Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
2 (2011)
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
EGYPTIAN WORDS COGNATES
COGNATES OF THEIR EQUIVALENTS
EQUIVALENTS IN
PROTO INDO EUROPEAN AND VARIOUS INDO-
INDO-EUROPEAN
LANGUAGES?
CHRISTIAN DE VARTAVAN1
Abstract:
The present study is a test run aiming to see if a substantial fraction of the Ancient Egyptian
vocabulary is shared with various Indo-European languages. Short of a hundred Ancient
Egyptian words were selected on the basis of their phonological similarities with their I.E.
equivalents, relying mainly on pillar/stable/root consonants since true vowels are not seen in the
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic script. These words were compared with their equivalents in about
twenty I.E. languages, including Proto Indo-European, so as to confirm that Ancient Egyptian
and I.E. languages are related – a linguistic connection suggested by linguists as early as 1836 but
never made convincing. Results of the study reveal that despite the relative randomness by which
the words were selected, fundamental words of the A.E. language are seemingly and with a
varying degree of certitude cognates2 of their equivalents in I.E. In view of these recurring
phonological similitudes, the test run is considered as sufficiently significant to engage future
systematic comparendas of the A.E. vocabulary with the same I.E. languages and others.
This study is a follow up of the author’s recent paper3 on the recurring phonological
similarities existing between ancient Egyptian numerals and their equivalents in several
Indo-European languages, plus Proto Indo-European. The previous research showed
that the phonology of at least the numbers one (wa), two (snwj), four (fdw), six (sjs),
seven (sfx), hundred (Snt) and thousand (xA) are similar to some of their Indo-
European equivalents4. It was also shown that A.E. numerals have in many cases no
phonological relation with their Akkadian equivalents when this should have been the
case as Ancient Egyptian is classified as an Afro-Asiatic language and Akkadian is a
Semitic language5. The aim of this study, like the previous one, was to see if a
substantial, perhaps fundamental, fraction of the Ancient Egyptian vocabulary is shared
with their equivalent in various Indo-European languages.
1 Armenian Egyptology Centre, 7th Floor, The Rectorate, 1, Alex Manoogian Street, Yerevan State
University, Yerevan 0049, Armenia, e-mail: egyptology@ysu.am. Part of the present research was made
during a four months research season in the UK thanks to the partial private sponsorship of Mrs Christine
Argillet of Argillet Gallery, Los Angeles, California and Mr Jean Kazandjian, artist in Paris & Los Angeles. To
the latters are expressed the author’s deepest thanks. Thanks are also extended to Dr. Jaromir Malek, Griffith
Institute of Egyptology, Oxford University, as well as Dr. Diane Bergman, Head Librarian, Sackley Library,
Oxford for their invitations to use the latter library. Equally to Mr Stuart Laidlaw, Head of the Photographic
Dept., Insitute of Archaeology, University College London for his help in logistical and practical matters
during the author’s stay in the UK. Finally a general thank is made to the librarians of UCL including Dr.
Katie Meheux of the above institution’s library for various assistance during the research.
2 “Cognates” are words which have a common etymological origin.
3 Vartavan, 2009 (electronic format only).
4 To which must most probably be added the numeral “twenty” in Coptic, for which the A.E. writing is not
yet recorded (see the edito of AEC Egyptology Newsletter No. 16 about this).
5 In the opinion of Dr. D. Meeks (e-mail of 12/07/10) the most troubling demonstration of the author’s
2009 article. I note that Oréal (2009) recently underlined the crucial differences between Ancient Egyptian
“pseudoparticiple” and the Akkadian “stative” proceeding against the widely accepted common view of their
similarity. The study challenges the historical relation of the respective verb forms and interestingly suggest a
common source with later diverging evolutionary paths, which is the same conclusion which the author
possesses of the very tenuous relation of Ancient Egyptian and Akkadian numerals as some numerals are
shared. A coincidence?
5
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Methodology
For his part the author, decided to restrain himself to using the “comparative method”
as this method is more easily grasped by non linguists, and any results obtained from it
6 The author wrote his first hieroglyphics at the age of five, studied alone Gardiner’s grammar up to lesson
twenty at sixteen and was hence accepted straight into second year by Prof. Harry Smith by whom he was
trained – at the same time as Marc Collier – for three years in UCL (London). His first article concerning an
aspect of Ancient Egyptian was published in the latter’s and Mariam Kamish’s Wepwawet (see Vartavan,
1987). Although he has not published in this field as involved heavily with environmental issues, he has
never ceased since then to practice.
7 The very same phenomenon which has this year led the author to witness a nine years old French mother-
tongued girl transform in writing the French word “Hittite” as “Itit”, dropping instantly three phonemes to
still express a phonologically perfectly correct French pronunciation of the word. Or to see an adult English
speaking professional insurer transform equally instantly over the phone his forename name “Chrrist stian
st n” into
a not so staggering “Prrest
ston
st n” on an official certificate (duly preserved). Not so staggering because of the well
known telephone vowel transformation – the very reason for the use of the Aviation Alphabet (Alpha, Bravo,
Charlie, etc…) – leaving, in this instance, only pillar/stable consonants r, s, t and n as common between the
two surnames.
8 Pointed out by archaeobotanist Gordon Hillman during a symposium in UCL’s Institute of Archaeology G6
amphitheatre in the eighties. The author was present and was later able to very in the field that this was the
case, particularly during botanical expeditions in Egypt.
9 "Language is subject to constant change...Since the neogrammarians...it is established that phonological
evolution takes place according to certain laws...Development according to rules of phonetics may be
disturbed through the use of analogies. Thus, the development proceeds, not according to the given phonetic
pattern, but rather takes as it model another pattern, one which already existed within the specific language"
(Meier-Brügger, 2003: 73-74)". M-B then gives an example with the word equos/equus, which should have
evolved according to linguistic rules in a nominative singular : ecus < *ecos < equos. The fact is that it did
not, and M-B explains it by an analogical pressure. This may very well be but it is not at all a certainty.
6
No. 2 (2011)
equally more easily evaluated. As stated before10, despite attested false cognates11, the
“comparative method” is in linguistic a particularly solid methodology. It is often used
for cross verification in conjunction with the method of “internal reconstruction”
which studies the internal development of a single language over time, including the
above mentioned “sound shifts”. If these methods are prone to much interpretation, by
those who use it excessively, and have hence led to many controversies and
rectifications12, both have nevertheless provided during the past century unequivocal
results, for our understanding of the history and phonology of languages and opened
many paths for our study of their evolution and relations. Hence the methodology is a
valid one and whichever conclusions are reached in the present paper concerning
Ancient Egyptian will no doubt be verifiable in the future by further cross
methodologies of totally different kinds. Again, the present study is but a test run to see
if a meaningful part of A.E. vocabulary if recurringly phonologicall similar to some of
their equivalents in P.I.E. and I.E. languages and if so, this will sooner or later, one way
or another, be revealed.
As first step the author compiled a list of Ancient Egyptian words the phonetics of
which seemed to him reminiscent of equivalent words in Proto Indo-European, or in
the various Indo-European languages he knows13 or by extension which he can handle.
When this list, assembled in the course of his translation of Ancient Egyptian texts,
exceeded thirty words, research was triggered in a larger scale. A systematic survey of
Cerny’s (1976) Coptic Etymological Dictionary was made for similar words as Cerny
equates Coptic words with their A.E. equivalents; hence relating for a start the two
stages of Ancient Egyptian. Links giving from mere suggestions to nearly clear insights
of the probable pronunciation of each ancient Egyptian word listed, as the invisible
vowel(s) of A.E. are often very apparent in Coptic.
Once a large list of words potentially linked to P.I.E. and a few IE languages was
established, these words were again systematically re-compared to about two dozen I.E.
languages, including sixteen main ones, divided in four broad groups:
GROUP 1: Hittite, Sanskrit, Armenian and Greek, leaving out the promising Iranian languages as
the author is not at ease with the script of those.
GROUP 2: Germanic languages, including Proto-Germanic and Gothic.
GROUP 3: Slavic and Central European languages.
GROUP 4: Romance languages, starting with Latin.
the latter publication Satzinger stating, concerning Orel & Stolbova’s (1994) Hamito Semitic Ethymological
Dictionary: “It should be mentioned that the Afroasiatic roots elaborated for the Hamito-Semitic
Ethymological Dictionary (HSED) are quite often extremely hypothetical, and the evidence of just one
mistake may make them completely worthless”. This statement, coupled to the many rectifications provided
in his study (An Egyptologist’s perusal of the [HSED] of Orel and Stobolva) not preventing Satzinger to
rightly acknowledge HSED as pioneering work.
13The author’s proficiency in I.E. languages ranging from total fluency (F), very good to middle proficiency
(G), to basic notions (B), mainly in Armenian (G), French (F), Spanish (F), Italian (B+), German (B+) and
Latin (G), with logically a great reading ease with all Latin/Romance languages (Catalan, Galician, Romanian,
etc…) and some capabilities with Slavic languages such as Russian since constantly exposed to the latter in
Armenia.
7
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
The comparenda was mainly made using the above mentioned and strongly established
fact that pillar14 consonants will resist better to linguistic shifts, in conjunction with
common sense, experience of languages, established linguistic laws of the comparative
method15 and any other existing methods, which could initially group these words in
the following five categories, namely:
However from the very beginning, so many words were either so rapidly upgraded as
“identical” or “very similar” that the author changed his methodology and reorganised
them according to their meaning in the following manner, i.e. terms related to:
1. “E
ENVIRONMENT”,
2. “HABITAT”
3. “HUMANS”
4. “ANIMALS”
5. “MANUAL ACTIVITIES”
6. “INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITIES”
7. “SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES”.
14 These consonants are usually called either “stable”or “root” consonants. The author will retain in this
paper his own terminology of “pillar” consonants as he does not consider them to always be “stable” (as
either dropped or enduring for example methasis (i.e. order inversion), nor “root” for the same reasons.
15 See Mallaury & al.’s chapter 3 (2006: 39-54) “Reconstructing Proto Indo-European” for a description of
the comparative method, Schleicher’s Tale, the Larungeal Theory or other methods. “Historical-comparative
linguistics concerns itself empirically and theoretically both with processes of linguistic history, such as the
splitting of originally unified languages into different descendent languages, and with language-inherent and
extra-lingual circumstances for linguistic development. In addition, it investigates what historical linguistic
description is capable of saying about cultural transformation (Meier-Brügger, 2003:3). The author could not
have said it better and this is the double object of this study, although a third may be concerned with the full
future vocalization of Ancient Egyptian. M-B adding in the next paragraph (same page): “Indo-European
linguistics is an empirical-historical, theoretically oriented discipline [N.B. hence like historical comparative
linguistics]. The goal of its research is manifold: On the one hand, through comparisons of individual Indo-
European languages (particularly their earliest available stages, such as Old High German, Vedic, Hittite), it
aims to gain knowledge about language and culture of th common predecessors of these languages and
culture of the common predecessor of these languages, namely Proto-Indo-European…The most important
language groups, or rather individual languages are Old Indian, and Greek, as well as Old Iranian, Latin,
Germanic, Celtic, Slavic, Baltic, Hittite, Armenian, Tocharian and Albanian”. On the other hand the
statement by M-B (2003: 12) that “The actual history of Indo-European linguistics begins with Franz Bopp
(1791-1867)” because “Whereas earlier suppositions were only supported by comparisons of words, Bopp
proved the existence of relationships through grammatical comparisons” is not only erroneous because W.
Jones 1786’s phonological comparenda (and thus original first discovery of the relatedness of Sanskrit to
European languages) are as valid and true then “grammatical” comparenda of any kind, although perhaps not
expressed so clearly where the sake of scientific argumentation is concerned. This aside from a lack of
elegance to substract from Jones the birth of I.E. linguistics as he saw what no other scholar had seemingly
seen before; in fact the statement seems to have some outdated nationalistic shade which is not without being
reminiscent of the long held (up to recently) and now lost battle that Young is the person who deciphered the
hieroglyphic language and not Champollion.
16 For example p=b, t=d, z = s, etc…
8
No. 2 (2011)
The internal table presentation for each word, within each of these above categories, is
as follows:
Lauffenburger’s handy online Hittite Lexicon (See ‘The Hitite Grammar Homepage’:
http://www.premiumwanadoo.com/cuneiform.languages/index_en.php?page=accueil) or from The Hittite
Dictionary [of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago] (Hoffner, 1997). Kloekhorst (2008: 11)
rightly points out: “So, the times of a solely Graeco-Indic reconstruction of PIE are definitely over: we
should always take the Anatolian material into account and keep in mind the possibility that the non-
Anatolian IE languages have commonly undergone an innovation where Anatolian preserves the original,
PIE situation. ».
20 Source for the Sanskrit: ‘spokensanskrit.de’ online dictionary.
9
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Importantly, equated pillar consonants and other pillar sounds, whether semi-
vowels/consonants or vowels, existing between the hieroglyphic term and its proposed
equivalent in P.I.E and other I.E. languages are in bold. bold The consonants of each
selected A.E. word being the reference pillar consonants to be found in the various I.E.
languages examined. This is important as the author leaves it to the linguistic sagacity
of the reader to understand equivalences/shifts such as t=d, p=f, p=d, z=s, f=v,
etc…as it would have been extremely tedious to each time explain these shifts for every
language listed. Sometimes some words without shared pillar consonants with A.E. are
listed in the last right column so as to give a coherent vision of the words’ evolution
across languages and/or show the point when the shift is so considerable that
consonants are not shared with Ancient Egyptian anymore but with other I.E.
languages. It is often the variation of consonantal shifts in the various languages which
give an overall feeling of the common root of their shared respective words and this
variation strengthens the link with the pillar consonantal sounds found in the A.E.
word. In fact several A.E. words have been removed by the author from the general list
as despite apparent phonological similitudes, no coherence could be found with the
overall shifts of the equivalent consonants in the I.E. languages. A matter of judgment
and at times a delicate one, of course systematically examined in the complementary
light of already established linguistic laws. Great attention must be taken by the reader
to identify with precision the existing consonants of any A.E. word, so as to thereafter
recognize them in the selected Indo-European languages. More than often the author
has been surprised, as he turned pillar consonants in bold, to recognize consonants that
he had not seen at first glance. This has been a repeated source of satisfaction aside
from strengthening links between words21. Altogether the principle of floating pillar
consonants, sometimes complemented with pillar semi-vowels/consonants, even
sometimes full vowels, is a fundamental principle of language transmission and
evolution; and one undoubtedly more solid than many linguistic “rules” which –
although not devoid of interest and often validity – are, as has been discussed, far more
interpretative, random and subject to error that is willingly admitted.
Abbreviations
21 Not lighter should the reader take into consideration the phenomena of metathesis i.e. phoneme
interversion which for a start is very frequent in Armenian.
10
No. 2 (2011)
Where Cerny is indicated instead of Crum for Coptic, this means that a link between
the A.E. word and its equivalent in Coptic has already been established by the former in
his etymological dictionary. Words for which the etymology is an onomatopoeia – and
they are numerous and sometimes similar to their counterparts in I.E. languages – have
been omitted as they may obviously be phonologically coincidental.
COMPARENDA
ENVIRONMENT
Not in TLA Vo
ode/
e/Vo
e/ oda (Croatian)
(Cerny, 49) Во
ода [Bo
[ oda]] (Bulgarian), etc…
Wb 1, 49.1-
49.1-2 to irrigate, jw
wy
innundate =
to water
11
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Wêgs
êgs (Gothic)
Welle
elle (German)
Wavee (English)
Vall (Croatian)
Vln
lna
ln (Czech)
Unda
nda (Latin)
(Latin)
On
nada
da (Catalan), etc...
[Úida
ida]
ida] (Hittite & Luwian)
or
also shifted to
urine; mw.y
(bodily) Wet
et (English)
fluid Gwllyb
b (Welsh), etc...
Wb 2, 53.2-
53.2-3
war.t (water)
River jtr.w
r.w Eioor
ioor Eiour
iour U̯er- (P.I.E.) [Pokorny, 1165]
[stream] (Cerny,
48) Sanskrit?
Wb 1, 146.10-
146.10-147.1
Idem
Crum, Rivus
vus (Latin – stream) giving:
12
No. 2 (2011)
82, as
well as: Reka
eka (Czech)
Iour
our Rijeka
eka (Croatian)
Ioore
oore Ioore
Ioor
Iwwre Ior Rivier
ier (Dutch)
Ior
iaor Iaor River
er (English)
Riviere
iere (French)
Riu (Catalan)
Rio (Catalan, Spanish)
Գեետ [ge
[ et/ged26] – (Armenian,
Late period: Not in TLA Water- gt stream)
but Wb 5.208.9 & Cerny, course
338
[Note: Possibly a late export]
to dip; to txb
b p27
sap Sap
p Taap-- (P.I.E) [Pokorny, 1056]
moisten; to Sop
p Sop
p
irrigate Sep
p Sep
p Die
iepan
ie an (Old English)
Wb 5, 326.1-
326.1-11
Diip (English)
Dooppaa (Swedish)
Indo
In open
en (Dutch), etc…
Tinguere,
inguere, tin
inxi,
in i, tinctus
inctus (Latin -
wet/moisten/dip)
Trem
emper
em er (French)
Tuffar
uffare
uffare (Italian)
Wb 5, 465.1-
465.1-2 Hittite?
Dike:
Diijkk (Dutch)
Deeich
ch (German)
Dike
ke (English, Swedish)
Dige
ige (Danish)
Diog
iog (Irish)
Дига
га [Diga]
[ ga] (Bulgarian)
Diga
iga (Italian)
Teme Tem
me Digue
gue (French)
(Cerny, Dique
que (Spanish, Galician)
189) Dicc (Catalan),
(Catalan), etc…
25 Cerny links it to Late ‘gt’ (left) and adds “Prob. A loan word from Semitic, cf. Hebrew ‘wine press’)”.
26 Pronounciation varying depending on wether Eastern of Western is refered to.
27 Crum, 351a, as well as next two variants.
28 TLA DZA 31.423.670
13
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Hittite?
[Ro[Rodhas
Ro has]
has] (Sanskrit) ?
*Dammaz
ammaz (P. Germanic)
Dammr
ammr (Old)
Daamm (Old Frisian, German)
Dam
am (English, Dutch)
Dæmningen
æmningen (Danish)
Дамба
амба [Damba] (Russian)
Damba
amba (Irish, Lithuanian)
Tamm
amm (Estonian), etc…
Storm snm
m “Xobst
st Hobst
st P.I.E?
29
Wb 4, 165.11-
165.11-12 [Šar
arā
arār / šarau
araun-
arau -] (Hittite – storm
clouds?)?
*Stur
turmaz
tur az (P.Germanic).
Stur
turm
tur (O. H. German + G.)
Stor
tormr
tor r (Old Norse) Stortorm
tor (O.
English, English, Dutch)
Dutch)
Stor
torm
tor (English, Welsh)
Stor
tormur
tor ur (Icelandic)
Stoir
toirm
toir (Irish)
Щурурм
ур [Shor
[ horm]
hor ] (Bulgarian)
Satrauku
atraukums
atrauku s (Latvian)
Štur
turmas
tur as (Lithuanian)
Tor
orm
or (Estonian)
Stor
tormus
tor us (Latin – tempest)
Stor
tormo
tor o (Italian - cloud)
Tormenta
Tor enta (Spanish)
Tourmente
Tour ente (French - torment)
Klale
Kl Clud
ud (Old English)
29 Crum (660b) is not certain: “Xobst st storm?”; however the combined:/diphtongue two pillar consonants
“st
st”
st found in Germanic languages are present, as well as the vowel “o”.
30 Note that the word ‘cloud’ in many languages come from P.I.E. enebh- : nebh-, embh-, [Pokorny 315-316]
14
No. 2 (2011)
Hloole
Hloo Klale
Kl Cloud
oud (English)
Hloule
Hlou Wolkee (German)
Wo
Wolk
Wo (Dutch)
Облак
Об ак [Obla
[Ob ak]] (Bulgarian)
Oblaak (Croatian, Czech)
Ob
Caalligere
ligere (Latin – v : to close, to
blind)32
[Tetkhešn] - (Hittite)34
[S
[Staanati
ati {Staan]]
(Sanskrit)
þei£ô
ei£ô (Gothic)
Thuunder
der (English)
Torde
orden
orde (Norwegian), etc…
To
onitrus/
itrus/To
itrus/ onare
are (Latin)35
To
onnerre
nerre (French)
Dew jAd
Ad.t
Ad Eiot
ote
ot Eiot
ote
ot *Dheu
heu-
heu- (2) "to flow" [OED]
[OED]
(Cerny,
Wb 1, 36.1-
36.1-7 49) [Daanu]
[ anu] (Sanskrit – dew
drop)
Also
Crum, *Dawwaz
wwaz (P. Germanic)
87b: Deaww (Old English)
Dew (English)
iot
ot iot
ot Dau
Dau (Old Saxon)
Daw
Da (Old Frisian)
Dau
u (Middle Dutch)
Dugg (Danish)
Tau
u (Old High German)
Tau
u (German)
Dögg
gg (Old Norse)
Ros (Latin)
Rugiada
Rugia (Italian)
32 Related to claudere « to close », « to shut » ? Could the original etymology of « cloud » be related to the
notion of « that which closes » the sky ? This notion of closure can explain the ethymology of AE qrr (storm
cloud), since there is also AE qrr.t cavern (Wb 5, 62.4-7), i.e. that ‘enclosed place’ in the
mountain; or qrr.t hole (Wb 5, 62.1-3; FCD 281) ‘hole’, i.e. a ‘closed cavity’ in the soil. N
33 Crum indicates for “thunder”a composite word (p. 259a & 705b) Xroumpe meaning “voice of heaven”
Skt. stani- ‘to thunder’ < *(s)tenh2-, but these are formally uncompelling’. A typical case of linguistic rigidity
as discussed in the introduction as common linguistic sense indicates that all of these words are related, as no
doubt a purely linguistic argumentation will one day demonstrate. Incidentally the author made the links on
his own, which admittedly is not a demonstration of veracity as he could be as wrong as the other scholars
the work of which he does not know.
15
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Rosada
Rosa (Catalan)
Rosa
Ros (Croatian, Czech)
Rosee (French)
Rocio (Spanish) etc…
Sun ra[w
[w] Re Re From P.I.E. reeg̑- (“king” below
(Cerny,
as “sun” in P.I.E. is sāuel- ̯el-
el
134)
Wb 2, 401.5-
401.5-10 , sāu̯
sā ol-
ol-, suu̯
ol su él-
él-, s u̯el-
él el-, sūl-
el sūl- from
Also which derive sol (Spanish), soleil
Crum, (French) and sun (English).
287b:
Արեւ
եւ [Arev] (Armenian – sun)
Rh Ree
Rei ?Grian
?G ian (Irish)
ourh Rey
Ourree
Summer Sm.w
Sm 0om m Shom
m Sem- (P.I.E) [Pokorny 905]
= shemu- (Cerny,
season 243 = [Zeena]
a] (Hittite)
Wb 4, 480.5-
480.5-14 Crum, [Uu [UuSma
Uu a] (Sanskrit)
564b)
Also
Suummer
mer (English)
Sm.yt
Sm Soommerer (Danish, German)
Heat; Zomerer (Dutch)
summer Saamhradh
hradh (Irish), etc…
Wb 4, 469.8
Dawn anD.w Xt
tooue Htoou
tooue
toou P.I.E.?
Tooue Tooue
Toou
Tooui
(Cerny, Tooui
Toou Hittite?
302) [Aru
[ ruNo aya]
ru odaya
aya]
(Sanskrit)
Also [Aru [ ruNa
ru a] (Sanskrit –
Crum, dawn,
480b: personified as the charioteer
of the sun)
sun)
Xitaue Hittaw
we
Xtaue Httaw
we Dawn (English)
Xitau Hitaw
taw Daggry
ggryning
ggry ing (Swedish)
Aube
be (French)
16
No. 2 (2011)
Mud; ama.t
ama Ome Om
me Meu-,, meu̯ə- : mū̆- (P.I.E)
muddy (Cerny, [Pokorny, 741-743]
ground 121)
Wb 1, 185.1
Hittite?
– [A [Amlla -
Also paGka]
paGka] (Sanskrit, bog – lit.
Crum, ‘Acid mud’) ?
254b:
Ame *Mud
ud-
ud- (P. Germanic)
Am Ame
Am
Am Mu
ud (English)
Mul
ulj
ul (Croatian)
Also Mudder
udder (Danish)
Modder
odder (Dutch)
mud; clay jm omi Mudda
udda (Estonian)
omi
mi Mwd
wd (Welsh), etc…
Wb 1, 78.2-
78.2-3
Lutu
utum
utu (Latin)
Lama (Galician, Portuguese)
Melma
Me (Italian)
Mâl (Romanian), etc…
Sand Say
Sa Sha Pēs-,, pēns- (P.I.E.
P.I.E. - sand)
(Cerny, [Pokorny, 824]
236)
Wb 4, 419.23
419.23-
19.23-420.9
Hittite?
[suuk
[suukSm
suuk maaa]
(Sanskrit)?
Linked to :
Sable
ble (French)
Sand
nd (English, Danish, German)
Ավազոտ
Ավ ոտ [avaz]
[av ] (Armenian)
to be sandy Say Pijesak
ije k (Croatian)
Wb 4, 420.10
Pisek
Pi ek (Czech)
Sand
ndy
nd (English)
36 Tagn-
Ta is the root, hence : Tekaan (Nom.), tagnas
ta (Gen.), tagni
ta (D. L.), tagnā
ta (All.), tagnaz(a)
ta (ta
tagnāz)
ta (Abl.)
(Kloekhorst, 317).
17
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Sandet
ndet (Danish)
Zandig
ndig (Dutch)
Pješčan
Pje n (Croatian)
Písečn
Pí ná (Czech), etc…
Asrrih
h (Sanskrit) [OED]
Սայր ր [sair] {Armenian}
Ακρη
κρη [Akre] (Greek)
Acies
es (Latin)
18
No. 2 (2011)
Zvijezda
Zvije (Croatian)
Hvězda
Hvě (Czech)
Astrum
rum (Latin)
Stell
ella
ell (Latin - star)
Estrelles
relles (Catalan)
Estrel
relas
rel s (Galician0
Etoile
oile (French), etc...
Hour wnw.t
wnw Wounou Wounou P.I.E.?
(Cerny,
214) [Hora]
[H ra] (Sanskrit)
Wb 1, 316.1
316.1-
16.1-317.
Ωρα
ρα [Ora]
[ ra] (Greek)
Also
Crum, Uur
ur (Dutch)
484: Hourr (English)
Awrr (Welsh), etc...
Ounou Ounou
Ounoou Ounwoue
Ounwou
e Hora
ra (Latin - hour)
Ounaue Ounaw
Oun we Hora
ra (Spanish)
Heure (French – hour), etc...
Also
Crum,
234a:
Nō
Nw Nou
Nou Naw
Nau
Time; tr Te Tee Possibly from Dā : də-,,
season (Cerny, and dāi- : dəi-,, dī̆̆ - (P.I.E. to
178)
178) share, divide) [Pokorny 175-
Wb 5, 313.12-
313.12-316.1
79]
tA
A = Crum,
(Demotic) 391.
[Rtu
[ u] (Sanskrit - season)
Ժամ
Ժա [Zha
Zham/Dj
/Dja
/Djam]] (Armenian)
*Timon
imon (P. Germanic)
Timi
imi (Old
(Old Norse)
Tima
ima (Old English)
Tid
id (Danish)
Tijd
ijd (Dutch), etc...
Tempus
empus (Latin)
Tenpo
enpo (Italian)
Time
ime (English)
Temps
emps (French, Catalan), etc..
19
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
HABITAT
Dom
mäne (German - domain)
Dom
meiin (Dutch – d.)
Dom
mæne (Danish – d.)
Dom
maiin (English – d.), etc...
Дом мей
йн [DDommeïïn] (Bulgarian –
d.)
Дом мена (Russian – d.)
Dom ména (Croatrian – d.)
Dom ményy (Czech - d), etc…
41 Տոհմ մ [D
Dohm m] and Դոմ մեյյն [T
Tommeiin] are clearly based on a same phonetic dental root « dom m/ttom
m » issued
from the reconstructed P.I.E. dem m-. What is interesting here is that the former means ‘house’ and the second
‘domain’, i.e. in a loose sense a ‘place of residence’. This was also the case for Ancient Egyptian as although
the common translation of the word dmj is ‘town’, the notion of ‘domain’ is fitting as each town was under
the patronage of a local god whose power extended over the town and its attached surrounding dependencies
(fields, harbours, cacred pools, etc...). Hence dmj n Hr is better translated ‘d dom
maiin of Horrus’, aside from the
fascinating phonological similarity between A.E. and English, expressing a millenia old linguistic continuity.
42 Declined ‘house’ gives in Hittite: pirr (Nom.), parrnas (Gen.), parrni (D. L.), parrna (All.), parrnaza (Abl.).
20
No. 2 (2011)
Perhaps from :
From per
p r g- (P.I.E. - pole, stem,
trunk) ?43
*p
pall- (P.Gmc.)
Pall (Old English - pole)
Polle (English), etc…
Pallus (Latin - stake), etc…
43As in Armenian ‘PIR’ (fire) which came to mean ‘foyer’. Very tentatively, the root perrg may refer to the
original wood trunks or branches with which the primitive dwellings were made, hence pr in A.E., pir/p
r/par
r/p rn in
Hittite.
44 A link with nDm to sit down; to settle ?
45 TLA Dokument DZA 31.300.420.
46 Note that the ending “el” in Armenian indicates a verb form; hence the words are phonologically identical.
21
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
HUMANS
Mater
Mat (Latin)
Madre
Ma (Spanish), etc...
Father jtj
jt t50
Eiiot Eiiott Pətḗ(r), genitive pətr-és
jtjf
jt f tf51
Eiiatf Eiiatf
tf (P.I.E) [Pokorny, 829]
Wb 1, 141,10-19 tf
Atttaa- (Hittite)
[T Taata] (Sanskrit)
̟αττέρας [PPateraz] (Greek)
Patter (Latin)
Padre (Spanish, Italian)
Pere (French)
Paii (Galician, Portuguese)
*F
F ad
der (P. Germanic)
Vatter (German)
Fæd der (Old English)
Fatther (English)
Atthaiir (Irish)
հայյր [haiir] (Armenian)
Tad
d (Welsh)
Tattă (Romanian)
Consonantal inversion :
Tēvvs (Latvian)
T÷vvas (Lithuanian)
47 There is most certainly an invisible vowel « a » of some kind between the « m » and the « w » of mw.t.
Hence the Ancient Egyptian pronunciation must have been something like “Maout” or “Mawt”; possibly
even something in between like “Maouwout”. Something that the cognate tmA.t confirms, but here the
vowel ‘u/ou’ is not visible.
48 TLA Dokument DZA 31.100.880.
49 Crum, 197a. Also next variants.
22
No. 2 (2011)
Son zA Si Si *S
SuHnus, *SSuHyus (P.I.E)
(Cerny, *S
Sunu (P.I.E) [OED]
Wb 3, 408.1- 145)
409.14 [Assa
sa?]
sa (Hittite)52
Also [S Suunaa] (Sanskrit)
Crum, áõë
ëïñ [Ousstr] (Armenian)
604a:
Sunu (Old English)
0hre Shēēre
0hhre Sunu (Old Frisian)
0eere Shēēre Sunus (Gothic)
0r Sheere Sonr (Old Norse)
0e Shr Sohn (German)
0i She
0ou Son (English, Swedish)
Shi Søn (Danish)
Shou Sin (Croatian, Slovenian)
Syn (Czech)
Zoon (Dutch), etc...
Filiuss (Latin)
Filss (French)
Fill (Catalan)
Figlio (Italian)
Filho (Portuguese)
Hijo (Spanish), etc...
King ra[w
[w] Rro Rero
o Reg̑- (P.I.E - to regulate,
regulate make
(Cerny, just/right
right;
right king, reign)
reign [Pokorny,
138) 53 854-857]
= Crum, [Ra
Raaja]
Ra (Sanskrit)
299 +:
Ար
րքաա [Arrkaa] (Armenian –
Rrw King)
Rrwou Rerōō
rroou Rerōou
ōou Reik (Gothic – rule, power,
erw Rerwou
rwou kingdom) or Raginôn
Ra (ruler)
ero Erō
rō
erro Reign (English)
Ero
ro
erwou
errwou Erro
rro Rex (Latin)
era Erōou
rōou Roi, Reigner
ei (v.) (French)
ouro Errōou
rrōou
ourwou Ri (Irish), etc...
Era
ra
rra(e)i
Ouro
Ourōou
Rra
ra(e)i
ra
50Crum, 86
51TLA DZA 21.338.840
52 Phonetic reconstruction of the author, although this must have been already suggested elsewhere.
Concerning the word ‘son’ in Hittite, Kloekhesrt (2008: 20) states: ‘For the linguist interested in the Hittite
language this complicated system has some disadvantages: certain words are only attested with a
sumerographical spelling and never with phonetic signs, which means that we do not know the Hittite
rendering of these words. This is not only the case with some rare words, but also with certain words that
belong to the basic vocabulary. For instance, ‘son’ is attested with the sumerogram DUMU only…’. However
if in Hittite ‘mother’ = ‘anna’ and ‘grand mother’= ‘hanna’, then because of ‘grand son’ = ‘hassa’, then
logically ‘son’ = ‘assa’ – which fits with A.E. and Sanskrit in particular.
53 “King”, “queen” – although according to Cerny derived from pr-‘ (great house).
23
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Male, ama
ma Rwm
wme
wm Rom
ome
om Manu-s,
Ma or monu-s (P.I.E. –
[man] Rwm
wmi
wm Rom
omi
om man) [Pokorny 700]
Rwm
wm
rem
em Rom
om
Rm
m Rem
em Hittite?
Lom
omi
om Rm [Ma Manuya]
Ma (Sanskrit)
lem
em Lom
omi
om մա 55 [Mart] (Armenian)
մարդ
“man”54 Lem
m
Guma
ma (Gothic)
Mann
Ma (German)
Mans-/
Ma /ma
mannen-(Dutch)
ma
Man
Ma (English)
Male
Mal (English & French), etc...
Hom
mo/Hem mo (Latin)
Hom
mme (French)
Hom
mem (Portuguese)
Homb
mbre
mb (Spanish)
Hom
me (Catalan)
Uom
mo (Italian), etc...
Humanki rmT.t
rmT Rwme Rōm
me Probably derived from P.I.E.
nd; Rwmi Rōm
mi manu-s, or monu-s “man”
people Or [Pokorny, 700].
Wb 2, 424.17-18
Metr
tr Metr
tr [M Marttya] (Sanskrit –
t58
Mnt Mentt human being, i.e. morttal being)
Մարդրդկություն
րդ
[M
Mart
rtkoutioun]
rt (Armenian –
Linked to ?: mankind) [Consonantal
Hnmm.t
Hn m.t inversion]
sunfolk
(of HnmA.t Menneskehedden (Danish)
Heliopoli 56
Mensheid
d (Dutch)
Wb 3, 114.6-13 s); HAmm57 Mankind
d (English), etc...
humanki
nd Hum
manittas (Latin)
Hum
manid dade (Galician)
Hum
manitté (French)
Um
manittà (Italian), etc…
Antuh
hsattar (Hittite) ?
54 Crum, 294b.
55 Armenian is extremely close to Metr/Mnt [Metr/Mnt] “Humanity” (Crum, 295a).
56 TLA DZA 26.970.300
57 TLA DZA 26.970.360
58 Crum, 295a.
59 Crum, 13b, idem for next.
24
No. 2 (2011)
Háubbiþ
þ (Gothic)
Top
p (English, Dutch, German,
Estonian, etc...)
Wb 5, 265.11-266.4 Tip; top tp Капак [kapak] (Bulgarian)
Cap
putt/Cacumen (Latin)
Amuntt (Catalan)
Eyye (English)
Øjjet (Danish)
Ocullus (Latin)
Occhiio (Italian)
Oeilllle
ll (French)
Ollllo
ll (Galician)
Ojjo (Spanish)
Ullll (Catalan)
Súill (Irish), , etc…
Breasts, bn.tj
bn.t 62 Mn t63
Mnot Men
nott Spenno-, sttē̆no-
no-, p(ə)sttē̆no-
no
nipples Mno+ Men
nott (P.I.E.) [Pokorny, 990]
Wb 1, 457.11-14
[T
Taggani- ?] (Hittite) ?
[Sttan na] (Sanskrit)
*B
Breustatam
ta (P. Germanic)
[OED]
Brustts (Gothic64)
Breostt (Old English)
Breastt (English)
Brystt (Danish)
Borstt (Dutch)
Brustt (German)
Poittrin
ne (French)
Pecho (Spanish)
“Bnot”.
25
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Knochen (German)
Knok (Dutch)
Knogle (Danish)
οσ
στό [Osto] (Greek)
Oss (Latin, French)
Oss
sso
ss (Italian)
Óssea (Galician), etc…
26
No. 2 (2011)
ANIMALS
Haírd
Ha rda
rd (Gothic)
Herd
rde
rd (German)
Herd
rd (English), etc…
Hord
rde
rd (French)
Bee bj.t
bj afpebio70 Afpebi
bio
bi Bheii- (P.I.E.) [Pokorny, 116]
a composite Hittite?
Wb 1, 434.1-5 word made
Obvious [alili]
li (Sanskrit) ?
common of:
shift b=f *Bi
Bion
Bi (P. Germanic) [OED]
ab Abb
probably Af By (Old Norse) [OED]
resulting aaf Aff Biene
Bi (German)
in below Aaff Bee (English, Danish)
* 69: “fly” or “? Bij (Dutch)
Insect” [= Bi (Icelandic)
Bee bee] Bit÷
Bit (Lithuanian)
afj Пчела
Пч [xxxx] (Bulgarian, R.)
Wb 1, 182.10 And Pčella (Croatian)
“honey”: Včella (Czech)
Μέλι
λισσα
λι [melissa] (Greek)
Ebio
Not to be Ebi
bio
bi Abeill
Ab lle
ll (French)
confused Hence Abell
Ab lla
ll (Catalan, Galician)
with linked: Albină
Albi (Romanian)
“honeyfly” Abej
Ab ja (Spanish)
or Apis
Api (Latin)
honey “honeybee”
as in Ap (Italian) 72
Ape
bj.t
bj
bj.tn
bj nw hieroglyphic
Wb 1, 434.6-12
(TLA s
which was
DZA (left
probably
22.804.11 column: afj-afj
distinguished by a
n-bj.t ).71
27
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
different placing 0)
of now invisble
vowels
honeybee
Hence as in Coptic [lit. =
the composite bee of afj-n-
afj
word : honey] bj.t
Wb 1, 182.11
beekeepe
Or r [lit. =
[he] of bj.tj
bj
the bj.tja.w
honey, (Plur.)
with (TLA
Wb 1, 434.13-15
genitive DZA
‘y’] 22.810.50
0)
*G
Ganss (P. Germanic)
Gos (Old English)
Gås (Danish, Norwegian)
Gans
Ga s (Dutch, German)
Goose
Goos (English)
Gé (Irish)
Ganso
Ga so (Galician, Spanish)
Ancca/A
Anse
ser
se (Latin)
Oca (Catalan, Italian)
Oie (French), etc...
71 Hence in Ancint Egyptian “bee” was probably pronounced something like “ab”, or “af”, as in Coptic,
whereas “honey” was pronounced something like “ebio” as in Coptic. An important point as the root
consonants/semi-consonants of “bj.t” “bee” and “bj.t” “honey” are identical – but at least the initial vowels
were not.
72 Note the presence of vowel “a’ in Latin languages and absence of it in north or eastern languages. Could
this reflect in AE some link for either words for bee with either groups? Such as a later import of afj from the
Mediterranean world? Note that neither group has a phonological link with either Sanskrit (
[madhukara]) or its close Armenian word Մեղ ղու [meghou]. This could be the case of an export from a non
Indo European or the non IE layer of AE to the above listed languages.
28
No. 2 (2011)
And/or from:
ulp-, lu
up- or [Pokorny, 1179]
Hence:
Consonantal interversion in
73 Crum, 485.
74 TLA DZA 30.633.870
75 Crum, 92a « ?bull ». As for AE, probably indistinctively a bull or a cow as for ehe (Crum, 64a) or Boeit
The phonetic similitude of the AE and Sanskrit term is striking. Note that the terms ‘gau’ (Sanskrit) and
« cow » are commonly recognised as cognates.
77 Precisely : ‘substitute ox, expiatory sacrifice of a bull or ox’, as the word for cow, ox or bull is not seemingly
found in Hittite, but the root may be found there in ‘ga’. A tentative suggestion necesssitating verification.
CHECK OTHER DICS
29
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Vacc
cca
cc (Latin, Italian)
Vacca (Catalan, Galician,
Portuguese, Spanish)
Vacche (French)
Vaccă (Romanian), etc...
MANUAL ACTIVITIES
statue; Statu
St tue
tu (English & French)
likeness; ?78
Wb 5, 255.8- image twt Стат
Ст туя (Bulgarian), etc...
256.20 resemble
Statu
St tuja
tu (Latvian)
Stat
St tua (Latin)
Statu
St tue/St
tu Statu
St tufier
tu (French)
Est
statu
st tua
tu (Catalan), etc...
To cut Hsq
sq ?80 Sē̆ k- (P.I.E. – to
off, to cut, section, dissect) [Pokorny
Wb 3, 168.14- cut out 895-896] and/or (s)kel-
(s)k - (P.I.E. –
169.2 to cut, halve [Pokorny 923-927]
(both also related to above *ssemi
as shown by LRC)
Kakkkur(s?)- (Hittite) ?
Arkk- (Hittite – cut up, split up) ?
[takS kSati]
kS (Sanskrit) ?
Կտրել [K Ktrel] (Armenian)
78 0isme [shisme] seems phonologically not a cognate of AE stwt. Another Coptic word must probably exist
but it not found in Crum.
u- ‘wood’ and Hittite taru
79 Cognate of Hittite and Classic Luwian GIŠ tāru uũae-zi ‘‘to fix (magically), to fasten’.
80 Perhaps 0wwt (Crum, 590b)?
30
No. 2 (2011)
Krájet (Czech)
Кроить [Krontv] (Russian), etc...
?/S
/Sneiþ
/S þan (Gothic)
Kürzen/S Secction (n.) (German)
Kappen/S Secctie (n.) (Dutch)
Cut/ Sec
S ction/Disssecct (English),
etc...
Shifted to?:
Hack
ck (English)
Knife Hsq.t
sq.t k81
Twk Tōkk Derived from the above Hsq sq as
Tak
k Takk well as P.I.E. (s)kel- & sē̆ k
Cok
k Thok
Th k
Wb 3, 169.4 Cwk
k
Thak
Th k
[K KSurikaa)
(Sanskrit) ?
Դանակ [Danakk/Tanakk]
(Armenian)
Kniv (Danish)
Knife (English)
Scian
Sc (Irish)
Couteau (French)
Coitelo (Galician)
Coltello (Italian),
Ganivet (Catalan), etc...
[Rud
Rudhira]
Rud (Sanskrit)
Ráuþ
þs (Gothic)
Rot (German)
Rood (Dutch), etc...
Rujan
Ruj (Croatian)
Riñ (Croatian)
Rudý (Czech), etc…
also Ruber
Ru (Latin)
Rouge
Roug (French)
ruSSu, Sanskrit vrdhi, Greek erythros and rhodos, Arabic and Persian ward, Italian rosso, French rouge,
German rot and indeed English red and rose”.
84Also Crum, 183. Other similar Coptic words: Twr0 [Torsh] “be red” (Crum, 432) and variants; merre
[Merre] “red” [of hair] (Crum, 183).
31
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Rubro
Ru (Portuguese), etc...
Wb
Pire0
1, 532.13-15 prS
rS (Cerny, Piresh
Red 123) -
ochre82 Red
colour
substance
Bread t' ? P.I.E?
Αρττος [A
Arttoz] (Greek)
Pane/Pa
Pa Panis
Pa (Latin)
Pane
Pa (Italian)
Pa (Catalan)
Pan
Pa (Galician)
Pain
Pa (French), etc…
Sweet bnjbn
bn bnj
bn ? P.I.E.?
Sweets bnj.t
bn Бонб
нбон
нб нче [bonbonfe]
(Bulgarian)
Bonb
nbón
nb n (Czech)
Wb 1, 463.13-15 Bomb
mbom
mb m (Croatian)
Bonb
nbon
nb n (German, French)
Or
Confecti bnj.tj
bn Related to Latin ‘bellulus’
oner “sweet”?
32
No. 2 (2011)
or simply a coincidence].
Mat tmA.
mA.yt
mA. t Tme Tme P.I.E.?
Tom
(Cerny,
Wb 5, 307.10-1
188)
Thmi Matte
Mat (Old English)
(TLA Mat (English)
DZA
31.100.17 Matta
Mat (Latin - mat)
0)
[Note: Possibly a later exchange
or simply a coincidence].
Remo
o (Galician, Italian)
Rame (French)
Rámha (Irish), etc...
INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITIES
*Ai
Ainaz
Ai (Proto Germanic)
Ains (Gothic)
Ai
Ein
Ei (German)
An (Old Frisian)
En (Danish)
Een
Ee (Dutch)
One (English)
Unus (Latin)
Uno (Italian, Catalan)
33
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Un (French)
Um (Portuguese), etc…
Two Snwj
wj92 snau
u Snau
u/S
Sna *D(u)w
wo- [S], *duoh [B],
w wéh3(u) [M&A]
*dw
Dvvijje (Croatian)
Dvvě, dvvojjice (n.) (Czech)
Du
uo (Latin)
Du
ue (Italian)
Deu
eux
eu (French), etc…
*P
P etw
twor-
tw (Proto Germanic)
Fidw
dwôr
dw (Gothic)
Vier (German, Dutch)
Feowwer (Old English)
Pedw
dwar
dw (Welsh)96
Four
Fou (English)
87 Crum, 469.
88Sihler,402–24. Idem for the subsequent numerals = [S] .
89 Mallaury & Adams, 61. Idem for the subsequent numerals = [M&A].
90 Beekes, 212–216. Idem for subsequent numerals = [B].
91 Possibly a root such as ‘eda/etta’, since From "one" : 1-eda "at a precise place ; for oneself". 1-etta "in an
(Lauffeburger, idem).
94 Online English to Gothic and Gothic-to-English dictionary, made by Guy T. Gambill, based on Wright's
Grammar of Bishop Wulfilas's 4th Century Bible. The same dictionary is used for subsequent Gothic words.
http://www.freelang.net/online/gothic.php?lg=gb
95 The ethymology of ‘four’ in Hittite, hence me(i)u- / meiau-, related to Luwian māuua-, is a matter of debate
34
No. 2 (2011)
Fjögu
ur (Icelandic)
Четтири [Tch
Tcheet
Tch tiri] (Bulgarian)
Čettiri (Croatian)
Čtyři
Čt (Czech)
Ceitthre (Irish)
Quatutuor,
tu Quattu ttuor,
ttu Quatto
ttor
tto
(Latin)
Quattttro
tt (Italian)
Cattro (Galician)
Cuattro (Catalan)
Quattre (French), etc…
Six Sjs[t]
Sjs soou Swou/S
So *S
S(w)eḱss; originally
ou/S
Soow perhaps *weḱs [S], *(SS)uékss [B],
Wb 4, 40.7. Also *S
S(w)ékss [M&A]
*S
Sekhss (Proto Germanic)
Sehss (Old High Germanic)
Saiihss (Gothic)
Sechss (German)
Sess
sse
ss (Middle Dutch)
Zess (Dutch)
Sekss (Old Swedish, Norwegian)
Шессть [Sh
Shes
Sh stv] (Russian)
Шест [ShShes
Sh st] (Bulgarian)
Šesst (Croatian, Czech)
Վեցց [Vets
ts]
ts (Armenian)
Εξι [Ets
tsi]
ts (Greek)
Šip
ptamiia (Hittite)
Wb 4. 115.15. [S Sappta] (Sanskrit)
Also: Sib
bun (Gothic)
Siebben (German)
Zevven (Dutch)
Sevven (English)
Syvv (danish), etc…
Seacht (Irish)
Седдем (Bulgarian)
Sed
dam (Croatian)
97 Kloekhorst (2008 : 20) states : ‘We do not know the Hittite words for HUR.SAG ‘mountain’, GUŠKIN
35
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Sed
dm (Czech)
Sep
ptem (Latin)
Sep
pt (French)
Sette (Italian)
Sete (Galician)
Siete (Catalan), etc..
Uknown (Hittite)
[V ViMzatti] (Sanskrit)
Twái
Tw tigjus (Gothic)
Zwanzig
Zw (German)
Twent
Tw ty (English)
Twinttig (Dutch)
Tyvve (Danish)
Tutttugu (Icelandic)
Двад
Дв десет [Dvadeset] (Bulgarian)
Dvad
Dv deset (Croatian)
Dvacet
Dv (Czech)
Divd
vdesmit
vd (Latvian)
Dvid
Dv dešimt (Lithuanian)
Vingintti (Latin)
Ventti (Italian)
Vintt (Catalan)
Vingtt (French)
शत [Z
Zatta/S
Satta] (Sanskrit
( )) 99
Հարյուր [HHariour]
(Armenian)
Hunt
ntêhund
nt (Gothic)
Hund
ndert
nd (German)
Hund
ndred
nd (English, Danish)
Hond
nderd
nd (Dutch)
Hund
ndrað
nd (Icelandic), etc…
Сто
Ст [Sto] (Bulgarian)
Sto
St (Croatian, Czech)
Šimt
mtas
mt (Lithuanian)
36
No. 2 (2011)
Simt
mts
mt (Latvian)
Cent
ntum
nt (Latin)
Cent
nto
nt (Italian)
Cent
nt (French)
Cen
n (Galician)
Céad
d (Irish), etc…
Thousand xA 0o Sh
ho *Tuh
has- kmtyós [M&A],
ǵȹeslo-; *tusdḱomti (originally
*ǵ
Wb 3, 219.3-220.2. [= Kha
ha]
ha
ǵȹes-l-
"a massive number"[S], *ǵ
[B]
Unknown? (Hittite)
[Sahahasra]
ha Sanskrit
Հազար
Հա [Hazar] (Armenian)
Þûsund
Þû (Gothic)100
Taausend (German)
Duizend (Dutch), etc…
Χίλια [Ch
Chilia
Ch a] Greek
Хиляда [H H iljaada] (Bulgarian)
Hiljaada (Croatian)
Miliaa (Latin)
Mille (French, Italian), etc…
*kh
khalbas
kh s (Proto Germanic)
Halb, Half (Old Eng., German)
Half- (Dutch), etc…
Semis (Latin
Semestre (Italian)
Semi (French), etc...
37
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
[Measure mH-tA
mH tA Mahe Mah
he Mē-, m-e-tt- (P.I.E.) [Pokorny,
Mahi
of (Cerny,99) Mah
hi 703-704]
Wb 2, 120.8 length];
land Mē(i)an- (Hittite - ‘range (of a
cubit year), extent? [measure104]).
[M [Maattraaa]] (Sanskrit
– measure)
Մետտր [metr] (Armenian -
metre)
Wb 2, 120.2-7 Cubit; mH Μετρ
τρώ
τρ [metro] (Greek – to
cubit measure)
rod Μέττρο [Metro] (Greek - metre)
Mid
djis (Gothic)
Mitt
tte
tt (German), etc...
Mid
ddle (English)
Midd
dden
dd (Dutch)
Millllieu
ll (French)
have to conclude that m_(_)an- denotes something like ‘extent, range (of a year)’ – hence this translation is
not certain and the notion of ‘measure’ should perhaps be retained as in better agreement with the cognates
in the other languages listed. Incidentally, the author had already linked Mē(i)aan- with P.I.E. Mē-, m-e-tt- when
he further read (same page); ‘Etymologically, a connection with IE *meh1- ‘to measure’ seems likely’. Here
there is full agreement.
38
No. 2 (2011)
To be aqA ? P.I.E.???
accurate;
to make Hittite?
Wb 1, 233.5-12 accurate [Uccitaa] (Sanskrit) ?
Ακριβής
Ακ [ak
akribeiz]
ak (Greek)
Glagg
aggwô
agg (Gothic – accurately)
or
Glagg
aggwuba
agg a (Gothic – exact)
Akkurat
Akk at (German), etc...
Accuraa
Acc aataa (Dutch)
Accurat
Acc atus
at (Latin)
Accurat
Acc to (Italian)
Accura
Acc ate (English)
Εξοχος
Εξ [Ex
Exochoz]
Ex (Greek)
Exzellent
Exz (German)
Excellent
Exc (English)
Exceller
Ex r e (Latin – v)
Eccelente
Ecc (Italian)
Excelente
Exc (Catalan)
Excellent
Ex (French), etc …
*Werkakan
ka (P. Germanic)
Waúrkkjaan (Gothic, v.) or
Waúrrstw (Gothic, s.)
Workk (English)
Werkk (Dutch)
Verkk (Old Norse)
Weraah (Old High German),
etc…
Words in Latin/Romance
languages are very distant.
39
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Mane
nere
ne (Latin)
Perm
mannecen (Galician), etc...
To be far Hri
Hr Xor
r Horr P.I.E?
(from) (Cerny,
291) [Arh
rha]
rh (Hittite - far, far away)
Wb 3, 144-146.5
[Parrā] (Hittite - ahead; out; away,
Linked to ?: farther, beyond (adv.)
[Aarr e] (Sanskrit)
[Parraa] (Sanskrit – adv.)
հեռ ռու [hherrou] (Armenian - far)
Hr.w
upper part; µακρ ριά [makrr ia] (Greek)
top Wb 3,
142.13-143.8 Faírr
rra
rr (Gothic)
Farr (English)
Remotus (Latin)
Arra (Catalan)
to be wAi bol?106
Xb Hb
bol au-,, au̯e, u̯ē̆- (P.I.E.)
away Xab
bal? Hb
bal [Pokorny, 72-73]
from
Undarr (Gothic)
Underr (English)
40
No. 2 (2011)
Onderr (Dutch)
to; Hr Ha Ha g̑hō
hō (P.I.E) [Pokorny 451-
towards; Haro Haro
(Cerny, 452]
Wb 3, 131.22- from
(provena 269)
24,32-33; 132.14 Arr- (Hittite)
nce) उप [Upa] (Sanskrit)
Also
[Note: Possibly simply a
xr coincidence].
Wb 3,
315.15-17 to
(someone
)
To come jy eii109 Eii P.I.E.?110
eiu Eiy
iy
Wb 1, 37.29-30 Ie (Hittite – to go, to come,
to procced, to march)111
Ue/uua (Hittite)
Ehu (Hittite - “come” (imp.))
Iya-
Iy (Hittite – to go)
jwii Tiy
iya-
iy (Hittite – to go, walk, go
on, stay )
Wb 1, 44.1-45.6
Uiy
iya-
iy (Hittite – to go after)
[Y Yaatii] (Sanskrit – go) ?
Jít/přijí
Jí ít (Czech)
Eii (Romanian – interj.)
Ejja/eiia/heia
ia (Latin - “come”
(Interj.))
Veniire (Latin – to come)
To shut Stb[y]
Stb 0wttm112 Shōt
Sh tem P.I.E.? 114
in; to 0ottm Shot
Sh tem
0(e)t
tm
enclose 0attm, Sh(e)t
Sh tm Išt
štāp
št p (Hittite)
Wb 4, 557.8-9; etc… Shat
Sh tem
Wilson Shut
Sh t (English)
Hence Schließen
Sch (German)
also:
Twm113 Tōm Zattvoriti (Croatian)
Tom Tom Zavřítt (Czech),
Tem Tem Užždarytti (Lithuanian), etc…
Cem, etc. Them
Th
41
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
To sp
park
rk (English)
Spra
prank
pra kje (Dutch)
Искркра
кр [Iskrra] (Bulgarian)
Iskr
kra
kr (Croatian)
Jiskr
kra
kr (Czech)
Esp
purrba (Catalan)
Dôômja
jan
ja (Gothic)118
Judg
udge
udg (English)
Iud
udex/jud
ud udex,
ud jud udicis
ud (Latin –
Judg
dge)
dg
Jug
uge
ug (French – judge)
Ju
urylid
d (Dutch)
Ju
uiz (Portuguese)
Xuuiz (Galician), etc…
To tktk
tk Toktk Tokktek P.I.E.?
attack Tektok Tekktok
(Cerny,
Hatk
tkesnu-
tk (Hittite)
for ‘judge’ and related words is ‘y+a’. ‘Y’ is surviving as ‘j’, ‘dj’ or ‘g’ in IE languages.
118 From “dôms” = judgment, opinion , verdict.
42
No. 2 (2011)
To atttackk (English)
Ad
dire (Latin)
Atttaq
quer (French)
Attaqu
que
qu (Galician)
Du-riinnan
n (Gothic) or
Ran
nnjan (Gothic – cause to run)
To runn (English)
43
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
To wn Ouon Wonn/Ou
Ou P.I.E?
open (Cerny, on
n
213) { उन -
Wb 1, 311.2-
312.11 } [Un
UnmiSati
Un { un-
un miS }]
Also (Sanskrit)
Ouwrx Worh/O
O { अप - }
44
No. 2 (2011)
To bathe; baba
ba BeBe Beb
be bhllē̆d-, bhl̥d- also baba-
baba (P.I.E)
to bubble Beebe Beeb
be [Pokorny, 155 & LRC]
(Cerny,
20)
Wb 1, 447.1-4 Hittite?
[b
budb
budaa ]
(Sanskrit)
= Crum,
28b, +: To bathe,
ba to bub
bble (English)
Also Bub
bblaa (Swedish)
bubble,
bebi
Not in WB (Cerny, well up Beb
bi Bub
blaat (Czech)
20) – Late
Egyptian bAbA
bAy
bA Eb
bullio (Latin)
Bouilloner (French), etc...
Bullaa (Latin)
Bub
bble (English)
Bulle (French)
Bub
bblaa (Swedish)
Burb
bullaa (Galician)
Bub
blinaa (Czech)
Bomb bollaa (Catalan)
Bob
ble (Danish), etc...125
& 695).
45
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
wise Sabe
Sab Savoir
Sav (French - knowledge)
man Sabe
Sab Sabbey
Sabb Σοφία [ssop phia] (Greek –
Sabbeu
Sabb Sabbeye
Sabb wisdom), etc…
Wb 4, 16.7 Sabbeue
Sabb
etc..
or : sbA.w Scir
Sc re (Latin – to know)
sAA
sA Science
Sc (French, English, etc…)
Savant
Sav (French) = “one who
teacher; knows, who possesses
Wb 4, 85.1-5
instructor knowledge, who is wise”
Sage
Sa (French – wise man)
sbAr
Itself linked to :
Wb 4, 18.11-12 to be
wise
Suck/suckle
ck/suckle (English)
Sauggen (German)
Sugge (Danish)
Zoggen (Dutch)
Suge
gere
ge (Latin – to suck)
Succ
ccer
cc (French)
Xucclar (Catalan – to suck), etc...
130 Seemingly not related to P.I.E. dhebh-, dhebh-eu- « to suck/suckle » [Pokorny 240].
46
No. 2 (2011)
Ra0i Rash
shi
sh Զվար
Զվ րճանալ [Zv
Zvar
Zv rdjanal]
(Armenian)
Idem
rSrS
rS
Wb 2, 456.1-4 Jubeln (German)
Rejo
joice
jo (English)
Demotic idem
(Cerny, 142) rsy Radov
ovat
ov se (Czech)
Gauudere (Latin)
Gioir
Gio r e (Italian)
Alegra
grar
gra (Portuguese)
Rejouir
jouir (French)
Reggoccijarse (Spanish) , etc…
Volare (Latin)
Volere (Italian)
Vouloir (French), etc...
To wSb Ouo0b
Ou 0b Woshb/
shb/ su̯er- (P.I.E) [Pokorny, 1049]
answer; (Cerny, Ouoshb
Ou shb
to answer 221) Hittite?
Wb 1, 371.6-372.1
for
= Crum, {}[U UttaraM dadaati]
502a, +: (Sanskrit, lit. ‘answer give’)
Ouw0b Wōshb
shb/
shb
Oua0b And-wwaúrdjan (Gothic)
Ouōshb
Ou shb Antsw
swor
sw (Old Saxon)
Washb
shb/
shb Andsv
svar
sv (Old Norse)
Ouashb
Ou shb Ondsser (Old Frisian).
Andsw
swaru
sw (Old English)
Answ
swer
sw (English)
Antw
worten (German)
47
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Antw
woorden (Dutch)
Svara
Sv (Icelandic)
Svar
Sv (Danish)
Svara
Sv (Swedish), etc…
Odpovvědět (Czech)
Odgovvoriti (Croatian)
Resp
spondere
sp (Latin)
Risp
spondere
sp (Italian
Resp
sponder
sp (Spanish)
Rep
pondre (French), etc…
To be txi
tx +xe131 The
Th P.I.E?
drunk; to +xi Thi
become +axe Tahe Eku-zi / aku- (Hittite – to
Wb 5, 323.13- Ciji
324.17 drunk Thidji
Thi drink)
Ahhu (Palaic – drink)
[Prramatta]
(Sanskrit) ?
Af-dr
drugkja
dr (Gothic)
Betr
trunken
tr (German)
Drunk/Dr
Dr Drink
Dr (English)
Dronken
Dr (Dutch)
Drukkin
Dr (Icelandic)
Drucken
Dr (Swedish), etc…
Ebrrius (Latin)
Ubrriaco (Italian)
Ivrr e (French), etc…
Borrach cho
ch (Galician, Spanish)
Borratx txo
tx (Catalan), etc...
Այս
յսպես
յս [ais
ispes/ais
is isbes]
is
(Armenian)
έτσι [etsi
si]
si (Greek)
Sic
Si (Latin)
Così sì (Italian)
Ainsi si (French)
Asísí (Galician)
Dá bhrí sin si (Irish)
This tAj Tai Tay i̯āi (P.I.E.) [Pokorny, 502]
(demonst (Cerny,
rative 177) Kii-/ kāā- / kū-- / (Hittite)
Wb 5, 212.3-5
pron.,
48
No. 2 (2011)
Aquesta ta (Catalan)
Acestaa/Aceasta ta (Romanian)
Illaa (latin), etc...
Bad, bjn
bj Boon
ne Boon
ne bhlēu- : bhləu- : bhlū- (P.I.E
133
[evil] Bon
ni – bad) [Pokorny, 159]
Bon
ni Bōn
ne
Wb 1, 442.15- Bwn
ne
443.17 baan
ne Baan
ne Evil:
Zlý
lý (Czech)
Mallus (Latin)
Mallvagio (Italian)
Mallveillant (French), etc…
Bad :
49
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
bojjāts (Latvian)
blogas
bl (Lithuanian)
böse (German)
Bad (English)
Kwaad (Dutch)
[bad] Farsi
Վատ [vat/vad] (Armenian)
SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES
Ø»éÝ»É|Mernel] (Armenian – to
die)
Crum, 24a.
135
50
No. 2 (2011)
Strength wsr.w
wsr Jwwr142 Djōōr P.I.E. ?
[in the Jwwre
Jwwr Djōōre
Djōōr
sense of Jwr Djō
ōr
Wb 1, 362.10- Jwri
Jwr [V Viirrya] (Sanskrit –
363.2 “potent” Djōri
Djōr also ‘virility’)
Pyr. 129 (W) linked to “strong, [V Vaajja] (Sanskrit)
“sexually hard, [V Vaajjayu] (Sanskrit –
potent”, bold” adj.)
“virile”]
Ուժեղ
ւժ ղ [Ouzh
Ouzhegh
Ouzh gh/Ouj
gh Oujer
Ouj r ]
Or:
(Armenian – strong from ուժ
Jro Djro
Djr [ouj] “strength’, ‘virility’)
Jra
Jr Djra
Djr
JrA.E.it
Jr DjrA.E.it
Djr Vis (Latin)
Hence the author
proposes141 a link “to
with Hence: “vvirrile” in Latin, French,
become English, etc...
strong”
Osiris [i.e wsjr Vigorr (Latin)
. the Vigourr (English)
Wb 1, 359.5 [sexually] Vigorr (Portuguese)
potent Vigeurr (French), etc...
Seemingly one]
confirmed by hence
u
wsr i̯ēg ̯ā (P.I.E.) [Pokorny 503]
Adorare
Ado (Latin – to adore)
Adorar
Ado (Catalan & Galician)
To adore
ado (English)
Adorer
Ado (French – to adore)
Ado
doreren
do (Dutch)
Adhair/
Ad adhrahd
ad (Irish)
point - which incidentally also concerns the letter ¤ “w” in Ancient Egyptian – and which is of fundamental
importance in the author’s opinion for the future vocalisation of pharaonic Egyptian.
140 Seems remote from nāu- : nəu- : nū- (P.I.E.) [Pokorny, 756].
141 The author is not aware that this etymology of the name of Osiris has previously been proposed.
142 With a shift s=dj (as for Joeit “olive tree”, otherwise “Zeitoun” in Armenian and other languages)
accompanied by a consonantal interversion; Crum, 784b; consonantal interversion which did not occur in
Armenian where the same xxxxx “J” is found.
51
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Ouo0
Ou 0t u
To wASS Wosht
Wosh Possibly from P.I.E. eu̯eg ̯h-
worship (Cerny, [Pokorny, 348] or u̯̯ en-
[to 221)
Wb 1, 261.9-262.8 , u̯̯ enə- [Pokorny 1146-1147]
honour, from which derives Latin
to Oua0t
Oua0 Washt
Wash
Linked to : 145 veneror, etc…
venerate] Ouw0t Wōsht
Wōsh
Ouw0
Aruwā
wāi-
wā (Hittite)
wASS
In-w
weitan (Gothic) ?
Wb 1, 262.9-11
Worðsscip/wwurðsscip (Old
Honor; English) [OED]
respect Weorðsscipe (W.Saxon)
Worsh
ship
sh (English)
Veneror (Latin)
Venerazzione (Italian)
Vénérer/ Vénérattion (French)
Chapel; kAr
kA Kw 146
Kw? Kō P.I.E.?
shrine kAr
kA j
Wb 5, 107.12- kArjw Or: Ékari
karimmi,
kari Ékari
karimn-
kari (Hittite)
108.12 kArjy ¶³íÇ
¶³ Çà [GaGavi
Ga it/Ka
Kavit
Ka it]/
it
Knxe?147 Knhe Կապելլ լլա
լլ [KaKapell
Ka lla]
ll –
Kexni? Kehnii (Armenian – “choir”).
Παρεκκκλλήσι [Parekkkllesi] (Greek)
Kapel
Ka l (Danish, Dutch)
Chapel
Cha l (English)
Linked to : COMPLETE
Kapel
Ka la (Croatian)
Chapel; gAj.t Kapl
Ka le (Czech)
shrine
Sac
acell
ac llum
ll (Latin)
Wb 5, 150.1-4 Capell
Ca lla
ll (Catalan)
Chapell
Ch lle ll (French)
52
No. 2 (2011)
God nTr
nT Nout te Noutte Dei-, deiə-, dī-, diā- (P.I.E)
(Cerny, [Pokorny,183-187]
111)
Wb 2, 358.1-
360.14 Addddus
dd DINGIRMEŠ ( Hittite -
= Crum, gods, Manes, fathers).
230b, +: (d)Tiwad- (Luwian - Sun-god)
Tiunna (Palaic)
Nou+
+ Noutt
Nountte [Devattaa] (Sanskrit)
Nountte ¸Çù (DDiq/TTiq) (Armenian)150
θεός [T
Theoz] (Greek)
*Gutthan
n (P. Germanic)
Guð
ð (Old Norse)
Guþ
þ. (Goth), etc…
God
d (Old Saxon, Old Frisian,
Dutch, English)
Gott (Old High German)
Gott
tt (German)
Gud
d (Danish, Norwegian)
Deus (Latin)
And all derived words in Latin
languages (d
dieu, deu, dios, etc..)
The following tables recapitulate the above by placing this time the transliteration of
each Ancient Egyptian word between its equivalent in Proto Indo-European and one or
more type I.E. word phonologically close. These synoptic tables allowing to better
stress and evaluate the phonetic/phonological relation existing between these three
types of vocabularies:
ENVIRONMENT
150
Complement from A. Arakelyan to list upon closing the manuscript.
151 One or two examples are given each time from the above comparative tables.
53
ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
Storm ? snm
m Stormm (English)
Storm cloud aghl(u)- qrr øáõÉɳ [KKoulla]
(Armenian)
Thunder ten- tHn Tetkhešn - (Hittite)
Dew *d
dheu- jAd
Ad.t
Ad [Da Daanu]
Da (Sanskrit
– dew drop)
/Dea
/D aw (Old English)
Sun reg̑- ra[w
[w] Արեւ [Arev] (Armenian)
Summer sem- Sm.w
Sm [UuSm Sma]
Sm
(Sanskrit)/S
Summmer
(English)
Dawn ? anD.w
[A
AruNNod daya] (Sanskrit)
Day ̑ er
ō̆gh hrw
[AhhaH , ah
han]
(Sanskrit)/ûñ [Or]
(Armenian)
Earth, land er-, er-t-, er-u̯- tA Tagn-
Ta (Hittite)/ Terra
T a
(Latin & Italian)
Mud meu-, meu̯ə- : mū̆- ama.t
ama – [Am mlaa -
paGka] (Sanskrit)/Lama
ama
(Galician, Portuguese)
Sand pēs-, pēns- Say
Sa Sand/Sa
Sa Sandy
Sa y (English)
Desert ? dSr.t Dess ert
rtum
rt (Latin)
Edge ardi-, r̥ di- aD[j] Edg
dge
dg (English)
Star stē̆r- sbA Star
Sta (English, Danish)
Hour ? wnw.t
wnw Uur (Dutch)
Time, season dā : də-, and dāi- : dəi- tr [Rt Rtu]
Rt (Sanskrit -
, dī- ? season)
HABITAT
HUMANS
152 “?” means here that the word is not, safe an omission of the author, in the list of P.I.E. words – i.e. it is
not available/as yet reconstructed - and not that the author has not been to establish a link with AE and the
equivalent existing P.I.E. word.
54
No. 2 (2011)
Son *S
SuHn
nus zA [S
Suunaa]
(Sanskrit)
King reg̑- ra[w
[w] [Ra
Raaja]
Ra
(Sanskrit)
Male manu-s Ama
ma [Ma
Manuya]
Ma
(Sanskrit)
Man/ma
Ma malema (English)
Humankind manu-s ? rmT.t
rmT [M Marttya]
(Sanskrit – human
being, i.e. morttal
being)
Head kap-ut tp Capputt (Latin)
Top kap-ut tp Topp (English)
u
Eye ok -̯ jr.t नयन [Nayyana153]
(Sanskrit)/Eyye
(English)154
Breast speno-, stē̆no-
no-
no bn.tj
bn.t Breostt (Old English)
, p(ə)stē̆no-
Heart k̑ered-, k̑ērd-, k̑r̥d- HA.tj Kardi
Ka di-,
di kard
ka d- (Hittite)
/Haírt
/Ha tô (Gothic)
Bone ost
st(h)-,
st ost(h)i, qs Kосст [kost]
(Bulgarian)/ Ոսկսկոր
սկ
[vosko
skor]
sko
(Armenian)155
ANIMALS
Herd k̑erdh
ho-, k̑erdh
hā hAr.t
r.t Haírd
Ha rda
rd (Gothic)
Bee bheii- bj.t
bj Bij (Dutch)
afj Abeill
Ab lle
ll (French)
Goose
Goose g̑han-ss- gASw
[K
KalahaMsasaka]
sa
(Sanskrit)/ Սագ [sag
sag]
sag
(Armenian)156
u̯
Wolfhound u̯l̥k os wnS.jw Wetn n- (w wetnna- ?)
(Hittite)
̯ u
Cow/Bull g ou- gw [Gau/Go
Gau/Go]
Gau/Go
Sanskrit
MANUAL ACTIVITIES
153 ‘Nayana’ means also ‘guiding’ or ‘directing’ and it could that this the ethymology of ‘ eye’, i.e. ‘that which
guides’ or something the like.
154 The similarity between Coptic « eyer » and English « eye » is striking.
155 Following the common consonantal interversion typical of Armenian.
156 With the typical consonantal inversion often found in Armenian.
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ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITIES
One *Hoii-w
wo wa One (English)
Two *dw
wéh3(u) Snwj
wj Zweii (German/ Tw
Zw Twáii
(Gothic)
Four *kwétw
twor-
tw fdw Fidw
dwôr
dw (Gothic)
Six *S
S(w)ékss Sjs[t] [=Sh
Sjs Sheis
Sh is]
is Saiihss (Gothic)
Seven *Sep
*S ptm Sfx[t]
Sfx [= Shfkh]
Shf Zevven (Dutch) / Sib bun
(Gothic)
Twenty *W
Wīkmtth1 ? but Coptic XXX Twent
Tw ty (English) ?
Twái
Tw tigjus (Gothic)
Hundred *Kmttóm Snt [=Shnt
Shnt]
Shnt Hunt ntêhund
nt (Gothic)
Thousand *Tuh
has- kmtyós xA [Saha hasra]
ha
Sanskrit/
Հազար
Հա [Hazar]
(Armenian)
Half *ssemi gs λë [ge [ges ] (Armenian)/
Takškšan-
kš (Hittite)
[measure of l.], land mē-, m-e-tt- mH-tA
tA [M [Maattraaa]]
cubit (Sanskrit – measure)/
Mē(i)an- (Hittite)
Middle med
dhi-, med
dhi̯o- mtt Mitttte
tt (German)
To be accurate ? aqA Akkurat
Akk at (German)
Excellent ? jqr / jgr Գեր րազանց
[Q
Q errazants]
(Armenian)
Work u̯erg̑-, u̯org̑- kA.t [K
Kriyaaa]
(Sanskrit)
Remain men
n- mn Մնալ [mn mnal]
mn
(Armenian)/ Mane nere
ne
(Latin)
To be far ? Hri
Hr [Arh
rha]
rh (Hittite /Հ Հեռռու
[h
herr ou] (Armenian)
To be away from au-, au̯e, u̯ē-̆
au- wAi Away
way (English)
Under n̥dhos, n̥dherri Xr Ներ ր քեվի [nerkevi]
(Armenian)
To come ? jy Iya-
Iy (Hittite)/ Ie
(Hittite/
Jít/přijí
Jí ít (Czech)
To shut in ? Stb[y]
Stb Išt
štāp
št p (Hittite)/
Shut
Sh t (English)
To sparkle k̑ad- b[A]rg To sp parkrk (English)
To judge i̯eu̯os wDa
wD Iud
udex
ud (Latin – a judge)
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No. 2 (2011)
To attack ? tktk
tk Hatktkesnu-
tk (Hittite)/To
atttackk (English)
To run dh
hen
n- Hn [Dhhaavan na]
(Sanskrit – running)
To become heavy dh
herebh
bh-?
bh HrS Harshsh (English, Irish)
To pour g̑heu- kS
gAS {}
[Ksha
Ksharati
Ksha { kSar }]
(Sanskrit)
/To gush
g sh (English)
To offer [to dō- : də- dō-u- : dəu- drp / dAp {}
donate/give] : du- [Da
Dadaati
Da { daa
da }]
(Sanskrit)
To love (s)m
merr mri Arr- (Hittite – to care
for someone)/Am marre
(Latin, Italian)
To open *u
upo wn { उन -
}
[Un
UnmiSati
Un { un-
un miS }]
(Sanskrit)
To bathe; to bubble bhllē̆d-, bhl̥d- baba-
baba baba
ba
[b
budb budaa] (Sanskrit)
/To bathe,
ba to bub bble
(English)
To be wise sap-
sap-, sab-?
sab sbq, sbAq Sakk- (Hittite)
/Sapientia
/Sap (Latin -
wisdom)
To suckle ? s nqq
[S
Stannaggraha] (Sanskrit –
sucking of the breast)
/Suck/suckle
/S ck/suckle (English)
To be hungry/hunger elkk-, eləkk- Hqr
[Bubh hukkSaa] (Sanskrit)
/To hungger/h
r/hung
r/h gerr
(English)
To rejoice gāuu-? rSu
rS , rsy,
rsy rswy Rejouir
jouir (French)
To seek, to wish, etc.. u̯̯ ei-, u̯el-, u̯lei-,
lei
lei wxA Wekk kk/U
kk Uekk kk (Hittite)
/ [Va Vaz
Vaz] (Sanskrit)
To answer su̯er- wSb Andsw swaru
sw (Old English
To be drunk ? txi
tx Borratx txo
tx (Catalan),
etc...
Thus [enclitic] ? js Iniššan/Kis issan
is
(Hittite)/
Այսյսպես
յս [ais
ispes]
is
(Armenian)
This i̯āi tAj Այդ [aitait]
ait (Armenian)
That to-, tā-, ti̯ o- tfA [Ta Tat]
Ta (Sanskrit)
Don’t mē- m [M Maa] (Sanskrit)
ØÇ [M Mi] (Armenian)
Bad, [evil] bhlēu- : bhləu- bjn
bj Ubi
bils
bi (Gothic -evil)
: bhlū-
SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES
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ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
(Armenian
Death ? mwt [M MRty
tyu]
ty
(Sanskrit)
/Mort
/Mo t (French)
Strength157 i̯ēgu̯ā wsr.w
wsr [V
Vaajja]
(Sanskrit)
/Ուժեղ
ւժ ղ [Ouj
Oujegh
Ouj gh]
gh
(Armenian)
To praise, to worship deu-, deu̯ə-, du̯ā-, dwA ¸³í³í³Ý»É
í³ (Armenian)
/ Adorare
Ado (Latin – to
adore)
To worship [to eu̯egu̯h-? or u̯̯ en- wASS Aruwā
wāi-
wā (Hittite)/
venerate] , u̯̯ enə- Worðsscip (Old
English)
Chapel, shrine ? kAr
kA , kAr
kA j Ékarimmi,
Ékarimn- (Hittite)
Chapel, shrine ? gAj.t
j.t ¶³íÇà [KaKavit
Ka it]
it
(Armenian)
Scent neu-ks-, neu-s- snTr Sent
ntir
nt re (Latin)
God *ghutt- nTr
nT Tiunna (Palaic)
Gott (Old High
German)
Discussion
Discussion and conclusions
At least five possibilities may be considered for the above recurring phonological
similitudes:
1. Phonological coincidences.
2. Export to Indo-European languages – such as seemingly for tropical ebony (hbny),
itself seemingly brought from Central African forests where the tree only thrives.
3. Import into Ancient Egyptian from Indo-European languages – something very
possible for the numerals.
4. Indo-European language hidden under layers of later additional layers of Afro-Asiatic
vocabulary.
5. Common ancestry with a vanished older language, perhaps intermediate between
Proto-Egyptian and Nostratic; the latter not being in contradiction with point 4.
The “belief that the Indo-European and the Semitic families are related”158 is not “a
new one” as Ray (1992: 128) pointed out in his “Are Egyptian and Hittite related?”
directly inspired for a start from Hodge’s 1981 Lislakh Labials article. A linguistic
conclusion which is neither widely disseminated nor accepted, and even less cited
outside of studies which are concerned with this question. The author reached such
similar conclusion unaware of Ray’s study or that which he then cited i.e. Hodge’s
(1985) where Egyptian Rxyt, Proto Indo-European *laHwos and even Indo-European
Hittite laxxa were compared, as Ray puts it, to provoke discussion, or to underline the
tendency for the adherents of the above relation to “spoil their case either by being too
vague or by being too specific”. Adding as example of excesses that “a more serious
excess can be found in the school of thought which postulates an original “Nostratic”
language, from which the Indo-European, Semitic (therefore Afro-Asiatic), and
Caucasian languages would all derive. This is understandable, but it is surely to go too
far too quickly, and so run the risk of outright rejection” (Ray, 1992: 134; note 14). The
author does not know about speed and rejection but has, as above stated, reached the
157« Strength » is places here in view of the previous link suggested with Osiris (above).
158Hodge (1985: 15) states that the attempt to relate Afro-Asiatic languages and Indo European ones goes
back at least to Lepsius’s 1836 study (see bibliography).
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No. 2 (2011)
same conclusion independently many years later and without equally knowing Hodge’s
previous studies (1968, 1972, 1981a, 1981b, 1981c, 1982, 1983, 1985) or the Lislakh
(LL) hypothesis – “LL being the putative proto-language, ancestral to AAs [Afro-
Asiatic] and I.E. [Indo-European languages]” as Hodge did put it (1985: 14). This
allowed the latter not only to compare Ancient Egyptian with reconstructed Proto-
Indo-European words but to find related forms and explain cruces in I.E.
phonology159. Neither was the author aware that: “The number of scholars who have
attempted to relate all or part of Lisramic (part usually being Semitic) with Indo-
European is much greater than one would realize: McCurdy ( 1881) , Miller (1911),
Cuny (1924), Illič-Svityč (1971-76), Dolgopolsky (1964), Brunner (1969), and many
more (Hodge, 1981c: 368)”. Hence his added statement that: “It is not the present
purpose either to discuss these efforts in the detail they deserve or to critique
them...The testing of this hypothesis must be done afresh, using data much of which
was not previously available” is still of actuality. Not only because of the data available,
but if not because this theory, despite these scholars’ insights and efforts, is yet not
accepted, particularly in Egyptology where it is now essentially unknown if not
forgotten.
To make it short, the relation between ancient Egyptian and Indo-European has been
seen before by a few linguists outside of Egyptology, and – aside from the author – by
at least two Egyptologists dealing with linguistics, Schenkel (1971) and Ray (1992); to
whom should be added one linguist heavily involved with Egyptology: Hodge (1980
and subsequents). None of whom have succeeded to convince either communities of
scholars – i.e. linguists and Egyptologists – as otherwise this relation would be
mentioned in Ancient Egyptian grammars and other textbooks when evidence
demonstrates that this is not the case. Ancient Egyptian is classified as an Afro-Asiatic
(Hamito-Semitic) language – period; and to my knowledge no reference is made to a
link with Indo-European languages in text-books save, as the exception to the rule,
remarks in passim in Loprieno’s (1995) who notes in several instances some
grammatical similarities. Hence the key issue of the problem and key objective of this
study is not so much to reveal the said relationship but provide elements to convince of
its existence.
Aside from his own independent experiments to demonstrate this, particularly through
the angle of the recurring phonological similitude of numerals (Vartavan, 2009) and
here through a comparenda of recurring phonological similitudes of randomly selected
Ancient Egyptian words and Indo-European languages (including P.I.E), genetics –
which obviously at the time of publishing of Hodge or Ray’s articles was not what it is
today – has now reached such advance that since a few years a map of human
dispersion and accompanying genetics mutations is available. This map shows, if one is
to simplify, how human beings left East Africa to spread across Western Asia, the
Russian steppes and westward into Europe for one part, and towards the East for other
groups. According to geneticists’ work the spread did not happened out of Africa
through the Nile Valley160 – which would seem a natural highway – but through Arabia.
It is therefore not clear how the Nilotic populations in such remote times would have
come to settle the Nile Valley and it is most likely that the scenario is a complex one
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ADVANCES IN EGYPTOLOGY
The fact is that Hodge for a start has attempted explanations, but so far Egyptologists,
and particularly the linguists among them, have no more received these explanations
then linguists have over all accepted the Nostratic theory. This is why the comparenda
has so far not its place in any grammar or text book currently available, whereas many
161 In this respect Hodge’s 1985 article on the hostile Rekhyt being an Indo-European force – the aim of his
article - with which early pharaohs such as the King Scorpion may have had to deal is not without interest as
it indicates not only very early contact with an Indo-European population but with a population which was
actually inhabiting Egypt for some historical reason. Hodge stating: “rxwt is indeed *laxwos, but it is an IE
loanword in Egyptian, not a cognate” (Hodge 1982: 310). Such an interpretation implies early Egyptian /IE
contact such has not hitherto been assumed. Where the split of the original is concerned Hodge (1985: 16)
stated “One may hypothesize that pLL [i.e. Proto Lislakh] *b? *d? *k? yielded Hausa b? d? k?, Egyptian (f?) d
q, Greek ph th kh, Sanscrit bh, dh gh”. In other words according to Hodge these consonantal sounds of
Proto Lisakh subsequently split in those of two Afro-Asiatic languages and two Indo-European languages,
including such remote one as Sanskrit. Where Sanskrit is concerned the author has pointed out the similarity
of form of the sign for “hundred” in both Ancient Egyptian and Sanskrit, respectively X and X (Vartavan,
2010: ??).
162 Hodge (1985: 19) rightly indicated the difficulty to relate any industry with a language group: “While it is
admittedly hazardous to identify preliterate material with a language group, the coincidences in this situation
are too great to admit serious doubt”. Hodge then examines the possibilities for the Lizlakh split: “1 – The
combined LL peoples were together in the European/Asian area prior to 20.000 B.P. The I.E. stayed in that
area; the other (AAs) migrated to Africa”. This is not without reminding the path indicated by the current
genetic map. “2 – the combined people were elsewhere. The IE group went to Europe, the AAs went to
Africa. 3 – the combined peoples were together in the cultural area on the Middle Nile around 20.000 B.P.
The IE peoples left first; the AAs ones then spread into the areas in which they are historically found”. It is
probable that more archaeological and other evidence has been published to support one or more of these
propositions since the 1985 publication of Hodge’sarticle, aside from the genetic one now equally available.
163 Ray (1992 : 125) revealed the obvious phonological similitude between the « old perfective » (otherwise
known as « pseudo-participle », « stative » or « qualitative » of Ancient Egyptian and the –xi tense conjugation
of Hittite. He also pointed out similarities between pronouns, case endings (including shared genitive i),
grammatical gender and verbal aspect as well as – although warning of the “unfruitful exercise” of
vocabulary comparison of the following “suggestive” comparenda: House: pr (AE) = parna (Hittite); Come:
iwi (AE) = uwa (H); Hear: sDm/stm (AE) = istamas (H); Take: Tay (AE) = da(i) (H) and Great: wr (AE)
=ura (H) (Ray, 1992: 134. Note 15). SEE Finally, comparison between PIE and AE is provided by Ray with
the example of AE Hnt (fore) = PIE *H2enti and H2entios (idem).
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No. 2 (2011)
scholars look towards the Chadic for etymological explanations of Ancient Egyptian
words as this language is part of the Afro-Asiatic group. In fact there is no
contradiction there as if Ancient Egyptian is related to Chadic, it could be for a part of
its vocabulary which could equally be related to Indo-European languages through an
ancestral common language possibly Indo-European in nature like several of its
prehistoric and intermediate sub-divisions such as possibly Proto Lisakh. Thus the
above study aims to attract the attention of Egyptologists on the resulting phonological
similitudes of this split(s), as well as on the previous conclusions reached from a very
few linguists on the link between ancient Egyptian and Indo-European languages.
Group among which the author now finds himself in view of his reflections which in
time lead him to reach to similar conclusions.
That many comparenda in this study are imperfect and/or coincidental, some even very
tenous or even improbable, is very possible and all the above words will soon be re-
examined from the start within the frame of this and other methodologies164. However
aside from providing material to resolve the etymology of terms like the name “Osiris”
and other such pearls, the triple horizontal-semantic and vertical-phonological
comparenda “m motther-fatther-sson” between Ancient Egyptian and Sanskrit – which to
my knowledge has never been established - will remain a marking comparenda of the
present study and one which cannot be coincidental; hence:
Հանառոտ
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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