Re: [tied] Re: Indo-European Linguistics: Backwards

----- Original Message -----

From: Richard Wordingham

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2005 5:56 AM

Subject: [tied] Re: Indo-European Linguistics: Backwards

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "mkelkar2003" <smykelkar@......> wrote:
> <http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~garrett/IEConvergence.pdf>

 

<snip>

*kWekWlos 'wheel' is a difficult word.  The Indo-European, Semitic
(stem _glgl_) and Sumerian (_gi(r)gir_) words for 'wheel' are very
similar and all  feel like native formations rather than loanwords.
However there similarity seems to be an outrageous coincidence.
Presumably at most one is truly native, and the others reflect
nativising folk etymology.

***

Patrick writes:

 

Almost incredibly, I think they are probably formally unrelated, even through borrowing.

 

IE *kWekWl-os is a reduplication of *kWel-, 'curl around something', corresponding to Sumerian hil, 'wrap around, ring', and Egyptian šnj, 'encircle, ring'. It probably refers to the rim of a spoked wheel.

 

Sumerian gi(r)gir is probably 'wagon-pannier' from its wickerwork construction, a reduplication of gir(5), 'slip in or through'; this is IE *g^er- in *g^ers-, 'turn, bend, also of twigs'; cf. Gk. gérron, 'wagon pannier'; possibly in Egyptian k3k3, 'bush, brush'.

A Hamito-Semitic root *gol-, 'be around, go around', has been proposed to account for Arabic *jwl, 'go around, roam', but this does not occur in 'wheel' or 'wagon'. Hebrew has galgal, 'wheel', but also gal, 'shaft'. If the ultimate basis is 'shaft', i.e. 'axle', gal can be connected with Egyptian Hnj, 'rush' and Hny.t, 'spear'; and IE *g^halg(h)-, 'twig, rod'. The Sumerian equivalent would be kil, and a sign reading kil depicts two reeds, and has the reading kilib for 'reed-bundle'.

 

So it looks to me as if we have 'rim', 'pannier', and 'axle'.

 

 

Patrick