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THE CASE OF "GRASS" (PIE: *ghr-so- ) & C. ARABIC "GHRZ"
This is part of a series of investigations reexamining aspects of the
relationship between IE and Semitic languages, by considering in detail
derivations of areas where inferences were made about words which were
common to the homeland of the Indo-European-speaking people before the
period of migrations took them to the different localities.
Migration is a way of life for nomads in which herding cattle is the basis
of economic life. If the early Indo-Europeans relied upon herding for
survival, then it is safe to assume that they were bound to move their herds
in search of fresh pasture.
In this segment, the focus is on the term "grass". According to
Indo-Europeanists, words for "grass" are from such a notion as "green,
growing, fat, blade, but in part also from fodder, since the fodder was
usually grass.
ETYMOLOGY: ghr- : To grow, become green. Contracted from *ghre1-. 1. O-grade
form *ghr-. grow, from Old English grwan, to grow, from Germanic *gr(w)an.
2. Suffixed o-grade form *ghr-n-yo-. green, from Old English grne, green,
from Germanic *grnjaz, green. 3. Suffixed zero-grade form *ghr-so-. grass,
graze1, from Old English græs, grass, from Germanic *grasam, grass. (Pokorny
(ghr-) 454.)
GROWTH: -noun 1. the act or process, or a manner of growing; development;
gradual increase. 2. size or stage of development: It hasn't yet reached its
full growth. (biology) the process of an individual organism growing
organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism
changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
GRASS
1a. The grass family. b. The members of the grass family considered as a
group. 2. Any of various plants having slender leaves characteristic of the
grass family. 3. An expanse of ground, such as a lawn, covered with grass or
similar plants. 4. Grazing land; pasture.
General Germanic: O.E. græs, gærs "herb, plant, grass," from P.Gmc. grasan
(cf. O.N., Ger., Goth. gras), from PIE*ghros- "young shoot, sprout," OFris.
gers, gres, OS.gras, MDu. gras, gars , gers, mod.Du gras, gars, gers,
mod.Du. gras, OHG.( MHG., mod. Ger.) ON ( Sw. gras, Da. græs) Goth. gras.
COMPARISON WITH THE CLASSICAL ARABIC "GHRZ"
ETYMOLOGY: The base meaning of "ghrz" (ghayn+ra'+zayn) in Classical Arabic
is planting (i.e. inserting and fixing a stick into the ground), like
"ghrs": planting a tree. Hence one says the valley produced "ghrz" grass.
ghrz: A species of panic grass, growing upon the banks of rivers having no
leaves consisting of blades (sheaths) , a kind of sweet rush.
ta-ghriyz: Offsets of palm trees that have been transplanted, increase or
offspring and fatness (as in fattening animals to make them attractive for
sale)
ma-ghriz: A place of growth in general, increase, and vegetative
development.
Ghuruwz: Sprigs, shoots, twigs of a plant grafted upon the branches of
grape vines. Compare with MHG. "gruose" young plants. cf. PIE*ghros- "young
shoot, sprout.
CONCLUSION:
Previously, I stated that history teaches us that past civilizations emerged
separately. At times, through interaction, these civilizations converged,
effectively leading to an amalgamation forming a new hybrid civilization,
and then eventually diverged again. This process, which is continuing in a
perpetual sequence of convergence and divergence, is reflected in languages.
Case in point are shared isoglosses between different languages. This may be
due to historical contact between these languages and cultures. In this
case, the $64,000 question facing linguists and archeologists is not if
there was any contact between the languages compared here, but rather when
this contact occurred.
Ishinan
February 26th, 2008
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