Etymons Of English Words

Excerpt from Etymons of English Words The object, in the following Work, is to trace the descent of English words; their affinity with the different dialects of Gothic spoken in Europe; and the connexion between our own and some other tongues both of Europe and Asia, without introducing any remarks where the general meaning is obvious. Evident derivations from the Latin and Greek are often omit, ted, because sufficiently understood by all literary persons. Gothic words from five dialects of that language are introduced as concurrent etymons; to which the Russian and Irish vocabularies, in the proportion of at least one third, bear evident affinity, either by cognation or adoption; although so much disguised, by a different orthography, that they could not be usefully added without explanations too diffuse for the present object The plan, as the reader will observe, is studiously concise; being intended rather as an Index than a Glossary. The cursory observer will find it sufficient for his purpose; and those who are inclined to deeper research must apply to the under-mentioned sources of information. The Index of Vereleus contains nearly all the Gothic roots employed in English; and an improved arrangement of that valuable record, with considerable additions, has been prepared for publication. The Glossaries of Ihre, of Schertz and Oberlin, the Thesaurus of Hickes, and the Dictionary of Lye, exhibit the variations that occur in the Swedish, Teutonic; Mœso-Gothic and Anglo-Saxon dialects; and to them the inquisitive reader must have reference. He will do well to consult also the Scottish Etymology of Dr Jamieson. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

For centuries, investigations into the origins of words were entwined with investigations into the origins of humanity and the cosmos. With the development of modern etymological practice in the nineteenth century, however, many cherished etymologies were shown to be impossible, and the very idea of original 'true meaning' asserted in the etymology of 'etymology' declared a fallacy. Structural linguistics later held that the relationship between sound and meaning in language was 'arbitrary', or 'unmotivated', a truth that has survived with small modification until today. On the other hand, the relationship between sound and meaning has been a prime motivator of poems, at all times throughout history. The Life of Words studies a selection of poets inhabiting our 'Age of the Arbitrary', whose auditory-semantic sensibilities have additionally been motivated by a historical sense of the language, troubled as it may be by claims and counterclaims of 'fallacy' or 'true meaning'. Arguing that etymology activates peculiar kinds of epistemology in the modern poem, the book pays extended attention to poems by G. M. Hopkins, Anne Waldman, Ciaran Carson, and Anne Carson, and to the collected works of Geoffrey Hill, Paul Muldoon, Seamus Heaney, R. F. Langley, and J. H. Prynne.

Excerpt from Etymons of English Words The English Language is derived from the Gothic and Celtic, chiefly through the Anglo Saxon and French dialects. The object now in contemplation is to trace the probable origin of its words, to mark their adventitious changes, and indicate their principal analogies. The utility of etymological inquiries has been disputed on the ground, that, a precise meaning being once affixed to words, it avails little to know whence they 'originated. This, abstractedly, may be true; but, linked so intimately as they are with the Arts and Sciences, their variations must correspond with the progressive improvement of the human mind, and therefore assume some considerable importance in the History of Man. Even the puerile attempts of this kind which have been admitted into our dictionaries, create a national concern that means should be tried to avert the sneer of foreigners, and remove at least some erroneous ideas, which are always pernicious. The difficulty of such correction is sufficiently evident. Few literary men would be disposed to tread in this humble path; and fewer still, if any, possess knowledge of the ancient and modern languages of Europe adequate to the pursuit. Many years of labour, and no small portion of fortune must be devoted, in this way, without any certainty of success, amidst the numerous contingencies which exclude all rational calcula tion of pecuniary advantage. Fame, the aerial recompense of authors, cannot be expected. If the etymons be at all natural, the difficulties of selecting and compiling them will become less obvious. They offer, at the same time, so Wide a scope to the shafts of criticism, that those who choose to exercise it candidly, will at least, distinguish between the cursory and amusing analysis of particular words, and the toil of wading through a whole vocabulary with no choice of evasion. The task, here prescribed, extends much beyond the usual practice of referring, merely to some cognate term, in German or French, for an English etymon, without pointing further toward a common source; which is little more satisfactory than adducing some difference of pronunciation at York and in London. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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This landmark dictionary proves that English words can be traced back to the universal, original language, Biblical Hebrew. Genesis II supports a 'Mother Tongue' thesis, and the Bible also claims that Adam named the animals. This may seem difficult to accept, but then why do the translations of the following animals' names: Skunk, Gopher, Giraffe and Horse actually have corresponding meanings in Biblical Hebrew, such as: Stinker, Digger, Neck and Plower? The book features overwhelming data suggesting that the roots of all human words are universal, and that words have related synonyms and antonyms that must have been intelligently designed (perhaps by the designer of life himself!) The current hypothesis that language evolved from grunting ape-men may seem like the flat earth theory after reading this book. The 22,000 English-Hebrew links provide surprising evidence, and open new worlds of understanding, once we consider that all of these similar words could not be coincidences.