E 0414          HALE,  HAUL

The words " hale " and " haul " are of Germanic origin .

H 0642            ל ה נ

Concept of root : transporting

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ל ה נ

nihhèl

to transport, escort

Related English words

to haul, hale, Old English geholian

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ל ה נ

nihhèl

to escort, transport, procure

n . h . l

English

to hale ;

to haul

to hale ;

to haul

h . l

German

holen

holen

to fetch, collect, take

h . l

Dutch

halen

halen

to fetch, draw, collect, make it

h . l

Middle Dutch

halen

halen

to fetch, draw, take away, force

h . l

 

 

Proto-Semitic *NAHAL < HALÀ --- *HĀL- Proto-Germanic

 

 

This entry is related to number E 0413 (Hebrew 0398) and should be read together with it.

 

Among these words English "to haul" is the nearest one to Hebrew, in that it clearly means "to transport". Besides this it says "to drag, pull forcibly" . Thirdly "to haul" is used to describe a number of actions regarding ships. Probably this use has started in Middle Dutch and it has been loaned as such also into English and the Nordic languages. The other English word, "to hale" , with its specific meaning of "to force, compel", has lost its original meaning " to drag, hoist". It is of Germanic origin, but is said to have reached English via Normandic French from Old Norse !

 

Old English "geholian" proves that the same root was anyhow present in the predecessor of English . This explains the nearness of "to haul" to the original Hebrew meaning of this root .

 

The German and Dutch words of this entry have undergone the kind of confusion that exists also between the concepts of "coming" and "going". One may consider these as two aspects of the same action. Also in transporting, escorting or bringing this problems exists. The acting person may be considered either as "bringing here" or " bringing away". This way in modern use "halen" and "holen" are especially perceived as indicating any way of "to go fetch and bring here". Here we find another confirmation of greater completeness of similarity with Hebrew, as "nihhèl" has that third meaning of "to procure" which is identical to the modern use in Dutch we just described.

 

The German use of a vowel O in "holen" corresponds to that of Old English "geholian". There is no explanation available for this.

 

We do not think, as many do, that these Germanic words have come from an Indo-European root "*kel" saying "to call". Such a root certainly has existed and is related to the root " ק ו ל = qol " in Hebrew . See entry E 0138 "call" (Hebrew 0785) This idea seems to have been inspired by the fact that people may call out to get something. This is too far fetched. There can be no doubt that the concept of "go, get and bring " is a very basic one that had to expressed clearly in the era of catching and collecting, before agriculture became dominant. This has had its own word that cannot have been derived from a word "to call". We note that once more the similarity with Hebrew procures us a solution for an in fact unsolved problem of Germanic etymology.

 

Note:
  • Germanic and Hebrew. The difference lies in the initial N of the Hebrew root. In particular in words that suggest movement we often will find this initial N, followed by two consonants that consitute a good similarity with Germanic words. This confirms the supposition that the N is also used as a prefix that at the same time carries the root to the beloved number of three consonants, fundamental in the development of the Hebrew grammar.

 

Note:
  • Hebrew. The basic verb "nahal" with the same root was already out of use in Biblical times. We may guess about its specific meaning that may have been quite nearer to German and Dutch, with the root H L, used with a simple vowel A, having a message of "to fetch and accompany" or the likes.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. There is not much material from other Semitic languages to justify a hypothesis. Arabic "nahala = he conducted (cattle to a watering place)" is related and Proto-Semitic may indeed have had a root "* נ ה ל ,N H L".

     

    In many three consonant roots with a first consonant " N " we find a strong similarity between the remaining combination of two consonants and Indo-European or Germanic roots. This induces to suppose that the initial " N " is a rather frequently used confirming prefix. Interestingly, one finds this " N " then in only a limited part of the verbal forms. The usual conclusion is that it has been absorbed by those forms. But it is quite possible that it has only been added in its confirming task where speakers felt the need for this.

     

    The hypothesis is anyhow that a number of three consonant roots with " N " have developd out of older roots without that " N ". In our case : ""* נ ה ל , NAHAL" < "*ה ל ה, "HALÀ". Indeed one finds in Hebrew the nearly identical "*ה ל א, H . L Aleph, "HAL'À".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. We cite our note in E 0413 (Hebrew 0398), that regards the same Germanic words : "The etymology of these words is uncertain. All meanings, also in composed words, point at taking something for oneself or for one’s comfort or rather taking it away. It is also used in contrast with English "to bring". Some link the root to Old High German "halon", saying "to call, cry". This would then be used in the sense of "calling to make come", but such a message would rather be a causative of the opposite of our verbs "halen" and "holen". This verb "halon" may be related to English "to call" . It indicates an action of the voice and not the physical action of "to hale" and "to haul".

     

    Among the Germanic words there are Old English "geholian = to get" and Old High German "holon, with a vowel "O", But in the North Germanic tongues and in Dutch, like in English, we see a vowel "A". There is no reason to suppose as some do, that Old Norse "hala", identical to Swedish, has been loaned from Middle Low German. Probably Proto-Germanic had "*H Ā L-", but possibly also a second version "*H Ō L-."

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. We are without indications about possible cognates in other groups than Germanic and the comparison stays there, between Semitic and Germanic.

 

 

 

 
"...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: 13/11/2012 at 9.25.22