LL-L: "Etymology" LOWLANDS-L, 04.MAR.2001 (03) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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  L O W L A N D S - L * 04.MAR.2001 (03) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
  Posting Address: <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>
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  A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
  LS=Low Saxon (Low German), S=Scots, Sh=Shetlandic, Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Etymology

Dear Lowlanders,

Last night I watched a Swedish TV program about the history of wedding
customs in Sweden.  It was fairly interesting.  In it, one of the experts
-- I believe she was a cultural historian or a folklorist -- made a
statement that seems incorrect to me.  She mentioned that, according to
written records, in Swedish wedding ceremonies of the 16th century a ring
was given as a _vartecken_ of ones promise of faithfulness, and she went on
to explain that this word _vartecken_ has a connection with the female
pre-Christian deity (_gudinna_ "goddess") Var, that a _vartecken_ is "Var's
token."

I suspect that this is an example of what can happen when fields of
research remain separate, in this case when researchers of culture do not
touch base with researchers of languages, and when one tries to etymologize
within the confines of their own language.  However, it could be I who is
mistaken, and this is why I am checking with you.

To a speaker of Modern Swedish, _tecken_ is recognized as meaning 'token',
'sign' or 'symbol' (a cognate of Danish _tegn_, Modern Icelandic _tákn_,
Old Icelandic _teiken_ ~ _tákn_, etc.).  _Var_ does not seem to make sense,
because _var_ means (1) 'puss', (2) 'each', 'every', and (3) 'where' in
Modern Swedish.

I am assuming that Early Swedish _vartecken_ ['vQ:rtek at n] (which does not
seem to have survived) has a Lowlandic connection, namely that it is a
loanword from the era when the Scandinavian languages where enormously
influenced by the Saxon lingua franca of the Hanseatic League.  More
precisely stated, I am currently assuming that _vartecken_ is a
"semi-calque": Middle Low Saxon _teken_ came to be replaced by native
_tecken_, both being semantically identical.

In Low Saxon, we have the word _waarteyken_ ~ _Wahrteken_ ~ _Wohrteken_ (~
etc.) ['vQ:3t`EIk=N] in the sense of 'symbol' or 'emblem', specially in
contexts such as _De Michel is dat Wahrteken vun Hamborg_ 'St. Michael's
Church is the symbol of Hamburg' or _Dat Wahrteken vun Paris is de
Eiffeltoorn_ 'The symbol of Paris is the Eiffel Tower'.  Thus, it is the
cognate and equivalent of German _Wahrzeichen_.  _Teken_ (= _Zeichen_) is
'token', 'sign' or 'symbol'.  _Waar..._ ~ _Wahr..._ ~ _Wohr..._ etc. (like
German _Wahr..._) is related to the verb _wa(h)ren_ (Middle Dutch _waren_,
Old English _warian_, Old Icelandic _vara_) 'protect', 'look after', which
appears to be derived from the extinct noun _waar_ 'attention', 'watch',
'care', 'safekeeping' (> German _gewahr_, English _aware_).  Thus, a
_waarteyken_ (or German _Wahrzeichen_) is a symbol for attention (or
safekeeping).  This is also the meaning _vartegn_ which is still used in
Modern Danish.

Since Old Icelandic has _vara_, the argument could be made that Swedish
_vartecken_ and Danish _vartegn_ are Scandinavian constructions.  I doubt
it, though.  I assume it is a Middle Low Saxon (Middle Low German)  loan,
certainly has nothing to do with the deity Var, and I wonder if you agree
or know of sources that verify or disprove it.

Thanks for thinking about it.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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