<br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">L O W L A N D S - L - 27 March 2007 - Volume 06</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">=========================================================================</span><br><br><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">From: </span><span id="_user_altkehdinger@freenet.de" style="color: rgb(121, 6, 25); font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
Jonny Meibohm <<a href="mailto:altkehdinger@freenet.de">altkehdinger@freenet.de</a>></span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Subject: LL-L "Etymology"
2007.03.28 (03) [E/LS]</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br><div><span><font face="Courier">Ron,</font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Courier">thanks for your answer
regarding 'wyk' etc.:</font></span></div><span class="q">
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Arial"><font size="2"><font color="#008080">You suggested a connection with German <span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Weiche</span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
in the sense of 'crossroads', if I
understood you correctly.</span></font></font></font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div></span>
<div><span><font face="Courier">No- not crossroad! This I
guess to be of later date. We really use it in the meaning of 'bay', G: 'Bucht'
in narrow channels where a small vessel has to wait and let pass through a
bigger one.</font></span></div>
<div><span><font face="Courier">I think the
crossroad-meaning which we know from railways came later. In its original sense
I assume it denoted the same: two trains couldn't meet on one railway, so
one of them had to go aside, on a special rail, to let the other one pass (G:
'aus-*<strong>weichen*</strong>'). This later became the word for that mechanic
plant that in English is 'point', American 'switch'.</font></span></div><span class="q">
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Arial" size="2"><font color="#008080">And in Germany we get place names with <span style="font-style: italic;">-wig</span>, as in <span style="font-style: italic;">Sleswig</span> / <span style="font-style: italic;">
Schleswig</span> (the <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">*</span>wig</span>
'bay?' 'town?' of the Sley/Schlei river).</font> </font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div></span>
<div><span><font face="Courier">Well- the <em>Schlei</em>
isn't a river! It's indeed a long, narrow bay. Many people don't know this, and
I hadn't until I had a girlfriend living over there. So its meaning really could
be 'the Sley(-'s) bight'. The Vikings established in the next
their famous 'Haithabu', what also could be connected with '-bay': 'Heathen
Bay', today's name 'Heddeby'.</font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Courier">The mentioned
<em>Brunswick</em> also is situated at a river- the Oker. So here we could
find the connection, but fact is: many (most) old trading centres
(and a lot of ordinary settlements, too) had been established along
rivers.</font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span></span> <span><font face="Courier">Allerbest</font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Courier">Jonny
Meibohm<br><br><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">----------</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"></font></span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
From: </span><span id="_user_altkehdinger@freenet.de" style="color: rgb(121, 6, 25); font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Jonny Meibohm <<a href="mailto:altkehdinger@freenet.de">altkehdinger@freenet.de</a>></span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.03.28 (03) [E/LS]<br><br></span><div><span><font face="Courier">Too
fast!</font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Courier">I'd like to add something
to my last posting regarding
<strong>Schleswig/Haithabu</strong>!</font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Courier">From the German
WIKIPEDIA:</font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><strong>Die </strong><a title="Sachsen (Volk)" href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachsen_%28Volk%29" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><strong>Sachsen</strong></a><strong>
und </strong><a title="Franken (Volk)" href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franken_%28Volk%29" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><strong>Franken</strong></a><strong>
nannten die Siedlung <i>Sliaswig</i> und <i>Sliaswich</i> (<font color="#ff0000">Bucht</font> an der Schlei), wovon das heutige <i>Schleswig</i>
abgeleitet ist.</strong></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Courier">Jonny
Meibohm</font></span></div><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">----------</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">From: </span><span id="_user_roepstem@hotmail.com" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 28); font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
Marcel Bas <<a href="mailto:roepstem@hotmail.com">roepstem@hotmail.com</a>></span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: arial,sans-serif;" class="lg"></span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> </span>
<br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.03.28 (03) [E/LS]</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
Hello, Reinhard.</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
You gave this fine collection of Indo European cognates:</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Old Saxon: </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">wīk </span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">(homestead, populated area, village)
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">Old Frisian: </font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2"><span style="font-style: italic;">wīk </span>
</font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>(homestead, populated area, village)</font><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">
Old English: </font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2"><span style="font-style: italic;">wīc </span></font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>
(homestead, populated area, village)</font><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">Old German: <span style="font-style: italic;">wīh </span>(homestead, populated area, village)
<br></font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">Germanic: </font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">*<span style="font-style: italic;">wīk </span>(homestead, populated area, village)<br>
Indo-Eur.: * <span style="font-style: italic;">ŭeiǩ</span>- (housing, house, settlement)<br>Cf. Latin: <span style="font-style: italic;">vicus</span> (homestead, village)<br><br></font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">
Old Saxon: <span style="font-style: italic;">wīka </span>(change, bend, week), </font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2"><span style="font-style: italic;">wīkan </span>(to retreat)</font><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">Old English: </font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2"><span style="font-style: italic;">wīc </span></font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">
<span style="font-style: italic;"></span>(bight, bay), </font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2"><span style="font-style: italic;">wīcan </span>(to retreat)</font><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">Old Frisian: </font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2"><span style="font-style: italic;">wīk </span></font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">
<span style="font-style: italic;"></span>(side canal), </font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2"><span style="font-style: italic;">wīke </span></font><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">(week),
</span><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2"><span style="font-style: italic;">wīk</span></font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2"> <span style="font-style: italic;">a</span> (to retreat)
</font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></font><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">Old German: <span style="font-style: italic;">
wīh </span>(change, bend), </font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2"><span style="font-style: italic;">wīhhan </span>(to retreat)</font><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">
Germanic: </font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">*<span style="font-style: italic;">wīkō </span></font><font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">(bend, curve)</font><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="2">Indo-Eur.: *<span style="font-style: italic;">ŭeik</span>- (bend, curve)</font><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
And then you remarked:</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
"I think the two may be related at an early level, but it may be difficult to prove this. </span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Semantically there is a
connection. Given that a 'wijk' in Dutch is a suburb, you could think
of a populated area to be an extension of a settlement, and so it could
be a 'bend'; a kind of intrusion into previously undisturbed terrain.</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
So you'd get: homestead > populated area > suburb > change, bend, etc.</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
How about that?</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
Best regards,</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
Marcel.</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">----------</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">From: R. F. Hahn <<a href="mailto:sassisch@yahoo.com">sassisch@yahoo.com</a>></span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
Subject: Etymology</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Marcel:</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial,sans-serif;">>
How about that?</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
Sheer genius! Thanks.</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">I found that old </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
wīk</span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"> sometimes appears in the sense of '(town's) quarter' which seems consistent with what you say.<span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Bear in mind also that German </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Weiche</span><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
means '(railroad) switch'. So there's the idea of "retreating" > "diverting".</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
Regards,</span><br style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Reinhard/Ron</span><br><span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;"></span><br></div>