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E 0949 TURTLE
The word " turtle " is of
undefined Indo European origin .
H 0982 ר ו ת
Concept of root : turtledove
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Hebrew word
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pronunciation
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English meanings
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ר ו ת
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tor
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turtledove
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Related English words
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turtle
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Comparison between European words and
Hebrew
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Languages
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Words
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Pronunciation
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English meanings
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Similarity in roots
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Hebrew
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ר ו ת
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tor
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turtledove
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t (o) r
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Latin
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turtur
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turtur
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turtledove
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t (u) r
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Old High German
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turturi ;
turtultaube
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turturi,
turtultaube
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turtledove
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t (u) r
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English
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turtle
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turtledove
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t (u) r
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Italian
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tortora
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tortora
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turtledove
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t (o) r
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Proto-Semitic *TOR --- *TŎR- Indo-European
We see a clearcut similarity in the words for this bird in Latin and Hebrew. The only difference is that Latin has doubled the word. Generally "turtur" is seen as onomatopeic, that is as based on the sound the bird in question produces. One should recall that different people and languages may express one and the same animal-sound in extremely different ways and if they do it so precisely alike as seen here, there is a "similarity" that can be based on common origin.
The doubling of the root in Latin is demonstrated by the existence of the Greek name for the same bird, that is "τρυγων, trügōn". In this word there is also a metathesis between " R " and " Ü ".
Note:
- English and Latin. English "turtle", quite by chance identical to a word also used for a very characteristic reptile, is considered to have come from Latin , but that is not so certain, as it was already used in Old English as "turtla" and also "turtle". Latin words usually have travelled via French and have contributed to the revolution of the English language that created Middle English.
Latin had a diminutive "turturilla", but that was used figuratively to indicate certain kinds of women or effeminate men. Not too far from this is the use in other languages of the name of the turtledove to indicate amorous behaviour of people. Remains improbable that "turtle" comes from "turturilla". As already observed, Latin words when travelling towards English, seldom bypass Italian and French , that still have "tortora" and "tourtre", not with the L of "turtle" , though this is found in Spanish "tortola".
On the other hand we find "turturduva" like that in Swedish with again "turteldue" in Norwegian and Danish. In Old High German we see both versions, "turtulataube" and "turtultaube" versus "turturi". On the basis of this we cannot exclude that the turtledove in English is based on a separate Germanic development, with a typical diminutive having L.
Whatever be the case, the similarity with Hebrew stands firm.
Note:
- Proto-Semitic. We are without evidence from other Semitic languages that would give support for hypothesis different from Hebrew. It stays "*ת ו ר , T W R".
Note:
- Indo-European. Outside Greek, Latin and presumably Germanic there is perhaps one more cognate.
Armenian has "tatrak = turtledove", with a doubling of the " T ".
The peculiar thing is that Greek "τετραξ, tetrax, loaned into Latin, as "tetrax", and very similar to Armenian "tatrak", means different birds, like "pheasant" and "woodgrouse".
The hypothesis for Indo-European is anyhow "*T Ŏ R-".
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| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 11/12/2012 at 17.39.24 |
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