E 0984          (TO)  WAVE

The verb " to wave " is of Germanic origin .

H 0671            ף פ ו נ , ף ו נ

Concept of root : waving

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ף פ ו נ ,ף ו נ

noph, nophèph

to wave

Related English words

to wave  

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ף פ ו נ ,ף ו נ

noph, nophèph

to wave

n . w .ph

< * w .ph

English

to wave

to wave

w . v

Middle Dutch

weiven,

woeiven

weiven;

wuyven

to wave

w . v

w (o) . v

 

 

Proto-Semitic *NOPH < ‛OPH --- *WŌF, "WĒF Proto-Germanic

 

 

These Hebrew words refer specifically to the waving of flags. There is also a reflexive version, "hitnophèph", with that same message of waving and fluttering, and referring to flags. Naturally the meaning is not limited to that of waving flags, but touches in general the agitating or moving to and fro of things. English "to wave", together with its Middle Dutch sisters , is as good as identical in its message.

 

We presume that the initial N in this Hebrew root is not some kind of doubling, but a confirming prefix. This is found in many roots beginning with an N, and especially with roots that indicate moving and movements. The pronunciation may have been as well "*nawaf " , very near English "wave" . There is indeed in Hebrew evidence that the sound of the word "NOPH" without "N", that is "OPH" carries the message of "to wave, brandish": This is seen in the verb that commonly says "to fly", but as well "to wave", which can sometimes be seen as a kind of "making to fly": " ע ו פ ף , Ayin W P P, ‛ophèph = to wave, brandish". This certainly has developed out of an older " ע ו ף , Ayin W P , ‛oph", that also has led to "NOPH", perhaps even before having used an initial Ayin.

 

The PH, in Hebrew normally a P that has changed sound through its position in a word, is considered equivalent to the Germanic V. Their sounds at the end of a word can be very near. We can not be fully certain that the spelling with a " Pé ( פ )" corresponds to the original value.

 

Note:
  • English had Middle English "waven" and before that Old English "wafian" with the same basic meaning . We note that there is no O-sound, as found in Hebrew, but only the W. We recall the typical adventures of the sounds that in Hebrew are spelled with the letter W . A sound " W " in the development of roots and words may change into O or U, but may as well create WO or WU. Middle Dutch shows:

 

Note:
  • Middle Dutch has the pleasure of using two different words, one( weiven) in which the W has remained W as in English "wave" , each using a vowel for pronunciation. The other Middle Dutch word "woeiven", with identical meaning, has extended the W into WU. It seems from the spelling that the sound is WO, but the following E shows that the pronunciation has to be WU. In Modern Dutch the word has become "wuiven" with a typically new Dutch UI-sound, unlike a diphthong, and that lives somewhere between Ü and I .

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. This same root is seen in older languages, but not in Modern German. In Swedish "wifta" and Norwegian "wifte" a T has been added without changing the meaning. This is another characteristic Germanic pleasure. In some dialects, like that of The Hague in Holland, a final T is added by many speakers even in words like "tijger = tiger", that becomes "tijgert".

     

    In older languages there are Old Norse "veufa" and Old High German "weibon". Middle Dutch had three versions with different vowels : "woeiven, weiven, wēven". In the past tense the vowel "Ō " is seen. Proto-Germanic probably had "*W Ē F-" or "*W Ō F-".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. There is no good evidence for cognates in other groups within Indo-European. A proposed Old Indian "vepate" = "to tremble" it too far off.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. There is not much evidence, but Syriac has a two consonant root " נ ף , with the meaning of "to wave". This means that Proto-Semitic may have had " נ ו ף , N W P , noph, and the older "* ע ו ף , Ayin W P , ‛oph, as mentioned in the second paragraph of this text.

 

 

 

 
"...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: 15/11/2012 at 10.35.22