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Ortho-Semantic coincidences | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Philological Room |  | |
| Alfonso Octoglot Senior Member Mexico Joined 6861 days ago 511 posts - 536 votes  Speaks: Biblical Hebrew, Spanish*, French, English, Tzotzil, Italian, Portuguese, Ancient Greek Studies: Nahuatl, Tzeltal, German | Message 1 of 5 29 March 2006 at 2:20pm | IP Logged | ||
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Have you ever found words from different linguistical families with the same meaning and spelled in a similar (or same) way?
I have not found yet a name for such coincidences but I think that they could be named ortho-semantic coincidences. Do you know a better name for that? for example: God: theos (Greek); teotl (Aztec or Nahuatl) nahuatl vocabulary (look up for "teotl") Gift, present: mahtan (Maya-Tseltal); matan (Hebrew) Maya-Tseltal dictionary (pag 139) The (definite article in English); Te (definite article in Maya-Tseltal) Maya-Tseltal dictionary (page 143) and more... Edited by Alfonso on 29 March 2006 at 7:15pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Alfonso Octoglot Senior Member Mexico Joined 6861 days ago 511 posts - 536 votes Speaks: Biblical Hebrew, Spanish*, French, English, Tzotzil, Italian, Portuguese, Ancient Greek Studies: Nahuatl, Tzeltal, German | Message 2 of 5 26 April 2006 at 6:43pm | IP Logged | ||
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maj- this root exists in both Spanish and Maya Tsotsil
In Spanish majar means "to smash". It comes from Latin malleare (to hit with hammer). In Maya Tsotsil majel means "to knock", "to hit". It's similar to Classical Maya laaj "to knock". lo majó (Spanish) he smashed it (or hit it) smajoj (Maya-Tsotsil) he knocked it Edited by Alfonso on 27 April 2006 at 1:33pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| patuco Diglot Moderator Gibraltar Joined 7015 days ago 3795 posts - 4268 votes Speaks: Spanish, English* Personal Language Map | Message 3 of 5 27 April 2006 at 6:09am | IP Logged | ||
Is this common in Mexico? Over here, it means to "mash" (e.g. potatoes) although it's also slang for "to hit". 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Alfonso Octoglot Senior Member Mexico Joined 6861 days ago 511 posts - 536 votes Speaks: Biblical Hebrew, Spanish*, French, English, Tzotzil, Italian, Portuguese, Ancient Greek Studies: Nahuatl, Tzeltal, German | Message 4 of 5 27 April 2006 at 1:15pm | IP Logged | ||
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Patuco, you're right. I should have translated it as "mash" and not as "hit".
We often say in Mexico: chile majado, which means "mashed chili" rather than "hit chili"!!! I'm going to edit the original message. Everyday we learn something new. Thanks. Edited by Alfonso on 02 May 2006 at 6:14pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Alfonso Octoglot Senior Member Mexico Joined 6861 days ago 511 posts - 536 votes Speaks: Biblical Hebrew, Spanish*, French, English, Tzotzil, Italian, Portuguese, Ancient Greek Studies: Nahuatl, Tzeltal, German | Message 5 of 5 02 September 2006 at 4:33pm | IP Logged | ||
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Last week I went to an Indian Culture Museum (Heard) in Phoenix, Arizona and read a list of words in the language of a tribe named Havasupai (those who are considered the Guardians of the Grand Canyon). I discovered not without surprise that they use the same word for water as in the Maya-Tseltal language: ha'.
That's a strange coincidence, for both tribes and languages belong to two different linguistic and cultural families in America. I don't think the Havasupai tribe is related to the Maya Culture. The rest of the words I saw in that list were completely different from the words of the Mayan languages I know. Edited by Alfonso on 02 September 2006 at 4:33pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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