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:
“I have travelled a good deal in Concord; and everywhere, in shops, and offices, and fields, the inhabitants have appeared to me to be doing penance in a thousand remarkable ways.... The twelve labors of Hercules were trifling in comparison with those which my neighbors have undertaken; for they were only twelve, and had an end; but I could never see that these men slew or captured any monster or finished any labor.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“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)
“Certainly there is not the fight recorded in Concord history, at least, if in the history of America, that will bear a moment’s comparison with this, whether for the numbers engaged in it, or for the patriotism and heroism displayed.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)