E 0816          (TO)  SHRIEK

The verb " to shriek " is of  Germanic origin .

H 0936    ק ר ש ; צ ר ח                

Concept of root : shriek

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ק ר צ ר ח ; ש

tsaragh; shariq

to shriek, to shout,
to whistle

Related English words

to shriek

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ק ר צ ר ח ; ש

tsaragh ;

shariq

to shriek, to shout,
to whistle

ts . r . gh;
sh . r . q

English

to shriek

to shriek

sh r . k

Norwegian

skrike

skrìke

to shriek

sk r . k

Swedish

skrika

skrika

to shriek

sk r . k

 

 

Proto-Semitic *SHARIQ, *TSARAGH --- *SKRĪK- Proto-Germanic < *KRĪK- Indo-European

 

 

The similarity is clear and direct. The use of the Hebrew root "SH R Q" for "to whistle" is modern language, but is uncertain as translation of the Biblical use in some passage, as Lamentations 2. 15, where we would read not "whistling", or "hissing" but a louder vocal shouting or shrieking attack by the bystanders through the midst of whom one has to pass. Then the making of loud noise or shrieking, by animals in a herd, is certain, as in Judges 5. 16.

 

We present here two Hebrew roots and verbs, of which one is extremely near in sound, while the other is identical in meaning, but only a bit similar in sound . The verb with the root "TS . R . GH" carries the meanings of " to scream, shriek, cry, roar".
The other verb, with the root "SH . R . Q" has more varied meanings, of which "to whistle" has become the main one .Yet it also indicates the making of loud noise, voicing as by animals in a herd. Or the making of hollow sounds . This is perhaps an example of how meanings may drift apart, with the more comparable of sounds not or no more being the most comparable in message .

 

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic . The root "TS R GH" is seen in Aramaic and Syriac "צ ר ח , tseragh = to scream, cry". Arabic and Ethiopian "tsaragha = to cry, shout". Akkadian "tsrāghu = to shout". This root was probably already used in Proto-Semitic "*צ ר ח , TS R GH ".

     

    The other root, " SH R Q" is present in Aramaic "ש ר י ק , sherèq = whistled" and in Syriac "א ש ר ק , ashriq = he whistled". This root may well have been used in Proto-Semitic as well "*ש ר ק , shariq". In the comparison we maintained the vowels as seen in Hebrew.

 

Note:
  • Norwegian, like English , used this word for some special high-pitched ways of crying out. The sounds of birds are often defined by these verbs.

 

Note:
  • Swedish uses this same word also to name a bird, that has a rather charateristical and often heard shriek, the jay.

 

Note:
  • Semitic and Germanic . Hebrew verbs are usually presented with two vowels "A", but obviously in the real language also other vowels are used, for example in the so-called intensive verbs that have " I " and " E " and double the central consonant. Thus "katav" becomes "kittev". The verbs that we compare in this entry with "shriek" have verbal forms like "shireq, shireqèq" and "tsirègh". So we find in other Semitic languages Aramaic "sheriq" and Syriac "shĕriq" besides "ashriq". These vowels are much nearer the Germanic use.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic . To the languages mentioned in the table one may add Old Saxon "scricon", Old Norse "skrækja" and "skrikr = shrieker", Old English "skrīkon" and Danish "skrige". The "G" in Danish "skrige" is a typical local development. For the different vowel in the Old Norse verb, but not in the noun, we have no explanation. Proto-Germanic probably had the long " Ī "-sound that is present in about all languages : "*SKR Ī K-".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European . As in quite a few other cases, the specific similarity between Hebrew and Germanic is not easily confirmed by other Indo-European groups, that have similar words, but without an initial " S " or " SH", while carrying comparable meanings . In these circumstances a hypothesis is hard to make. If there was in Indo-European "*KR Ī K-" = to shriek, cry, shout", it lacks the initial "S"-sound found in both Hebrew and Germanic, though also Germanic has many words without that " S ". Examples of that are found in entry E 0217 (Hebrew 0767).

 

 

 

 
"...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: 02/01/2013 at 15.36.57