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Re: questions about Arabic

From:Dan Sulani <dnsulani@...>
Date:Wednesday, March 21, 2001, 11:09
On 20 March, Christophe Grandsire wrote:

>En réponse à Steg Belsky <draqonfayir@...>: > >> >> Just for a little intra-Semitic comparison, >> The root KVN in Hebrew can mean: >> to aim >> to concentrate >> to prepare >> to intend >> to be set up >> >> depending on the paradigm. >>
To extend the list, it can also mean "correct" (/naxon/, nun-chaf-vav-nun sofit) "disk/CD/DVD (etc.) drive" (/konan/, kaf-vav-nun-nun sofit) "high alert (in a military sense)" (/konenut/; [the /e/ is very short]; kaf-vav-nun-nun-vav-tav) <snip>
>What I'm wondering now >is the original meaning of the root KWN in Proto-Semitic...
I'm not an expert on Proto-Semitic, but, FWIW, my Hebrew dictionary states that the Hebrew root chaf-vav-nun is related to the Akkadian "ka'`nu" meaning "was strong", (along with the Arabic past tense for "to be", which was IIRC already mentioned in this thread, plus words from Aramaic and Ugaritic for which no meanings are provided). Dan Sulani -------------------------------------------------------------------- likehsna rtem zuv tikuhnuh auag inuvuz vaka'a. A word is an awesome thing.