GD 1087          RUCHTE

H 0817             ל כ ר

Concept of root : speaking out loud

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ל כ ר

rakhal;

rikkèl

to peddel;

to slander

Related English words

none

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

      ל כ ר

rakhal;

rikkèl

to peddle;

to slander

r . kh . l

Middle Dutch

ruchte;

beruchten

rukhte;

berukhten

loud talk;

to slander, accuse

r . kh t

 

 

Proto-Semitic *RAKHAL < *RUKH- --- *RÜK- Proto-Germanic

 

 

The concepts covered by this root in reality become two, on one and the same basis, that of "speaking out loud". One is that of peddling, selling through praising ones wares loudly in public. The other is that of slandering, gossiping .

 

Each of the two languages has solved the case in its own way. First Hebrew has added a third consonant L while Dutch has added an emphasizing T. Further, Hebrew has applied its usual technique to intensify the meaning of a verb, applying different vowels : instead of A + A for loud talk we see for the bad talk about somebody I + E . Dutch, though it sometimes uses the same practice (see our chapter "getting intensive" : (Hebrew 0001_aa26) here has preferred to use the prefix "be-", known also in English.

 

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic There are in Hebrew two further similar roots with the meaning of "to slander, calumniate": "ר ג ל , R G L " and "ר ג ן , R G N ". We note that "R G L " can also carry various further meanings, as shown in entry E 0721 (Hebrew 0812).

     

    The resulting picture, upon comparison of the three roots "R K L, R G L, R G N" is that a two consonant combination "R . G" or "R : K" carried the meaning of "to calumniate". In our comparison we opt to present the consonant "K/KH", similar to Germanic and for the two consonant root the use of a middle consonant " W " : "*R W KH, rukh", though other vowels may have been in use as well.

     

    Taking into account that the concept of "to peddle, pedlar" is covered by the Hebrew and Middle Dutch words of this entry, some support for this idea can be found in the probably related old words for pedlar that are "ר ו כ ל, rokhèl = trafficker, pedlar" and ר ו כ ל ו ת, roklut = traffic, peddling".

 

Note:
  • Dutch in modern language has shifted to a certain extent the meanings carried by this root.

 

Note:
  • Germanic uses also a version with F instead of KH, even in Middle Dutch: "beruft". This is a tendency when at the end of a root , to the final K a T is added. Instead of having "KT", in German and Dutch we have " KHT ", that often becomes "FT", especially in German. This root seems to be exclusively Dutch and Low German, having penetrated High German later.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic did not have as original form the final FT, as some think, misled by the preponderant weight of High German. Instead, the similarity with Hebrew also here give us a valuable indication about European linguistic origins.

     

    Secondly, the original meaning was not based, how interesting this may sound, "on the habit that violent crimes had to be denounced publicly and loudly" : this should also be done upon the constatation of the factual crime so as to oblige everybody to come and help the victim . We cited this reasoning explicitly to shows its vagueness and lack of logic. This does not need further explanation.

     

    In reality we have seen in our table the basic root with the message of "talking out loud" and the composite verb with that of "accusation , slander". This may be done in front of a wider public, but that is not essential .

     

    The information from other Germanic languages is limited. Norwegian has "rykte = reputation, rumor" and "berykta = notorious, of ill fame". Middle High and Low German used "berüchtigen " for "to slander, cause ill fame for someone". Proto-Germanic may have known a form "*R Ü K- with messages of " loud talk in public, slander".

 

Note:
  • Hebrew There is also the root R G L with the meaning of " to slander, calumniate". "R G L " can carry various meanings, as shown in entry E 0721 (Hebrew 0812).

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. We lack sufficient information regarding possible cognates in other branches of Indo-European, but a similarirty specifically between Semitic and Germanic only is very common.

 

 

 

 
"...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: 26/11/2012 at 14.31.32