E 1010          WONG

The Old English word " wong " is of Germanic origin .

H 1042             ב ג י                    

Concept of root : field

 Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ב ג י

yagav

field

Related English words

Old English : wong

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ב ג י

yagav

field

y . g . b <

*w . g . b

Gothic

waggs

wags

(fields of) Paradise

w . g (s)

Old Saxon

wang

wang

field, plain

w . ng

Old English

wong

wong

field, plain

w . ng

 Dutch

wang

wang

field, plain

w . ng

Old Norse

wangr

wangr

field, plain

w . ng (r)

Old Prussian

wangus

wangǔs

wooded field

w . ng

Old Lituanian

wanga

wanga

cultivated field

w . ng

 

 

Proto-Semitic *YAGAV < WAGAV --- *WĂG- Proto-Germanic

 

 

The fields of these roots are not the usuals field of developed agriculture, but more or less natural fields , useful for collecting. They will be generally horizontal and may have some sparse trees or bushes on them. Such fields may be extremely beautiful , to the point of inspiring the meaning of "paradise" in Gothic "waggs". This way of thinking seems comparable to that of the North American native Indians in eternal hunting fields.

 

Culturally interesting is the comparison between the two old languages referred to in the table, that are both part of the rather small Baltic group . Old Prussian still used "wangus" for a woody stretch with few trees, but Old Lituanian already had cleared that field of its trees and called "wanga" a cultivated field !

 

All these words for "field" share the first two consonants , if we consider that the original Hebrew root commenced with W. .

 

Note:
  • Hebrew. The initial W of Hebrew roots nearly always has changed into a Y . Therefore the similarity presents itself with Indo-European roots that begin with W, V or also F. Quite a few are present in Germanic tongues, but they are also found in Latin. And again, in related Greek roots the initial W will have disappeared as in Hebrew.

 

Note:
  • Germanic. Nearly all languages have nasalized the final G of this root, making NG out of it. An interesting exception is Gothic that has , yet , maintained the original G, even doubling it. This doubling, like nasalization, can be seen as an emphasized way of pronouncing a word.

 

Note:
  • English in modern language has abandoned the Old English word "wong".

 

Note:
  • Old Norse and Gothic. Old Norse frequently placed a suffix R at the end of a root to form a noun. In modern Norwegian this R normally has disappeared again. Gothic instead has a suffix S that has no influence on the message of the word.

 

Note:
  • Baltic as a group, as Germanic, has nasalized the consonant G, into NG. But it is possible that these words are of Germanic origin.

 

Note:
  • Italian has a word "vanga" that indicates a long-handled spade. This was an important if not the main instrument with which in early agriculture primitive fields were worked. This word is certainly of Germanic origin, but its etymology has not been explained. Some thought it would be related to the German word "wange = cheek ", because this spade would look like a human cheek! Improbable, one would say. But it may come from the old root "V . NG" for "field": the instrument for "fielding".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic . We have no specific information from other Semitic languages that would allow a solid hypothesis for a Proto-Semitic root " * ו ג ב , W G B", but we consider it probable as a natural predecessor of the Hebrew root " י ג ב , Y G B".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic . The comparison between Gothic "wagg" and all the other old words is interesting. It seems that the nasalization is seen in West- and North Germanic, but not in East Germanic. Has it then taken place only in these two groups ? Proto-Germanic should have had anyway "W Ă G-", but has it also introduced "W Ă NG" ?

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. With the exception of the uncertain information from Baltic ( see Note above ), no indication for possible cognates in other branches of Indo-European seems to be available. The comparison remains for now between Semitic and Germanic, as so frequently is the case.

 

 

 

 
"...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: 15/12/2012 at 15.47.05