Philological Proofs of the Original Unity and Recent Origin of the Human RaceJohnes, Arthur James
History
Philological Proofs of the Original Unity and Recent Origin of the Human Race
Johnes, Arthur James
Ethnology; Human beings -- Origin; Language and languages; Monogenism and polygenism
The first emigrants must in many instances have brought with them from the
East a knowledge of fermented liquors, as is shown by the following
examples:
Wine (_English_), Vin-um (_Latin_), Oin-os (_Greek_), Ee.ee.n (_Hebrew_),
primarily “The expressed juice of the grape,” from Ee.n.e, “To press,
squeeze,” (_Hebrew_.)
Osai, “Cyder, sweet liquor,” (_Welsh_,) O.s.ee.s, “Wine,” (_Hebrew_,) from
O.s, O.s.s, “To trample”, applied to the Grapes.
M.th.k, “Sweet, sweetness,” (_Hebrew_.) Metheg-lyn (_Welsh_,) i.e. M.th.k,
“Sweet,” (_Hebrew_,) and-Lyn, “Liquor,” (_Welsh_.) Methu, “Wine,” (Greek.)
Methou, “Drunk,” (_Welsh_.) These terms may be regarded as primarily
derived from a word expressive “of Honey,” and of the wine made from that
particular substance, as in Madhu, “Honey,” (_Sanscrit_,) “Mead”
(_English_.)
Mêl (_Welsh_), Mel (_Latin_), Meli (_Greek_), “Honey.” Melissa, “A Bee,”
(_Greek._) Mel-ys, “Sweet,” (_Welsh._) Melitos, “Honeyed, placid,”
(_Greek._) M.l.ts, “To sweeten, to assuage,” (Hebrew.) Melith, “Honey,”
(_Gothic._)
Writers on subjects of this nature have inferred that in the earliest
stage of society the human species subsisted on the spontaneous fruits of
the earth or by the chase; the Pastoral state was the next step, and the
adoption of agricultural pursuits the last stage in the progress. The
Celtic and other European languages furnish very distinct evidence that
some of the European nations must have advanced as far as the Pastoral
state previously to their migration from the East.
The art of making “Butter” is expressed in the Celtic by a word of which
the Oriental origin is clear:
Im,(100) “Butter,” (_Gaelic_.)
c’H.m.a.e, “Butter,” from c’H.m.a, “To agitate, to churn,” (_Hebrew_.)
As this Celtic word is quite unlike the Latin, its Oriental origin is
clear. It also follows that the primitive art it describes could not have
been borrowed from the Romans.
The evidence with regard to “Cheese” is doubtful. Caseus (_Latin_) may be
viewed as allied to K.sh.e, “To harden, to stiffen,” (_Hebrew_.) But as
the Hebrew does not present the secondary sense, there is no ground to
infer that this art was brought from the east. Nor, considering the
resemblance of the Latin Caseus and the Welsh Caws, “Cheese,” can we infer
from language, as in the instance of “Butter,” that the Celts did not
borrow this process from the Romans, which most probably they did.
The following is a comparison, showing at the same time the identity of
the names for some of the most common animals in the Hebrew and the
Indo-European languages, and also the interesting fact, which is evident
from several of these examples, that many of the prevalent European names
for Chattels and Money are identical with Hebrew words for Cattle, Sheep,
&c., _which form the only wealth of the Pastoral state!_
B.k.r, “Cattle,” (_Heb._) Pecora, plural of Pec-us, “Cattle,” (_Lat._)
Hence, Pecunia, “Money,” (_Lat._) Buwch, “A cow,” (_Welsh._)
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