E 0832          SIX

The word " six " is of Germanic origin .

H 0938                 ש ש                

Concept of root : six

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ש ש

shesh

six

Related English words

six

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ש ש

shesh

six

sh . sh

Greek

έξ

hex

six

h . x >

s . x

Latin

sex

sex

six

s . x

Russian

шесть

shestj

six

s . stj

English

six

six

s . x

German

sechs

zex

six

z . x

Dutch

zes

zes

six

z . s

Amsterdam dialect

shesh

shesh

six

sh . sh

 

 

Proto-Semitic *SHÈSH --- *SÈKS- Indo-European

 

 

This similarity is so obvious and clear that people have tried to deny the common origin by saying that this word, together with "seven" was a loanword from Semitic into antique Indo European. We refer to the reasoning behind this in entry E 0797 (Hebrew 0890) regarding "seven".

 

Note:
  • Amsterdam dialect , not an official language, but not less significant regarding the development of words, has been referred to here, because it is absolutely identical to Hebrew. We point out that a written or official " S " in many places and instances is pronounced differently, from SH to Z and TS. Or as in the case of numerous Greek words, S may become H. If that pronunciation becomes part of an official language, it becomes a "legitimate " development. But the basic truth does not change.

     

    Here we have the initial S, that has remained S in Latin and English, become Z in German (in pronunciation, not spelling ) and Dutch, developed into SH in Hebrew, Russian and in Amsterdam dialect and reduced to H in Greek. Then we see the final sibilant, SH again in Amsterdam and in Hebrew, S in Dutch and KS in the others, and changed into STJ in Russian that does love complicated sequences of consonants, but is not so happy with gutturals.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew . There is a supposition that Hebrew "shesh" would have been derived from a hypothetical word "shedesh". Perhaps the reason is that Aramaic in "shėt" and Syriac in "shet" have a final a T. But if the T would have been added it might have absorbed an earlier SH. Moreover we find Akkadian "shishshi" with a doubled second SH and Ethiopian "sessų", with as so often " S " instead of "SH". We stick for now to the obvious similarity with Indo European .

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic . The root "SH . SH = six" is seen in Akkadian "shishshi". But it is or better has become "SH . T" in Aramaic and Syriac, "S . T" and "S .D" in Arabic, " S . SS" and "S . D" in Ethiopian and "SH DTH" in OS Arabic. Remains the question what Proto-Semitic looked like. In this case the strong similarity between Hebrew and Indo European is an indication that the dentals, T-sound, D-sound and "TH-sound" have been developed later, and that Proto-Semitic was similar to Hebrew : "*ש ש , SH SH".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic . In all older and newer languages we find an initial "S", that in German is pronounced and in Dutch also spelled as "Z". The vowel is a short "E", besides in English "six" after Old English with different forms, like "sex, seox, siex" that may well have been specific new developments. As to the final consonant, this is "X" already in Old Norse besides in Old English. But in Gothic, Old Saxon and Old High German we find "sehs", with a weaker guttural in front of the final "S". This is the most probable form for Proto-Germanic : "*S E HS", that easily could develop into "SEX" as well as "SES" that is found in Middle Dutch and Middle High German.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European.

     

    Old Indian has "tsáts" and "tsáth" for "six" and that is not easily combined with Latin "sex". But Avestan "xshvash" helps to justify a hypothesis that both have developed, as is an existing view, out of an original Indo-European "*S È KS".

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 04/12/2012 at 17.40.16