E 0402          GULF

The word " gulf " is of Germanic origin .

H 0354            ל ג

Concept of root :  wave

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ל ג

gal

wave

Related English words

gulf

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ל ג

gal

wave

g . l

Greek

κλυζω; κλυδων;

κολπος

klϋzo;

klϋdon ;

kolpos

to wave;

(big) wave; gulf, bay

k l .;

k . l p

Russian

волна;

залив

wolna, zaliv

wave;

gulf, bay

w . l;

z . l . w

English

gulf

gulf

g . l f

Middle English

golf, goulfe

gulf

g . l f

German

Welle;

Golf

welle;

golf

wave ;

gulf

w l;

g . l f

Dutch

golf

golf

wave ;

gulf

gh . l f

Middle Dutch       

gelve

ghelve

wave; gulf

gh . l v

 

 

Proto-Semitic *GAL < *GOL --- *GOL-P Indo-European

 

 

The Indo-European and Hebrew two-consonant roots "K L", "G L" and "W L" all carry basic concepts of roundness in form or movement. We will look at some theories.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. No difference is supposed between Hebrew and its Proto-Semitic origin. The root is also found in Aramaic and Syriac "ג ל א, gal'à = wave", in which the usual Aleph has been added. Akkadian has a word "gillu for "wave" in which the "U" is a suffix.. Proto-Semitic probably had "ג ל , G L " .

     

    The above information indicates the use of a vowel " A " for the pronunciation of this two consonant root. But in many cases an older pronunciation in Semitic and Hebrew has been with a vowel " O ". There is an indication in Akkadian, which uses a vowel " I ", that indeed an oder " O ", changed into " I " has been present. Daringly, we put this as a further hypothesis for Proto-Semitic : "ג ו ל , G W L, gol !. "

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. Germanic "golf" is supposed to have been derived from Medieval Latin "colphus" that should have been loaned from Greek "kolpos". We are very hesitant to see a direct way from Greek to Medieval Latin. This way of reasoning has been influenced by the pre-concept that Germanic languages, where words seem related to Latin or Greek, must have loaned them from there. Too little has often been seen of parallel developments from common origins.

     

    We find proof in Middle Dutch and Middle Low German "gelve", that does not have the "O" as a vowel, but "E". If the word would have been lent from Latin in the Middle Ages, the O should have been maintained.

     

    A second proof is, again from Dutch, that the word for "gulf" in this tongue is the same as that for "wave".

     

    Thirdly, Russian has W in "wolna" for German "Welle" and Z in "zaliv" for "gulf,bay". This Russian word is related to "залить , zalitj", the verb for "to flood" , and "Z L " is a natural sister of Germanic "G L". Proto-Germanic probably had "G O LF-" besides "W E L-.

 

Note:
  • German and Russian have a second word for "gulf" or "bay". "Bucht" in German , which also says "curve" and "бухта , bughta " . This last word, unlike German " Bucht ", does not have other meanings like "curve", simply because it has been loaned from German to express the concept of "gulf". That loan must have taken place very long ago though.

     

    In Russian "wolna" the last part, "na" , is a suffix that forms a noun.

 

Note:
  • Greek "kolpos" has also the pleasant meaning of "breast"; the female one of course, that has its special curves. And more, it talks about the female anatomy in the more intimate parts. These are meanings related with the basic verb "κολποω , kolpoo" that talks of "rounding".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European . A combination of "G/K + O/U + L + P/B" present in Latin Greek and Germanic, with clear support from Slavic "Z . L B", indicates a possible Indo-European "*G O L P- with the meaning of "gulf". It seems a bit phantasy to suppose that the same or very similar root would also have been used for "female breast, bust", but in Italian a "gulf" is also called an "insenatura", with "seno" = "bust". And we recall the double meaning of Greek "kolpos". Here we better leave an etymological question mark.

     

    For the combination "W + vowel + L " for "wave" we have little evidence outside Germanic, besides Russian "wolna" . Old Indian "ūrmi " and Avesti varemi mean "wave"and have "W R M". Oddly, comparing with "kolpos", in Old Indian "uras", and the word-part "uram-" mean "breast"! The information does not justify a strong hypothesis for Indo-European, though "W + vowel + L" may have been in use for "wave".

 

 

 

 
"...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: 19/10/2012 at 12.06.48