E 0856          SPARROW

The word " sparrow " is of Germanic origin .

H 1017             ר ו פ צ                    

Concept of root : birds

 Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ר ו פ צ

tsippor

bird, birds

Related English words

sparrow

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ר ו פ צ

tsippor

bird , birds

ts . p (o) r

Greek

ψαρ

psar

starling

ps . r

Latin

parra < parsa

parr <

parsa

shrieking bird

p . r r <

p . r s

English

sparrow

sparrow

s p . r (ow)

Old English

spearwa

sparrow

s p . r (w)

Old Danish

sparw, sporw

sparw, sporw

sparrow

s p (o)r w

Dutch

spreeuw

spréuw

starling

s p r . (uw)

Celtic

sprawa

sprawa

crow

s p r . (w) .

 

 

Proto-Semitic *TSIPAR --- *SPRĀŪ Indo-European

 

 

The two names of specific kinds of birds in English "sparrow" and Dutch "spreeuw" typically represent species that in reality appear as collectivities, a number of "birds" together . This is exactly what the Hebrew root says with a very similar root. "Birds" as a collectivity as well as a single bird. But the same goes in fact for Celtic "sprawa", if we see how common crows were and still are in Celtic territories.

 

A difference we observe is that in most Indo-European words the U, OW or UW come after the R at the end of the name of the bird, while in Hebrew it comes before the R. This is an example of metathesis that is a frequent occurrence with the " R ".

 

An exception is Greek that does not have the final W, but shows us a metathesis of the S and P. From "sparrow" we go to "psar".

 

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic is considered to have had this same root we see in Hebrew : "* צ פ ר , TS P R". The root is seen in Aramaic and Syriac " צ פ ר , tsippar (A); tseppar (S) = bird". In other languages one sees some differences. Arabic has "‛utsphur " with "initial Ayin plus vowel" as prefix. Akkadian shows "itsūru. A comparable cognate is used in the Ugaritic root "Ayin TS R ". In the comparison, noting that the plural in Hebrew is "tsipparim", we propose the vowels " I " and " A ".

 

Note:
  • Latin "parra" seems not to have an unequivocal message. It is considered to come from a hypothetical "*parsa" and in that case may still be related to Hebrew "tsipur" , but this is uncertain. Probably it means "shrieking bird", and seems to have been used for a number of different species, such as barn-owl, green woodpecker, titmouse, hoopoo and even also starling. Certain is only the element "PAR-", also found in Umbrian "parfa".

     

    One remarks that there are bird names that have this same element, like "parrot" and "parakeet", words that are without any real etymological explanation. Tentatives like "little Pete" or "little Pastor" remain void.

 

Note:
  • New Greek has for "sparrow" the word " σπουργιτης , spūrgitès = sparrow". This is certainly related to "sparrow" but the specific passage has not been established.

 

Note:
  • German and Dutch also have the words "Sperber" and "sperwer" for "sparrowhawk". These words are contracted from a composed word that , just as in English, combined the root of "sparrow" with "aran" for "bird of prey, eagle".

 

Note:
  • English. The similarity with Hebrew tells us that the origin of the word "sparrow" does not lie in an Indo European root for "to jump".

     

    "Starling" corresponds with German "Star", but the two roots , "S T . R" and " S P R : W", alternate in various Germanic words. "Starling" has a cousin in Latin "sturnus = starling".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic : With the above mentioned metathesis between the R and the OW or other developments from O and W, the picture seems to become more complicated, but in reality things get to be clearer when Old Danish has a vowel "O" before the consonant "R" as in Hebrew, but also after the "R" a "V" that might recall a vowel "U". Modern Danish has "spurv" that has been loaned into Norwegian. Old Norse had "sparr" and "sporr" and Gothic "*sparwa", comparable with Old English "spearwa". The use of the vowel "A", sometimes changing into "E" is a development that must have taken place in Proto-Germanic , but that only in part was introduced into North Germanic. Proto-Germanic presumably had "*SP U/O R V-" and as well already the newer "*SP A R O/W-"

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. Mainly on the basis of the clear information from Germanic, a hypothesis of "*S P R Ā Ū-" seems acceptable.

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 07/02/2013 at 16.18.04