Discussion:
Lost Germanic Words in English
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HenHanna
2024-09-15 02:46:15 UTC
Permalink
... German is made harder for an English speaker to learn
because so much Germanic vocabulary -- (words that used to exist in
English) -- has dropped out of the English language. <<<


how interesting!!!


Lost Germanic Words in English

"Hither": Instead of "here." ---------- what's the German counterpart?

"Whence": Instead of "where from."
"Whither": Instead of "where to."

"Ye": Instead of "you."
"Thou": Instead of "you" (singular, informal).



"Dale": A valley. ------------------------ Thal, Thaler, Dollar

"Heath": A type of open, uncultivated land.

"Mere": A small lake or pond. -------- like... Meerkat

"Wold": A high, open country or moor.

"Yore": Long ago, of old. ---------- what's the German counterpart?


vorzeiten ???

"In den vorzeiten lebten die Menschen einfachere Leben."

Another option, though less common, is "altzeitlich"
Hibou
2024-09-15 05:45:59 UTC
Permalink
Post by HenHanna
    ...  German is made harder for an English speaker to learn
because so much Germanic vocabulary -- (words that used to exist in
English) -- has dropped out of the English language.  <<<
           how  interesting!!!
Lost Germanic Words in English
"Hither": Instead of "here."   ---------- what's the German counterpart?
"Whence": Instead of "where from."
"Whither": Instead of "where to."
"Ye": Instead of "you."
"Thou": Instead of "you" (singular, informal).
"Dale": A valley.  ------------------------  Thal, Thaler,    Dollar
"Heath": A type of open, uncultivated land.
"Mere": A small lake or pond.         -------- like... Meerkat
"Wold": A high, open country or moor.
"Yore": Long ago, of old.     [...]
What makes you think these words are lost? Though some are rare in
general use, they are all familiar, every one of them.
Janet
2024-09-15 11:44:00 UTC
Permalink
Post by Hibou
Post by HenHanna
    ...  German is made harder for an English speaker to learn
because so much Germanic vocabulary -- (words that used to exist in
English) -- has dropped out of the English language.  <<<
           how  interesting!!!
Lost Germanic Words in English
"Hither": Instead of "here."   ---------- what's the German counterpart?
Hither and thither, very common saying.
Post by Hibou
Post by HenHanna
"Whence": Instead of "where from."
still in use

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/sentences/english/whence
Post by Hibou
Post by HenHanna
"Whither": Instead of "where to."
ditto
Post by Hibou
Post by HenHanna
"Ye": Instead of "you."
Common daily use in Scottish dialect
Post by Hibou
Post by HenHanna
"Thou": Instead of "you" (singular, informal).
Still used in North of England dialects;

both known all over UK from famous soap TV
Post by Hibou
Post by HenHanna
"Dale": A valley.  ------------------------ 
Common in many place names , especially in the
Yorkshire dales.
Post by Hibou
Post by HenHanna
"Heath": A type of open, uncultivated land.
Common in place names, Hampstead Heath.
Post by Hibou
Post by HenHanna
"Mere": A small lake or pond.        
Common in names of lakes; "Windermere", Grasmere.
Post by Hibou
Post by HenHanna
"Wold": A high, open country or moor.
Common in place names like Stow on the Wold
Post by Hibou
Post by HenHanna
"Yore": Long ago, of old.     [...]
Known in days of yore, and now.
Post by Hibou
What makes you think these words are lost? Though some are rare in
general use, they are all familiar, every one of them.
I agree.

Janet
Peter Moylan
2024-09-15 12:42:08 UTC
Permalink
Post by Janet
Post by HenHanna
Lost Germanic Words in English
"Hither": Instead of "here." ---------- what's the German
counterpart?
Hither and thither, very common saying.
In any case, "hither" does not mean "here". It means "to here". It
continues in use because there is no other single word with the same
meaning. "Here" is a place, "hither" is a direction.

Likewise for "thither" and "whither".

For the other direction, we still have "hence", "thence", and "whence".
--
Peter Moylan ***@pmoylan.org http://www.pmoylan.org
Newcastle, NSW
Helmut Richter
2024-09-15 15:03:09 UTC
Permalink
Post by Peter Moylan
Post by Janet
Post by HenHanna
Lost Germanic Words in English
"Hither": Instead of "here." ---------- what's the German counterpart?
Hither and thither, very common saying.
In any case, "hither" does not mean "here". It means "to here". It
continues in use because there is no other single word with the same
meaning. "Here" is a place, "hither" is a direction.
In German, it is "hierher". Up to now, I would not have regarded the
second syllable of "hither" as a cognate of German "her".
--
Helmut Richter
HenHanna
2024-09-15 18:32:44 UTC
Permalink
Post by Helmut Richter
Post by Peter Moylan
Post by HenHanna
Post by HenHanna
Lost Germanic Words in English
"Hither": Instead of "here." --------- what's the German
counterpart?
Hither and thither, very common saying.
[Hierher und dorther]

Ja, "hierher und dorther" ist eine gängige deutsche Redewendung. Sie
bedeutet "hin und her" oder "von hier nach dort".

Beispielsätze:

"Er läuft hierher und dorther wie ein aufgescheuchtes Huhn."
"Ich habe die ganze Zeit hierher und dorther gesucht, aber ich
kann das Buch nicht finden."

Yes, "hither and thither" is a calque from German.
Post by Helmut Richter
Post by Peter Moylan
In any case, "hither" does not mean "here". It means "to here". It
continues in use because there is no other single word with the same
meaning. "Here" is a place, "hither" is a direction.
In German, it is "hierher". Up to now, I would not have regarded the
second syllable of "hither" as a cognate of German "her".
thank you... (by analogy with Woher, Wovon, Wohin ...) Dorthin,
etc must be used.

(Hierher -- doesn't make sense)

Hiervon leben: To live from this
Hiervon sprechen: To talk about this
Hierhin gehen: To go here




Wofür: What for (purpose) ----- in Eng. we never use [Wherefor]
(other than in that line from Juliet)
Christian Weisgerber
2024-09-16 20:25:09 UTC
Permalink
Post by Helmut Richter
In German, it is "hierher". Up to now, I would not have regarded the
second syllable of "hither" as a cognate of German "her".
And judging from the etymologies given by Pfeifer (at DWDS.de) and
Wiktionary, they are not cognate.
--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber ***@mips.inka.de
lar3ryca
2024-09-17 02:24:42 UTC
Permalink
Post by Janet
Post by HenHanna
    ...  German is made harder for an English speaker to learn
because so much Germanic vocabulary -- (words that used to exist in
English) -- has dropped out of the English language.  <<<
           how  interesting!!!
Lost Germanic Words in English
"Hither": Instead of "here."   ---------- what's the German counterpart?
Hither and thither, very common saying.
I have heard that a few times, but I have more often heard
"hither and yon"
--
Dear optimists, pessimists, and realists,
while you were arguing about the glass of water, I drank it.
Sincerely,
The Opportunist.
Tilde
2024-09-17 04:31:18 UTC
Permalink
Post by lar3ryca
  >>>    ...  German is made harder for an English speaker to learn
because so much Germanic vocabulary -- (words that used to exist in
English) -- has dropped out of the English language.  <<<
             how  interesting!!!
Lost Germanic Words in English
"Hither": Instead of "here."   ---------- what's the German counterpart?
  Hither and thither, very common saying.
I have heard that a few times, but I have more often heard
"hither and yon"
Me too.

"yonder"

"yon" - thought that was a simple word, related
to "yonder", and it is sorta, but...

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/yon

determiner
Yon is an old-fashioned or dialect word for
`that' or `those.' Don't let yon dog nod off


https://www.dictionary.com/browse/yon
adjective:
yonder.
pronoun
that or those yonder.



https://www.dictionary.com/browse/yonder
adjective
being in that place or over there; being that or those over there:
That road yonder is the one to take.

being the more distant or farther:
yonder side.

adverb
at, in, or to that place specified or more or less distant; over there.


I've pretty much used them interchangeably though
not with "hither". Thank goodness for Shakespeare!

https://www.shakespeareswords.com/Public/LanguageCompanion/ThemesAndTopics.aspx?TopicId=45

Item Example Gloss
yon (det.) yon high eastward hill that (one) over there

yond (adv.) say what thou seest yond there

yond (det.) I’ll to yond corner that (one) over there

yonder (adv.) Yonder comes my master in that place, over there

yonder (det.) yonder Venus in her glimmering sphere that (one) over
there

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