Re: Anser (was: swallow vs. nighingale)

From: Patrick Ryan
Message: 50664
Date: 2007-12-02

 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 12:38 PM
Subject: Fw: Re: Re: [tied] Anser (was: swallow vs. nighingale)

 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2007 1:27 AM
Subject: Re: Re: Re: [tied] Anser (was: swallow vs. nighingale)

 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 8:53 PM
Subject: [Courrier indésirable] Re: Re: [tied] Anser (was: swallow vs. nighingale)

 <snip>
 
A.F : (new on Dec 02)
According to Kazimirsky :
?a:fi:l : to make abundant or numerous (rendre abondant ou nombreux)
Hafl : abundant, numerous ; plenty of (abondant, nombreux ; grand nombre)
Ha:fil : full (plein) 
Hafi:l : numerous, abundant (nombreux, abondant).
I maintain that the root in these words is *p_l as in PIE pl-eH1 or pol-u.
 
The word you were suggesting :
fala:H "salvation, delivery ; happiness"
is a particular use of the root : to cut f_l_H
for example to cut the ground : hence Fellah : peasant = earth-cutter.
 
the meaning f_l_H : to become happy, to succeed
is to be compared with Break-through as a semantic evolution of break.
In this case, it is "to cut-through" = to succeed
 
Fa:laH is both : cutting, splitting, ploughing and successfull, happy.
 
F_l_H has nothing to do with the meaning "full, abundant, numerous".
It never has this meaning and originates in a different root.
 
Arnaud.
 
***
 
Mr. Fournet:
 
I can find no trace of ?a:fi:l in my references; is it in Lane's?
 
All that I can find is ?afala, 'set, disappear'; obviously an unrelated root.
 
As for Hafl, are you notating the Arabic letter as H that appears usually as dotted h?
 
One of the difficulties of comparisons with Arabic is that the originally different vowels create no differences in correspondence.
 
The forms behind PIE *1. pel(H)-, 'fill', and 1. (s)p(h)el-, 'split',  both correspond to Arabic f-l.
 
Patrick Ryan
 
 
============ =======