Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

Just think of the significance of the component R in the name SAPIR.
The root PTR is certainly not 'to interpret'. No root can mean such a  
thing.
And what is the root of GAG, 'roof'?

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Mar 16, 2010, at 6:24 AM, Yitzhak Sapir wrote:

> Hello Steve,
>
> In my opinion, your etymology is no less idiosyncratic than Isaac's.
>
> 1) Tet is not "probably" a reflex of Taw.  Tet is no doubt NOT a  
> reflex of Taw.
> 2) The root PTR "to interpret" in Modern Hebrew is from Aramaic.   
> The equivalent
> Hebrew root is P$R, indicating the original NWS root is p-th-r.  /th/
> (as in English
> "thin") developed into Shin in Hebrew and Taw in Aramaic.
> 3) The root R)Y is a triconsonantal root.
>
> The use in your theory of the term "Afro-asiatic" is inappropriate as
> you only take
> into consideration Modern Hebrew.  Indeed, the moment one includes  
> Aramaic and
> Arabic (both in Central Semitic) one sees that there is no "widespread
> Afro-asiatic
> root PTR" or "widespread Afro-asiatic root R".
>
> Yitzhak Sapir
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