LL-L "Etymology" 2006.02.15 (01) [E]

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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West) Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
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15 February 2006 * Volume 01
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From: burgdal32admin <burgdal32 at pandora.be>
Subject: LL-L "Lexicon" 2006.02.13 (01) [D/E]

> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Lexicon
>
> Hi, Jacqueline, Roger and alleman (un -vrou)!
>
> The difference you Dutch speakers appear to perceive between
> _hemel_ and _lucht_ interests me.
Do not forget that the Western Flemish people also use "lucht " for
the Dutch word "licht".
We use "(al)licht" in the meaning of "almost".
So we say:V:  "Doet de lucht uut" (E: Turn out the light).
                  V:  " 't Goa lichte donker zijn (E: It will soon be
dark).
groetjes,
Luc Vanbrabant
Oekene

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Interesting, Luc.  Thanks.

I assume this _licht_ is that of "light" as opposed to "heavy."  In many 
West Germanic language varieties it functions in the meaning 'easy' or 
'easily'.  In Low Saxon that's how you can use it; e.g.,

Dyn kist is nich LICHT. Ik kan er LICHT de trap rup dregen.
     Man ik bruuk eyrst maal 'n beten LICHT.

<Dien Kist is nich LICHT. Ik kann ehr LICHT de Trapp rup
      drägen. Man ik bruuk eerstmaal 'n bäten LICHT.>

Your chest isn't LIGHT. I can EASILY carry it up the stairs.
     But first I need a bit of LIGHT.

(Scots: Yer kist isna LICHT. A can EITHLY cairy it up the stair.
     But first A need a bit o LICHT. ?)

(German: Deine Kiste/Truhe ist nicht LEICHT. Ich kann sie
     LEICHT die Treppe hinauf tragen. Aber erst einmal brauche
     ich etwas LICHT.)

Old Saxon has the adjective _lîht_ for 'light', 'agile', the adverb _lîhto_ 
for 'lightly' and the adjective/adverb _lîhtlîk_ 'light(ly)', 'agile', 
'nimble', 'nimbly', 'swift', 'swiftly', 'easy', 'easily', 'bearable', 
'inferior'.  This is in contrast with the noun _lioht_, the adjective 
_lioht_ and the adverb _liohto_ in the sense of 'light' as opposed to 
'dark'.  I assume the situation is similar in Old Low Franconian, though I 
only know of the noun _lieht_ for 'light' as opposed 'dark'.

And then there are Modern Low Saxon _villicht_, Modern German _vielleicht_ 
and Modern Dutch _wellicht_ 'perhaps', 'maybe', 'perchance', whose origin 
seems to lie somewhere in the notion of "much/well lightly>easily>possibly".

So I'm suspecting this West Flemish _allicht_ or _licht_ in the sense of 
'almost' to be something of this sort; originally denoting "all>quite 
easily>possibly".  The _al_ part would be like in English "already" (= 
all>quite ready>arranged>done") and "almost" (= "all>quite>already 
most>complete" > American dialects "most"; cf. Low Saxon _redig_ 
'completed', 'ready').  In Low Saxon dialects you can say _al mayst_ in the 
sense of 'already almost' (e.g., _Dat is al mayst duyster buten_ 'It's 
almost dark outside already') or in the sense of "all almost" (e.g., _De 
boym sünd al mayst an 't bloyen_ 'All the trees are almost in bloom' or 
'Most of the trees are in bloom already' [somewhat ambiguous]).

At least these are my thoughts.

By the way, "almost" in the sense of 'most all', 'for the most part' (_eal 
mǽst_) is first attested back in 1000 CE, while in the sense of 'wellnigh', 
'very nearly' (_almest_) it is attested in 1200 CE.  "Already" is known as 
far back as in early Middle English (1380 _alredi_, 1386 _al redy_). 
"Lightly" in the sense of 'easily', 'without difficulty' (now fairly rare) 
is known to have been used since 1175 CE (_lichtliche_).

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron 

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