LL-L "Etymology" 2009.01.11 (10) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 11 January 2009 - Volume 10
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From: M.-L. Lessing <marless at gmx.de>
Subject: LL-L "Art" 2009.01.11 (03) [E]

Luc writes: "the Dutch word "wiskunde" (for math) is related to "conste"...

Ha! Here is a language question again: I thought "Kunde" is derived from
"kennen" and "Kunst" from "können", the one being of a passive and the other
of an active nature. Is this wrong? Very probably they have a common root
somewhere. Where do they branch? And why? -- Maybe this is up to our
Reinhard, if he can find time...



Hartlich



Marlou


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

Marlou,

German *kennen* (to know), *können* (to be able (to), to be proficient
(in)), *Kunde* (information, knowledge, news) and *Kunst* (art) are all
related with each other.

Apparently, *kennen* (< *chennan*, Old Saxon *kennian*, Old Frisian *kanna*,
Old English *cennan*, Old Frankish *kennen*, Old Norse *kunna*, *kenn-*,
Gothic *kannjan*) originally meant 'to make known'.

As such, *kennen* began as the causative form of *können*, originally
meaning 'to know', 'to understand', 'to be mentally able (to)' (< *kunnan*,
Old Saxon *kunnan*, Old Frisian *kunna*, Old English *cunnan*, Old Norse *
kunna*, Gothic *kunnan*).

Derived from the *können* group is *Kunde* in the sense of 'information',
'knowledge', 'news', *kund* 'known', *kundig* 'versed', 'knowledgeable', *
kündigen* 'to give notice' (originally 'to make known'), also
*Kunde*'customer' (originally 'acquaintance'), and, yes,
*Kunst*, originally meaning 'knowledge', 'wisdom', 'proficiency'.

Incidentally, English *uncouth* originally meant 'unknown', hence 'not
conventional' and in extension 'socially unacceptable'. Scots and some
English dialects retain the opposite: *couth*.

This word is the cognate of German *kund* and belongs to the group of words
in which /n/ before a voiced fricative was "deleted", actually resulted in
lengthening of the preceding vowel. So, *couth* used to be **kunð* before it
became *kūð*. This is an Ingveonic feature, hence also Old Frisian *kūth*.
Low Saxon is of mixed type which is why some dialects have *uns* and other
dialects have *us* 'us'. Old Saxon, too, has *kūth*, but Modern Low Saxon,
probably due to German influence, has *kund* (besides *künnig*). Had
*kūth*survived we would now have *
*kuud* instead of *kund*.

Did this help?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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