GR 1209          LALEO

H 0531          ע ע ל

Concept of root : inconsiderate talk

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ע ע ל

l‛a‛a

to talk inconsiderately,

to blabber

Related English words

none

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ע ע ל

     l‛a‛a

to talk inconsiderately,

incomprehensibly, blabber

l (‛) (‛)

Greek

λαλεω

laleo

to talk incomprehensibly, inconsiderately, blabber, chatter

l . l .

Dutch

lallen

lallen

to talk incomprehensibly, inconsiderately, blabber

l . l

 

 

Proto-Semitic *L‛A‛A --- *LAL- Indo-European

 

 

We find once more a nice triangle of Greek, Germanic and Hebrew. The difference is that the repetition in the European words is in the L, that is heard twice, and in Hebrew in the repetition of the vowel, that is accentuated by the Ayin in front of it. In both cases the repetition is significant as it expresses the specific and inconsiderate way of using the faculty of speaking.

 

This entry is related to number E 0524 (Hebrew 0532)

 

 

Note:
  • Hebrew. This word is as such out of use in Modern Hebrew, but an identical one, with the meaning of "gulping down" of food, has lived on.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. Proto-Semitic is seen as having a briefer root, of two consonants only, without the doubling of the Ayin. This does not change the basic similarity with the Indo European group. There is a cognate in Arabic "laghā = he talked nonsense, made mistakes in talking". One finds rather frquently an Arabic "GH" where Hebrew has an Ayin. Proto-Semitic may indeed have used "*ל ע ע, L Ayin Ayin".

 

Note:
  • English. The word "lullaby" may well be related to the other words on this entry.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. The root of the above mentioned Dutch verb "lallen" is also seen in Middle High German and German. Old High German had "lalon". In Swedish one finds "lalla" and in Danish "lalle". Probably Proto-Germanic had "*L A LL-".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European.

     

    Old Indian uses "lalalla" for "indistinct utterance".

     

    Slavic has a hypothesis "*lālā, in line with Russian "лала , lala = babbler" and "лалкать, lalkatj = to babble".

     

    Probably Indo-European had "*L A L-".

 

 

 

 
"...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: 03/11/2012 at 15.08.37