Gesture Origin of Semitic Languages

Abstract

IN Nature of February 5, I gave a summary of my researches regarding the origin of human speech as set out in my book“Um frumtungu Indógermana og frumheimkynni: On the primitive speech of the Indo-European people and their first home” (University Reykjavik, 1943). I tried to prove that the most important class of the 2,200 constructed Indo-European roots could be explained as imitation by the organs of speech of the movements of the hands. As my conclusions agreed with those propounded by Sir Richard Paget in his work“Human Speech” (1930), I published my researches. I have succeeded in adding much new material, not yet published, to my gesture theory. I was interested to see whether my conclusions for the Indo-European languages were confirmed or not in the Semitic group. I therefore undertook an examination of Hebrew (published in June in the Icelandic periodical Eimreioin under the title“Hebrew and Icelandic”). The result was surprising: as many as 60 per cent of the Hebrew roots could be explained by my own rules for the Indo-European languages.