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E 0490 IT
The word " it " is of
Germanic origin
H 0075 א ת
Concept of root : the
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Hebrew word
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pronunciation
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English meanings
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א ת
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et
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the
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Related English words
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it
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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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א ת
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et
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the
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e t
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English
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it
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it
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i t
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Latin
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item
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idem
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item
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idem
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thus
(the him) ;
same
(he him) ;
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i t (m) ;
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i d
(m) ;
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Proto-Semitic *ET --- *HÈT Proto-Germanic
The Hebrew word "et", is not, or rather no more, used as a definite article. Instead it precedes nouns in accusative position, in exactly the way Europeans use the definite article without the noun it refers to. In English the speaker, referring to having read a book, says "I have read it". In Hebrew the speaker says : "I have read it the book".
In general English and its sisters do not use the article in front of a person. One does not say "I saw the Mary walking". But Italians do : "Ho visto la Maria". And so it is in Hebrew : "I have seen the Miriam".
Note:
- Latin. The Latin word has been added, because we believe it has originated from two components, one of which is "it", also "id" or "is", and can be translated as "it" or "he" The second part may be related to the Germanic words "him" (English), "hem" (Dutch) and "ihm" (German). That means, in order to confirm a "thus" or "same" the speaker says : "he him (is so). But we do not claim certainty.
Note:
- Hebrew. A second use of Hebrew is in compositions that indicate persons as indirect objects: Here its pronunciation shifts to "it", nearer to English. It forms one word with the usual suffixes of personal pronouns : "iti" (with me), itkha" (with you), "ito" (with him). Finally it becomes "ot-" with an accusative without noun : "oti" (me), "otkha" ( you),"oto" (it).
Note:
- Hebrew does not know neutral words, only male and female. So no neutral article is used as such. This explains how "et", not necessary for neutral words, was available for use with male and female words. By the way, if the Hebrew word "et" would have been used as a neutral pronoun it should have become "*het", exactly as in Dutch. In fact Hebrew uses an "H" to form several pronouns.
This "H" with an "A" added, "HA", has basically also the function of English "the". Hebrew scholars sometimes have difficulty of classifying Hebrew words in the customary Latin categories , on account of the considerable structural difference of grammar and syntaxis. So they call "et" a "conjunction". But the relationship with the Germanic article speaks loud and clear.
Note:
- Proto-Semitic This Hebrew word has cognates in other Semitic languages, such as Phoenician "iat", Aramaic and Syriac "yat" and "ot" and Moabite "et. In all probability the root "*Aleph T" also existed in Proto-Semitic : "* א
ת*, Aleph T ". For the similarity in meaning with English " it " it is important to know that Syriac "yat" was even used mostly as a noun.
In the comparison the Hebrew vowel is presented.
There exists a theory, according to which "iat" is an indication for an original "*'iwyath, but that is a very far shot and unconvincing. The introduction of a vowel "A" after a Yod is a development that in Semitic tongues may happen easily and it should not lead us to suppose it to be original.
Note:
- Proto-Germanic. In Germanic languages we see : Old Saxon "it", Old English "hit", Old Frisian "hit, het", Middle Dutch "het". Old High German changed into "Z" in "iz" and modern German has become "es". Proto-Germanic may already have had the initial "H" , but the vowel is uncertain: "*H Ĭ T" or "*H Ĕ T".
Note:
- Indo-European. The information we have available is not sufficient to justify a hypothesis different from that for Proto-Germanic. It occurs quite frequently that one finds a similarity between Semitic and Germanic, without further support from other groups of Indo-European languages.
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| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 21/12/2012 at 15.40.37 |
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