Re: Words for God

["Mark E. Shoulson" <shoulson@cs.columbia.edu>]

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>Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 07:25:30 -0700
>From: "A.Appleyard" <A.APPLEYARD@fs2.mt.umist.ac.uk>

>  ghItlhpu' Thad Vick <tvick@Lanier.COM> (Re: Words for God
>ja'chuqpu'Ha'vIS):-

>> Elohim = HoswI'pu' -- powerful one, plural
>  Tilde = long vowel, here.

I get enough trivilities on everyone's favorite method of transliteration
on the heblang list.  We all (who are concerned) know what was meant.

>  I thought that Hebrew {'elo~(a)h} (plural {'elo~hi~m}) meant directly "a
>god", and corresponds to Arabic {'ila~h}. (Arabic {'alla~h} < {al-'ila~h} =
>"the god"). Are there any known uses of the Semitic root {'-l-h} to mean
>"powerful" in other references than to God or gods? The only relevant similar
>non-religious word that I can think of now is Hebrew {'el}, Arabic {'ila~}
>(written {'-l-y}, = the preposition "towards", as if the original idea behind
>{'elo~(a)h}  / {'ila~h} was "someone that one <turns towards>". The Germanic
>word "god" corresponds to Sanskrit {hu-tA}, the passive perfect participle of
>{ho-} / {hu} = "to sacrifice", and seems to have originally meant "one who
>scrifices are made to".

This *is* starting to go afield.  I think I answered this question once
before.

>  TKD says that:-
>  (1) "the bold commander" = {la' jaq}
>  (2) "the commander is bold" = {jaq la'}
>  (3) "the commander is boldest" is {la' jaq law' Hich jaq puS}

Hoch, not Hich.

>  Thus, for "the commander who is boldest", is {la' jaq law'bogh Hich jaq puS}
>correct? Or what? 5 extra syllables to merely express superlative seems a lot.

Use of relativizers for law'/puS constructions are on the list of things
being asked Marc Okrand, at least they were a while ago.  In fact, I think
he even answered that in my interview with him printed up in HolQeD.  You
can't do relative clauses with law'/puS simply, he said.  You have to say
"This commander is boldest.  That commander...." and so on.  Someone
remember the HolQeD reference to give AA?

~mark

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