at 17.37.00 |
|