LL-L "Etymology" 2008.01.20 (04) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L  -  20 January 2008 - Volume 04
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From: Luc Hellinckx <luc.hellinckx at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology"

Beste Ron & Elsie,

Ron wrote:

Elsie, *tugtig* in Afrikaans is interesting and looks like a German loan (*
tüchtig* 'capable', 'competent', 'hard-working', 'good', 'strongly',
'severely') because of the /t/, which is a German derivation from West
Germanic /d/. The Low Saxon cognate with the same meaning is *d**üchtig*,
Middle English still used * doughty* in the same sense (
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/english-m-verse1-roman.php ), and Dutch
has *duchtig* for 'thorough', 'severe', 'strict'.

I rather see a connection with Older Dutch "tuchtig" (~ German "züchtig"),
said of a person showing  discipline. "Tuchtig" (D) ~ German "ziehen" (hence
the symbolic meaning: tied properly), whereas "duchtig" (D) ~ German
"taugen". Semantically, these words somewhat interfere, but etymologically,
they don't.

Kind greetings,

Luc Hellinckx

PS: At the same time, it wouldn't have surprised me to learn that "züchtig"
and "tüchtig" would both have become German export words. Gründlichkeit, you
know ;-)
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