Chinese and Sumerian

4 PRELIMINARY LIST OF SIMILAR WORDS

CHINESE tip, tiap, tie, tablets; documents. ts‘é, tsah, chak, chaik, shoku, the side. ts‘, zi, dzi, chi, even; correct; regular. ts‘iin, ch‘iian, sen, zen, all. tung; winter ; tung, to freeze. tung, tong, dung, copper ; brass.

SUMERIAN DUB, a clay tablet; inscribed document. ZAG, the side; TIG, za. ZA, ZVG,-Z1D; right. ZUN, all; Szen of Plur. TEN, zz EN-TEN, cold. SHUN, SHEN, copper (skznu).

tung, to move; motion. tung, dung, a boy.

tzti, chii, ti, a child.

uit, yiie, moon; month.

wu, u, uk, house; chamber. wei, vi, to do; to make. wén, mén, written characters.

TUM, to walk ; to go. DUMU, DAMU, a child. DU, child. “ITU, ITI, zd. (Aida, Hesych.) MU (C. T. xii. 8); U, house. ME (CT. xii. 10); to do; to make. DIM-MEN, foundation-inscription ; (2) foundation (Turkish zeme). UD, UTU , za. (from GUD). ku, a fish (C. T. xii. 27). GU, to say; speak ; speech. GAN, garden; field.

yét, ngyit, nyit, the sun.

yi, ngii, gio, fish.

yii, ngu, to talk ; speech.

ytian, yen (from gon), a garden.

INITIAL AND FINAL SOUNDS—THEIR CORRESPONDENCE AND PARALLEL CHANGES

It is evident that the preceding list presents at a glance sufficient similarity between the material of the two languages to suggest at once the hypothesis of relationship. But if we look below the surface, as Philology justifies us in doing, we shall discover in Chinese a large number of vocables which, although they have become dissimilar in the natural course of phonetic change, were originally either identical with the corresponding sounds of the primitive Sumerian speech, or at all events manifestly akin to them. In fact, much as Philology justifies us in connecting the Latin aqua with the French eau, so it may justify us in connecting the Chinese ho, river, with the Sumerian ID, I, river, and GA to flow; although the three terms possess not a letter in common. When it is pointed out that the character Ya) ho is still read ka or ga in the traditional Japanese pronunciation, which is more faithful to the ancient sounds of the Chinese, and that the kindred Mongol word for river is gol, Manchau hol; we see at once that the Chinese initial h represents, as indeed is usual, an older k (from a yet earlier g), and that the lost final of the root is | ora related sound. It thus appears likely that the Chinese ho, river, is akin to the Sumerian GAL, to flow. But, further, the Sumerian ID, I, river, which occurs in the name I.DIGNA, Assyrian Idiglat, the Tigris, is really a worn form of GID, as is shown by the Hebrew transcription Span Khiddegel; and this earlier GID suggests a primary GAD, cognate with GAL, to flow, and identical with the old Chinese kat, gat, river (cf. P. 145).