|
LA 1247 AMNIS
H 1052 ם י מ , ם
י
Concept of root : water
|
Hebrew word
|
pronunciation
|
English meanings
|
|
; ם י
ם י מ
|
yam;
maim
|
sea ;
water
|
|
|
|
Related English words
|
none
|
|
|
Comparison between European words and Hebrew
|
Languages
|
Words
|
Pronunciation
|
English meanings
|
Similarity in roots
|
|
Hebrew
|
;ם י
ם י מ
|
yam;
maim
|
sea ;
water
|
y . m
|
|
Latin
|
amnis
|
amnis
|
water, river
|
(‘) m n
|
|
Old Indian
|
ambu
|
ambu
|
water
|
(‘) m b
|
Proto-Semitic *YAM --- *ĂM- Indo-European
| There is an obvious "liquid" link between the words | water | sea | lake | river | |
The Hebrew words show this link in these words
though also other words are used as well. | mai(m) | yam | yamà | yam | |
| In comparison we find in Latin | amnis | mare | amnis | |
The presence of the combinations am or ma in Latin and Hebrew is a similarity that indicates some common origin. Finding the same in Old Indian confirms the possibility of kinship between Hebrew and Indo European. Related words are found in various older languages, but those mostly have ap or ab .
Hebrew has three times the vowel A in front of the M, once after it. Latin also uses both forms. A difference is that Hebrew uses Y or Yod in all four words and Latin in one of the two, if this should not be considered part of the suffix. But these differences in development leave intact the possibility of common original characteristics .
Note:
- Proto-Semitic . A fact is that we cannot explain how the words of this entry were shaped, especially how the so different "yam" and "mayim" are linked in their development. One might chatteringly phantasize. "A plural for "yam" would be "*yamim", but this word exists and stands for the plural "days". Languages may do this kind of things, as a particular kind of metathesis, but proof lacks. This makes it also difficult to formulate conclusions about Proto-Semitic, besides remitting the problem to still earlier times.
Hebrew uses for "water""mayim", which should be a plural of "*may" perhaps even "*maya". In fact we see in Syriac "may'a", in Aramaic "may'à" and "mayìn. Ugaritic uses the same roots for singular and plural : "M Y" and "M Y M" . Then Arabic has "may", Old South Arabic "ma" and even "mu", Akkadian "mu" and Ethiopian "may". This group might indicate a possible Proto-Semitic for "water" as "* may" > "my" and even > " mu ". ; ;
For "sea, lake" etcetera there are Aramaic "yam'à", and Akkadian "iāmu". Phoenician and Ugaritic use the same root "Y M" for the same meaning.
The riddles as to the link with "Yam" = "sea" and of the relation with the Indo European words remain fully.
We kindly ask the reader to have a look at the relative notes in entry E 0564 (Hebrew 0595 ).
Note:
- Latin. For "amnis" there is a supposition that it originally was "*ab-nis", based on the presence of a consonant "B" in Celtic languages. But this "B" is not followed by an "N" and should be considered a variation or alternative. Another one, still labial, is the consonant "P", found in Old Indian. Latin remains "A MN-".
Note:
- Celtic. Old Irish has "ab, ( gen. abae)", also "abann = river". Cymric has "afon" and Cornish and Breton "auon". For Celtic the probable origin is "A B -", with the "N" used as a suffix".
Note:
- Indo European. Old Indian instead of "M" mostly has the labial "P" in "ápagh, apágh = water". But there are also composed words with the consonant "B", as "adbhigh, adbhyagh = with the waters". And finally there is yet the consonant "M" in "ambu = water".
Avestan instead uses "F" in "āfsh = water", but in the accusative "āpem" the "P" returns. This "P" is again found in Hittite "hap(a) = water, river" and Tocharian " āp = water, river". Baltic shows Lituanian "ùpe", Latvian "upe =water" and Old Prussian " ape; apus = small river; water".
The probable origin lies in an Indo-European "*A M-" for "water", that then has developed into "AMB", "AB", "AP" in various groups of languages.
|
|
|
| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 05/01/2013 at 15.08.37 |
|