LL-L "Etymology" 2010.03.20 (01) [DA-EN-NB]

Sat Mar 20 17:55:54 UTC 2010

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L O W L A N D S - L - 20 March 2010 - Volume 01
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From: M.-L. Lessing <marless at gmx.de>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2010.03.19 (02) [EN]

A very distant and probably questionable connection of thought: In Hamburg
the family name "Klobedanz" exists. I know people of this name. "kleven,
kleben"...? Is this an older form of "Kalverdanz"?

Hartlich

Marlou

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

Subject: Etymology

Very interesting, Marcus.
Germanic names for ‘calf’ (**kalba-*) are supposed to be related to
Indo-European **gelebh-* etc. ‘to mass together’, ‘to agglomerate’, ‘to
cluster’, ‘to ball together’ (probably related to “cleave”, *kleven*, *
kleben* etc.). In other words, I guess, a calf is seen as a little
fluff-ball. I suppose this idea of “ball” is also why we have ‘calf (of the
leg)’ in English, denoting this pronounced muscle bulge at the back of the
lower leg (Dutch *kuit*, Low Saxon *Wad’*, German *Wade*).

So I wonder if the idea about this broken-off piece of shore (or seemingly
broken off islet) stems from the perception of it as an earthen protrusion
(aggregate, agglomeration) that affects the water flow (to create some
turbulence) and thereby makes a passing boat “dance”. This would have led to
a connection with the more understandable meaning of *Kalverdanz* as ‘calf’s
dance’, the silly hopping that frolicking calves tend to perform. This, in
turn, may have been connected with the biblical extension Hanne mentioned:
the dance around the golden calf of the erring (silly) Israelites.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

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From: Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2010.03.19 (02) [EN]

Dear Marcus, Jonny, Ron, Hanne & All:

Subject: LL-L "Etymology"

Re: Calving.

"So the general idea seems to be "smaller piece next to a bigger entity", be
it a lake, an island, or a glacier."

This is a wonderful string, though I have had little to contribute, & I have
been keenly following it.

It seems to me that metaphor is not given due consideration in the
development of language, & this is an example.

I note that an iceberg will 'calve' in Nautical English too. Plainly this
expression as well as the term 'iceberg' itself was borrowed from the
Nederlands, whose speakers preceded the English into the Arctic Sea & taught
them all they know of sailing besides.

I never gave the matter much thought myself. From early childhood, to call a
little thing of whatever in close proximity to another of the same kind but
larger a the 'calf' of the larger was too obvious to miss.

However we do say in Afrikaans of something that is completely broken, but
in no sense that can in any degree be associated with the procreation of
bovines,"Dis heeltemaal gekalf." Reference : Kalf;  werkwoord; ge- die
wegbrokkel van grond, kalwe(r). (Verklarende Afrikaanse Woordeboek.
Kritzinger, Labuschagne & Pienaar). Semantic convergence, I would have
guessed, & your guesses have manifestly had more substance than mine.

May I add something? In the Taal, to nurture something alien by hand, for
example an orphaned lamb, piglet or calf, or even a baby, makes it a
'hansversie', hansvarkie or 'hanslam'. Kids get to be called 'hanslam' also,
as in "...my hanslammetjie Eben, oorle ousus se oudste." (...my bottle-fed
lamb Eben, my departed elder sister's oldest.) Of course properly speaking,
someone adopted is 'aangeneem' - (Taken on = adopted) but that wanders off
the subject. The implication of 'hans-' in this context is 'hand-reared', &
by implication, the work of human hands (kunsmatig grootgemaak) & not a
natural phenomenon.

Now, if I, as a yachtsman cruising on the Elbe, had to understand the name
'Hanskalbersand' quickly, I would start by wondering if this was a man-made
breakwater off-shore of a tidal sandspit. Now you blokes in that part of the
World know a lot more about engineering in tidal waters than we do, but what
would you name a dredged breakwater offshore of tidal flats? By my reading a
seriously necessary construction in navigated tidal waters.

Yrs,

Mark

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From: Uwe Tychsen <tychsen at t-online.de>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2010.03.19 (01) [EN]

Hej,

dansk wikipedia
http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalv
skriver om kalv som ø:

*Kalv* er en småø <http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sm%C3%A5%C3%B8>.

Navnet *kalv* hentyder til, at småøen naturligt tilhører (er et barn af) et
større stykke land.

En gletsjer kælver. Det er samme ord som bruges, når der fødes en kalv. En
smuk video findes i
http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:Iceberg_calving_320x240_by_Slaunger_2007-08-23.ogg

norsk wikipedia
http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isbre
skriver:
Isbreer kan ha utløpere i havet. Ved iskanten vil da isblokker kalve i havet
(dvs. brekke løs) og danne isfjell
<http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isfjell>som flyter vekk. Hvis isbreen er
bratt nær iskanten, kan ras og kalving
ovenfra gi store plask når isblokker faller ned i sjøen. Hvis vannet er
dypt, kan også kalving skje under vann, noe som medfører at isfjellet kommer
til overflaten med stor kraft.

Ik wünsch ju wat
Uwe Tychsen

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