E 0063          (TO)  AWAKE

The verb " to awake " is of Germanic origin .

H 1059           ץ ק י                      

Concept of root : awaking

 Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ץ ק י

yaqats

to awake

Related English words

to awake

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ץ ק י

yaqats

to awake

y . q . ts <

*w . q . (ts)

English

to awake

to awake

. w . k

 

 

Proto-Semitic *WAKATS --- *WĀK- Indo-European

 

 

English has four verbs that cross over into each other’s ground or meanings : wake, waken, awake and awaken. Old English already had various forms " wac(i)an = to be awake", "awak(i)en = to awake ", "wæcn(i)an = to awaken " . The prefix A is considered as intensifying the meaning. The unclear situation among the various versions, as it seems of old, does not change the basic situation of similarity between the English root " W . K " and the Hebrew combination " W . Q " with the meaning of " to wake up ".

 

The difference is that Hebrew has applied a third consonant, TS " that is not found in English, that instead has added in some versions an initial vowel , using as such an A . Apparently both language groups split before these developments took place.

 

The root is found in perhaps all Germanic languages.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew. This root, with the third consonant TS : " *W . Q . TS ", is used only in the specific intransitive and reflexive sense : " ( he ) wakes up (himself )".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic . The development of roots, from a two consonant root " X X" into "W X X " and from there into "Y X X" , seen in very many cases , has not always taken place in the same period. In the example of this entry, we see that Hebrew "Y Q TS" is also already found in Arabic "yaqidza = he was awake", be it with a change in the last consonant ( TS into DZ).

     

    But at the same time there exist in Hebrew many roots that have a central "Waw", often followed in time by a newer version with central "YOD". Also with the two consonant combination of this entry we find such roots, in the words " ק ו ץ , qots, qats = to wake up " in Medieval Hebrew, " ק י צ ה, qitsà = awakening" in Post Biblical Hebrew and " ק י ץ , qaits = awakening" in Medieval Hebrew.

     

     

    Probably Proto-Semitic had these roots, that are sometimes, we think wrongly, seen as a secondary form of the three-consonant root: "* ק ו ץ , Q W TS" as well as "* ו ק ץ , W Q TS" and possibly already "* י ק ץ , Y Q TS".

     

    The situation is complicated, as there might be lack of harmony between the existence and development of the mentioned possible two consonant roots and three consonant roots. The mentioned vision of the first having being derived from the second offers a solution, but a rather uncertain one.

     

    It must be noted that a combination "* ק ו ץ , Q W TS" is used for various quite different concepts, such as "loathing", "thorns", "shrinking", "curls", besides "awakening".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic . The opening consonant in West Germanic languages and East Germanic Gothic is a "W" and the following vowel is a long "A". In some verbal or nominal forms the long "A" becomes a short "A". In causative forms one may see a vowel "È" ( Dutch "wekken"= to (make) awaken), together with a doubling of the consonant"K".

     

    The closing consonant is thus a single or double K-sound, that may be spelled "C" or "CK". In German and its predecessors it may become a "KH"-sound, spelled "CH", in front of an added consonant "T" in verbal and nominal forms as German "Wacht = guard" and "wach =( he is) awake". In this mainly and anyhow typical High German development we see Old High German having "wahhon" and "wahta". Presumably Proto-Germanic had "*W Ā K-".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic and Indo European. If the remarks of the Note on Proto-Semitic are right, the question raises, if the so abundant presence of initial consonants "W" ( or "V") in European languages also indicates the addition of prefixes "W" (or "V") . If indeed as is believed, the two-consonant "QOTS" is a secondary form, there is no problem. But if it is a predecessor, the problem is if this way of shaping or developing roots may have taken place before Indo European and Semitic were born or the split off from the earlier languages they have come from had taken place. Question marks are abundant.

 

Note:
  • Indo European. Germanic "*WĀK-" is usually seen as related to several words from other Indo-European languages. So Latin "vegēre = to be lively.brisk; to animate, push (fig.)", " vigēre = to be vigorous, strong" and "vigil; vigiles = alert (dogs), active (nightlights, -fire); watchmen, watch-(adj.)". But this "vigil" is also given with a further original meaning of "awake". Then there is Old Indian "vāja = strength, vigour, health; youth" that is related to Latin. Regretfully the clear basic meanings of these words are far off from the Germanic ones. They indicate an Indo-European "*V Ē G-" for "vigour", but give unsufficient support for a hypothesis for Indo-European with the meaning of "to be awake, awaken". Instead Indo-European may have had a form like Germanic : "*W Ā K(K)-", with a possibility of a version ""*W Ā G-".

     

 

 

 

 
"...the town, to wich 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: 05/01/2013 at 15.24.37