Comparison
The following table demonstrates the relation of modern West Germanic languages to each other, showing some closely related word-forms, as descended from the Proto-Germanic roots *se/*þe, *hwa, and *he, within the three main West Germanic languages (English, Dutch, and High German). (Note: the Proto-Germanic roots given here are simplifications of three sets of related roots that were similar in form, in that they either shared the same initial consonant sound or, in the case of *Se/*þe, alternated between two consonants.)
| Description | From *Se/*þe | From *Hwa | From *He | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Dutch | German | English | Dutch | German | English | Dutch | German | ||
| Nominative | Masc. | the | de | der | who | wie | wer | he | hij, ie | er |
| Neuter | that | dat | das | what | wat | was | it | het | es | |
| Fem. | she | zij, ze | sie, die | (who) | (wie) | (wer) | ME/Dial. hoo | |||
| Plural | they | zij, ze | sie, die | (who) | (wie) | (wer) | ||||
| Demonstrative | this | dit, deze | dies- | |||||||
| Adverbial/Nominal | so, thus | zo, dus | so | while | wijl | Weile | ||||
| Relative | such | zulk | solch- | which | welke | welch- | each | elk | MHG elch- | |
| Dual | whether | weder | ||||||||
| Description | From *Se/*þe | From *Hwa | From *He | |||||||
| Dative | Masc./Neuter | den | dem | whom | wien (obsolete) | wem | him | hem | ihm | |
| Fem. | der | der | (whom) | (wie) | (wem) | her | haar | ihr | ||
| Plural | them | den | den | (whom) | (wie) | (wem) | 'em | hen/hun | ihnen | |
| Genitive | Masc./Neut. | diens, zijn | des(sen), sein- | whose | wiens | wessen | his | |||
| Fem./Plural | their | dier | der(en) | wier | her | haar | ihr- | |||
| Locative | there | daar | da, dar- | where | waar | wo, war- | here | hier | hier | |
| Allative | thither | der | hin | whither | wer(waarts) | wohin | hither | her, heen | her | |
| Ablative | thence | (van) daan | (von) dannen | whence | woher | hence | ||||
| Instrumental | why, how | hoe | wie | |||||||
| Temporal/ Conjunctive | I | then | dan | dann | when | wanneer | wann | |||
| II | than | (dan) | denn | (when) | wen | wenn | ||||
| Description | English | Dutch | German | English | Dutch | German | English | Dutch | German | |
| From *Se/*þe | From *Hwa | From *He | ||||||||
Read more about this topic: West Germanic Languages
Famous quotes containing the word comparison:
“It is comparison than makes people miserable.”
—Chinese proverb.
“Most parents aren’t even aware of how often they compare their children. . . . Comparisons carry the suggestion that specific conditions exist for parental love and acceptance. Thus, even when one child comes out on top in a comparison she is left feeling uneasy about the tenuousness of her position and the possibility of faring less well in the next comparison.”
—Marianne E. Neifert (20th century)
“In comparison to the French Revolution, the American Revolution has come to seem a parochial and rather dull event. This, despite the fact that the American Revolution was successful—realizing the purposes of the revolutionaries and establishing a durable political regime—while the French Revolution was a resounding failure, devouring its own children and leading to an imperial despotism, followed by an eventual restoration of the monarchy.”
—Irving Kristol (b. 1920)