LL-L "Etymology" 2009.01.12 (04) [E/F]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 12 January 2009 - Volume 04
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From: Diederik Masure <didimasure at hotmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2009.01.11 (10) [E]

To Ron´s pretty complete summary I´d like to add that in many Northern Dutch
dialects, as well as in Frisian (where the spelling difference ´kenne´to
know and ´kinne´ can, no longer represent a difference in pronunciation),
fell together or at least in most forms. People from Holland or even Noord
Brabant can be heard saying things like ´hij ken het niet´ for hij kan het
niet (er kann es nicht). Or in past tense, "hij kon haar" instead of hij
kende haar (er kennte ihr).
Diederik Masure

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From: Henno Brandsma <hennobrandsma at hetnet.nl>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2009.01.11 (10) [E]

Hoi Ron en oaren!



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'.



It Sealtersk en it Noardfrysk deels ek (at it my goed heucht) hewwe de foarm
dy't weromgjit op "kanna", yn it Seeltersk "konne", mei de Eastfryske rûning
fan a nei o foar noaslûden. Mooring het (leau'k) "kååne".

 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*).



Yn it Westerlauersk binne beide gearfallen yn "kinne" ( < kenna, de te
ferwachtsjen ûntrûne foarm fan "*könna). Ek yn in protte Hollânske dialekten
wurdt altyd "kenne" sein.

 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'.



ferl Nederlânsk "aankondigen". WF het no it Hollannisme "oankundigje", mar
earder het it in foarm "kaaie" hân, dy't in ieu ferlyn noch yn dialekten te
finen wie mei de spesialisearre betsjutting omsizze (= by de doarren by lâns
gean yn in doarp om te sizzen dat ien ferstoarn is). Sjuch in artikel fan
Arjen Versloot oer de Aldfryske "e:" yn in âld nûmer fan It Beaken. Dit komt
nei alle gedachten út Aldfrysk "ke:tha" < "kuthia", fan de ûnder neamde stam
"kuth", mei ûntrûning. Dat de th ynterfokalysk in "j" (i) wurdt komt faker
foar, byg. baaie (= to bathe).


 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*.



Groetnis,



Henno Brandsma


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

Hoi, beste Henno, en ek lokkich Neijier!

Folks, I should have made it more explicit that English has somewhat archaic
"ken" as a nominal cognate of *kennen*. (It is only preserved in idiomatic
phrases.) In Scots, *ken* is the ordinary word for "know", also for the
verb. *Ken* and *can* are thus relatives.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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