E 0303          ESPERANCE

The word " esperance " is a loanword from French .

H 0876            ר ב ש

Concept of root : hopeful expectation

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ר ב ש

sibbèr ;

sever

to hope ;

hope

Related English words

esperance, from French  

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ר ב ש

sibbèr; sever

to hope ;

hope

s . b . r

Latin

sperare;

spes < speres

sperare ;

spes < speres

to hope;

hope

-

s . p . r

English

esperance

esperance

s  p . r

 

 

Proto-Semitic *SEBER --- *SPES, SPERES Latin

 

 

This similarity is looked into also in entry E 0302 (Hebrew 0846) , "sever". In the two entries we see that what is one and the same root with initial S-sound is spelled with the consonant Sin, ש as well as with the consonant Samekh, ס . For the moment it is anyhow useful to point out that the same root has the verb "ס ב ר , sawar, sibbèr that carries the concepts of "to think, be of an opinion, to suppose", that has led to "expectation, hope".

 

 

Note:
  • Latin. The word "spes" is very well known, and "speres" is the plural form already in Old Latin. The verb is "spero, speravi, speratum, sperare" for "to expect, to hope". The basic form is "SPER". Surprisingly, there has not been found any convincing connection to possible cognates in other branches of Indo-European.

     

    The only real difference in root with Hebrew is that Latin has a central P and Hebrew a central B. We know that these two consonants are very near, being the explosive toneless labial and the explosive voiced labial. It is quite frequently so that one substitutes the other, and that can also occur as a difference in the development of two languages. In both cases the concept of hope carries that of expectation, defining thus "hopeful expectation ".

     

    This time it is Latin that represents Indo European in the kinship with Hebrew. In Greek and Germanic we have not seen reliable indications of cognates.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic The root is found in Aramaic "ס ב ר , sewar = he thought, was of opinion, looked for" and Syriac "ס ב ר , sewar = he thought, believed, supposed". It has some possible cognates in other languages.

     

    This entry is thus related to number E 0302 (Hebrew 0846), in which the S-sound is spelled with the consonant " ס = Samekh" instead of the consonant " ש = Sin." The existence of the root spelled with the Samekh in Aramaic and Syriac "ס ב ר, sewar =he looked for, was of opinion" means that this root may well have been used in Proto-Semitic as "*ש ב ר ", or "*ס ב ר ", both being "S B R".

 

Note:
  • English and French. French in a number of cases has added an initial E to Latin roots beginning with an S plus another consonant. Thus the verb " espérer" and the noun espérance were developed out of Latin " sperare " . English just loaned the word of this entry from French .

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 02/01/2013 at 11.02.15