# chin_eng_coincidences.txt -- 中英語巧合,是否同源詞? # Copyright : http://www.fsf.org/copyleft/gpl.html # Author : 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson -- http://jidanni.org/ # Created On : Sep 2000 # Last Modified On: Wed Aug 17 02:01:47 2011 # Update Count : 213 This is a list of some Chinese - English coincidences I've run into. Also I put some various humorous blabber in (but see http://jidanni.org/lang/humor.txt ). Certainly most of them are pure coincidence, with no 'same origins' deep significance. I use some references to some Chinese historical phonology terms. I didn't ever learn English historical phonology... therefore things are left at current English face value. I also don't bother to use my own fancy romanization schemes for S. Min, etc. For some neat intra-Chinese non-coincidences, see 王力's 同源字典。 Obvious are http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_Chinese_origin . Non-obvious perhaps are: 焙bei4: Eng. bake, 古之部,just a 轉 away from -k in Wang Li's systems. 陋lou4: Eng. low 擰ning2: Eng. wring [if wr were n would match] e.g., wring dry 民min2, {Cantonese, Mandarin]: Eng. people: man 賠pei2: Eng. pay, 費 設S. Min. set [siat]: Eng. set [up]; Setting: 設定! 殺Cant. etc. saat: Eng. -cide (suicide...) 毒Hakka: tuk: Eng. tox[ic] 割S. Min, etc. got: Eng. cut; 刮 also 怕 latin PAVOR panic phobia... long guess. ------- Also in http://sino-platonic.org/complete/spp007_old_chinese.pdf : So not just "coincidences" after all: 協S. Min. hiap: Eng. help 給gip Eng. give 視[Cant., S. Min] si: Eng. see 屯tun2: Eng. town ------- 路lu4: French: rue; English: [king's] row. if earlier -ak [looking at 各sound], then Eng: tracK 踏Cant. etc. taap: Eng. stomp, stamp, tamp, tramp, 嚼[use 口+焦][才笑切]Eng: chew; 咀嚼 ju3 jue2 率 Cant. etc. lut: Eng. rate 祿 Eng. Luck 賴不掉 Can't LIE ones' way out of it 物 Cant. mat, Eng. mat(ter) Cant. mat, eng. what kap S. Min/ Eng: cup (verb) 蓋... cocoon 可睏, my wife said of a sleeping bag 依賴 yilai Eng. rely 好笨! how stupid!: same sound hao/how ----------------------funny/boring 不實 butsit [S. Min]: Eng. Bullshit 不過 but go...: Eng. but the things you 聽說 are mostly "hear-say" 骨氣 gut ki: guts; Mand. guqi: guts[i] 移民 IMMIgration 台語 suh / English suck (林金鈔:廣韻:欶,所角切) maybe -- 未必 I copied this from somebody else: 色 sik [Cant.]: sex lynch -- 凌遲 (my wife found, maybe just a translation) Eng: voice, 海陸客家: voi (from wife) Eng: loss: 落 (from wife) ========================================== I think I guessed the original character for the Taiwanese [Minnanyu] word "gui" meaning "all". I bet it is Mandarin's ju3 "raise"... 我猜台語‘gui工’ [全日]之 gui 字本字為‘舉’。[常見‘歸’等等。] I think I guessed the original characters for Cantonese "yi ga" meaning "now". I bet it is Mandarin's 如今. 我猜粵語‘yi ga’ [現在]之本字為‘如今’. By the way, ‘聽日’ [tomorrow] is clearly from 天光日, compare 客語。 Maybe 搡 is the original Hakka character for push, "song". Could the original character of Hakka's "tet", "pet" be che4 of (Mandarin) che4di3 徹底 "completely"? 猜其本字。 佢已經死 tet 了 == 佢已經死 徹 了 ?? Could 間 and 節 be 同源字 ? e.g. Hakka: 時間, 時節 韻母: -n/-d "轉", 聲母 g-/j- 轉 like 枝 ?? Rebutted by Dylan in news:sci.lang 2002-06-23 "Re: Chinese: could jian1 and jie2 be same origin chars?" 2007/2: Wife says origin of 阿舍 A-sia "rich man" is A-Sir, English. More Hakka characters: 粢 粢粑 [算本字] 抔 撥(塵)[林金鈔的書說本字為柫] 哀 母親 罔 罔食飽,沒有 搡 推,但越-ong/-ung界 摡 挑水挑米... 欶 欶水:吸水。 林金鈔:本字廣韻:欶,所角切 膦 膦棍,陰莖 躦 腳跟,或用踵... 飶 飽飶飶,飽鼓鼓的 喋 矮喋喋,矮矮的 螝 青蛙 ----------- 我猜台灣所有的文山原名蚊山。 English ampersand "&" looks a little like Chinese `ampersand' "及". ear:耳(er) Eng: take, 閩南: 提去 Eng: pan 盤 Eng/Eng: Alzheimer's / Old timer's 各 gak, Vietnamese cac, French chaque One can't help noticing English Chinese coincidences(?) like e.g., http://language.psy.auckland.ac.nz/austronesian/language.php?id=331 : leaf lap 葉 lap->lapf->laf->leaf hand hnuʔ 手 hand! to turn tronʔ 轉 turn! skin m-paj 皮 Latin PELLIS? back ppək-s 背 back! belly m-ttaʔ 肚 tum[my]? breast noʔ 乳 nipple to fear quj-s 畏 quake in ones boots blood hhmik 血 HEMO- neck kkreŋʔ 頸 Latin COLLUM bone kkut 骨 Greek kokkalo... 骷髏 kulou skull hair mmaw 毛 Greek malliá eye miwk 目 like wink... but Greek mati like malay mata to see ttaʔ 睹 like Cantonese Tai. to drink ʔəmʔ 飲 to Lap [up], 閩 lim to bite det-s 噬 Al Dente to sew boŋ 縫 bond? to kill ssret 殺 slay dull, blunt ddu[n]-s 敦 dull! to buy mmreʔ 買 m/buy to throw ddo 投 ThrOW! to fall llo[j] 墮 must be related to 落 dog kkhwirʔ 犬|Eng. cur!|犬Cant. hyun: Eng. hound... bird ttiwʔ 鳥 tweet :-) egg Cə-llorʔ 卵 malay telur to fly pər 飛 like greek and latin... fat/grease kij 脂 GREase... woods/forest Cə-ləm 林 ... Senlin... silva wind prəm 風 바람 warm ŋet 熱 24 hOT cold ggan 寒 latin GELU... to burn bən 焚 bu[r]n old rruʔ 老 oLd Seven s-hnit 七 sept- {en:be|zh:被, (sounds close or same)} hit/hurt/liked... 致癌/治癌國語同音 海:Eng. Sea: h/s relation? 堪Kan1: Eng: can, (Chinese is kam however) 買mai Eng:buy Pounce:撲,捕 喜(樂):hi(larity) fat, fer(tilizer):肥(料), 胖 邦:band 梅雨季 starts "May" 1 apparently. Eng. Muck:墨(粵等音) 缽:Eng. BOwl styptic:澀 Eng. sap:汁; Eng. sap, zap:襲 閩 Dam dam 濕濕: English damp I bet 太白粉的太白一詞來自 (Ta)(pi)oca, 意亦合! GENeral:將 To bolt:發 Kejia: bot; even "to flower"... _比_賽: to _pit_ against I bet 未曾 = 客 mang 吂 (not my discovery.) lots: http://www.rwfd.fudan.edu.cn/xueshu/zhuanjia/gudai.html 倘/通 Malay:bahan-bahan:ingredients:包含 Malay:jam:hour,clock:針,點 Pour 潑 mop 摩,抹 枯萎的萎: WIther, WEAR out, WEARy, WEAther beaten 防衛的衛: WAry, WAR 曲[khiok]:CROOKed 花:Flower[FlAwer] I bet 非 is a merge of 不為. 罰鍰/款 同源? 屎/SHIt 市/CIty 朴 pok, pak: Hack(berry) 足(夠): foot the bill, so related in meaning though not in sound. 鹿 luk: Elk 或 hUO/Eng:OR sounds close. 鞋,靴/Eng:Shoe sounds close. 森林 SiLva 筆 bit/Eng: Pen, pin [t is stop version of consonant n] 滿 MANy 埋 bury m/b 這:the t->z [Via Meow Wang] 所(以):so 所謂 So-called 豕 SwIne? 蝴蟣 客:fuki 水蛭 fluke... leech 塔 tow-er 辣 lat/'loud flavor' then back again in 喇叭 沙 sa-nd 查,察 che-ck 霸 bu-lly (Oh, I see ancient Chinese was bak...) 嚇 hak/horrid 患 huan/harm Maybe 曰 yut 說 soat are 同源, maybe even related to English "say", you never know. Maybe 僅仔 ganna is origin of 閩南語 'only'? 用 YOng / Use 檢 and 驗 must be 同源 though not in 王力 的 字典 太/Too, ...古月母。 模/Mold; 霉/Mold sun/日 like 瑞 r-/s-, -n/-t '對轉' 幡,帆: FAN, VANe, BANner 優, Eu: eugenics 優生學 框誆: I was framed. 甚、什麼: SOMe, 有什麼事? Is there SOMe problem? 分手時說「掰」bye. 字很適合! 歌「頌」=song! kin, kinship/親 qin1 even if 古清紐 Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Chinese http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Chinese_phonology http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostratic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasiatic_languages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Austronesian_languages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Human_language ma:what:客、粵 makgai, matye