LL-L "Etymology" 2002.10.28 (08) [D/E]

Tue Oct 29 00:02:18 UTC 2002

Please disregard the preceding incomplete version. It escaped ... RFH
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From: Michael Arnold <marmanold at mac.com>
Subject: Origin of "Familie"

This is my first post! Anyways... I was in German class the other day when
we started a new "Thema" intitled Familie. I asked the instructor why we
didn't pronounce Familie the way it was spelt but rather like Familju. He
did not know. I know this doesn't really relate to any of the lowlands
languages, but I was hoping someone would know.

-Michael Arnold

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From: Wim <wkv at home.nl>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2002.10.28 (07) [E]

Hi!
There is also "blak" as in water that is totally calm, no wind, for
sailing. in my dialekt...salland netherlands.

Wim.   wkv at home.nl
[Wim Verdoold]

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From: Ruud Harmsen <rh at rudhar.com>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2002.10.28 (07) [E]

11:03 28-10-2002 -0800, Lowlands-L:
>From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
>Apparently, the origin of English "black" is unknown, but I would
like us to
>take a crack at shedding some light on it anyway.

Could Dutch "blakeren" be connected? It means "make black, as a
result of soot, when flames touch a surface".

The WNT (Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal) says about it (I quote
only part of the entry):
===
BLAKEREN, bedr. en onz. zw. ww. Een frequentatieve vorm van Blaken.
1) Branden, blaken, gloeien.
a) In 't algemeen. || 't Blickren van 't geweer, en 't blaeckren van
het vier, HOOFT, Ged. 1, 90 . Wy saghen van 't Gheberght het
blaack'ren in de Dallen (t. w. in den oorlog), BREDERO 1, 46 . Een
lichte vlamme, die in 't stroo blaeckert, DE BRUNE, Bank. 1, 272 .
De hei zelve is grauw-zwart, en schijnt te blakeren, SEGERS in Ned.
Dicht- en Kunsth. 1887, 336 .
b) Van de zon. || Als de zonne meest blakert en steeckt, is de
reghen veerdighst, om neer te storten, DE BRUNE, Bank. 1, 272 . Ick
laet het blaeckeren, en regenen, de douwen, WESTERBAEN, Ged. 1, 184 .
===

About "blaken" it says:

===
BLAKEN, onz. en bedr. zw. ww. Mnl. blaken (VERDAM 1, 1284), nd.
blaken (D. Wtb. 2, 62); daarnaast mnl. blaexeme (VERDAM 1, 1283),
ohd. blecchan (zie BLEKKEN); verder verwant met lat. flagrare en gr.
flóx, flégw. Een stam die ook in beteekenis eenigzins op dien van
blaken gelijkt, vindt men in woorden als bleek, blijken, blikken.
Reeds in de 17de eeuw behoorde het woord tot de dichterlijke of
althans meer gezochte taal.
A) Onz.
1) In vuur en vlammen staan, branden, gloeien. || De ziele daeromme
blaken moet In d'helsche gloet, V. D. MEULEN, Ketiuigh. 77 . In
teeuwich blaken, 120 . Doen lietmen Perillus daer inne blaken (t. w.
in den stier van Phalaris), MOERMAN, Clein Werelt 28 b . De kaerssen
op 't autaer Sijn sommigen gebluscht, en sommigen die blaecken,
VONDEL 3, 394 . 't Flikkrend wachtvuur, dat men voor een tent zag
blaken, TER HAAR, Ged. 1, 226 . De blakende kolk (t. w. eene stad
die in brand staat), CONCIENCE 1, 319 b .
- Figuurlijk van het "oorlogsvuur" en derg. || Alzoo de oproer vast
bet en bet blaakte, HOOFT, N. H. 872 . Het blaken van dien
burgerkrijg, STIJL, Opk. 353 . Toch blijft zij (t. w. de vlam van
den opstand) blaken, VUYLSTEKE, Ged. 2, 88 .
2) Eene gloeiende hitte van zich geven, uitstralen. || Wanneer de
son ... Van boven blaeckt En steeckt, VONDEL 2, 733 . Den gloed van
't blakend zonnevuur, DE MARRE, Bat. 104  (zie ook 173 ). De
blakende hette, TEN KATE, Job 149 .
- Ook van het "koortsvuur". || Als ... door heete koorts het lichaam
brand end blaackt, HOFFERUS 382 . Ziekten, wier verterend blaken ons
de jeugd te vroeg verslijt, D. J. V. LENNEP 233 .
3) Een schitterend licht uitstralen, glanzen, fonkelen, schitteren.
===

--
Ruud Harmsen <rh at rudhar.com>
Site updated 25 Oct 2002: http://rudhar.com/index/whatsnew.htm

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From: Colin Wilson <lcwilson at btinternet.com>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2002.10.28 (07) [E]

At 19:03 28/10/02, R. F. Hahn wrote:

>In many Lowlands Saxon (Low Saxon) dialects, _Black_ means 'ink', which,
>again, does not have to be of black color (though originally it probably
>was, being made from some sort of soot).  Danish has _blæk_, Dano-Norwegian
>(Bokmål) _blekk_, Swedish _bläck_ and Icelandic _blek_ in the same sense,
>also Old and Middle German _blah_.  (Cf. WFries. _bleek_, Dutch _bleek_, LS
>_bleek_ [blEIk], German _bleich_, D. _bleg_, D-N. _blek_, S. _blek_, Icel.
>_bleikur_ 'faded', 'pale', 'colorless', cf. English _bleak_, _bleach_).

Not to mention English/Scots "blank", and French "blanc(he)" with numerous
cognates in the Romance languages.

So that's the origin of "black" - it really means "white"!

Interestingly, on sailing out of Helsinki's south harbour, the first
island that one passes is known in Finnish as _Valkosaari_ ("white
island") and in Swedish as _Blekholmen_.

Goodwill to all,

Colin Wilson.

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

Thanks for your interesting responses (above), folks.

Colin, Lowlands Saxon (Low German) has _blank_ as one word for "white"
(besides _witt_), frequently in the sense of "glaringly white," and also
meaning "shiny" (e.g., metal, or "teary" or "excited" in the context of
eyes).  _Blank_ is also found in place names (e.g., Blankenese "white spit
(of land)," now a part of Hamburg).  Afrikaans also uses _blank_ for
"white," as many of you may remember from signs seen in photographs and
footage from the apartheid era.

But how do you explain */blak/ vs. */blank/, i.e., the loss of the nasal?

Michael, welcome!

I understand that German got _Familie_ from Latin _familia_ rather than from
French _familie_, hence the final schwa vowel developed from _a_.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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