E 0319          (TO)  FALL

The verb " to fall " is of Germanic origin .

H 0652            ל פ נ

Concept of root : to fall

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ל פ נ

naphal

to fall

Related English words

to fall

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ל פ נ

naphal

to fall

n . ph . l <

*ph . l

English

to fall

to fall

f . l

Greek

σφαλλω; σφαλμα

sphallo; sphalma

to make fall, to fell; fall

s ph . l

 

 

Proto-Semitic *NAP(H)AL < *PAL --- *PĂL- Indo-European

 

 

Hebrew "naphal" is in our view composed of a confirming prefix N and an original root of two consonants "*PH L" or "*P L". This hypothesis is confirmed by the existence of another verb " ש פ ל , shaphal ", that indicates "lowness" in various forms, but also specifically "to fall down". In fact also "naphal" has among its messages those of "going down" and "to crumble".

 

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic Besides Hebrew, also languages like Akkadian with "napālu" and Ugaritic already have the initial N with this root and meaning . So Aramaic and Syriac that have " נ פ ל , nephal". The root may well have been present in Proto-Semitic : "* נ פ ל, N.P.L". So this is a rather old development through a confirming prefix "N-" of an older root "* פ ל , P L ".

     

    The change in pronunciation of the consonant " P " into "PH = F ", as in the basic form in Hebrew, may have begun in Proto-Semitic, but this remains uncertain.

 

Note:
  • English and Hebrew show here two different ways of creating a causative form of a verb. "To cause to fall" in English is "to fell", just by changing the vowel A into E. In Hebrew a prefix HI is added. This absorbs the initial N. Besides the vowel A is changed into I and the central consonant P is doubled. This has as a consequence that it is no more pronounced PH but PP. The result of this rather complicated process is "hippil" for "to fell".

 

Note:
  • Greek here has just a verb with a causative action. One should like to suppose that the " S " in front of " fallo " is responsible for this, but there is no general rule to base this upon. Yet the facts seem obvious. There exists a verb "pallo", that carries a lot of meanings regarding kinds of moving strongly, such as "to budge, shake, stir, turn round". It remains unclear if and how this can be related to the concept of "to fell". But then the noun "sphalma = fall" on the one hand complicates, but on the other hand resolves the problem as it indicates just the "action" of "falling", wiithout any causative indication.

     

    In New Greek this word "sphalma" is used for one of the figurative meanings it had already also in Classic Greek : "mistake, error, fault" and a comparable development has taken place with the verb "sphallo".

 

Note:
  • Latin has a verb "pello, pepuli, pulsum, pellere = to thrust, jolt, bump, hit" and also "to chase, chase off, ban". "Pello" does not expressly link itself to the concepts of "to fall" and "to fell".

 

Note:
  • Germanic also in some other languages behaves like English, with German "fallen, fällen", Dutch "vallen, vellen" and Swedish "falla, fälla ".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. The composition of the root of this entry is present in nearly all Germanic languages "F (A) L". An exception is found in Middle Dutch, Dutch and oddly, in Middle High German, that have "V (A) L". There can be little doubt about a Proto-Germanic "*F (A) L-".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European, giving Germanic and Greek, may have used a form "*P Ă L-" for "to fall". But an original "*P Ū L-" is also possible or may have coexisted. There is some further information.

     

    Baltic has hypotheses of "*pal-" and "*pul-", with a Lituanian "pulti" and Latvian "pult" for "to fall".

     

    Armenian "phul = collapse, falling down" and "phlanim = fall in" are considered related.

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: Thursday 7 February 2013 at 15.56.09