Bernard,

There is a problem with direct comparison because the AE did not write vowels, so one needs to look at the underlying consonant frame of the word to see what the AE equivalent might have been. This can also involve looking at Coptic forms,and in some cases forms in other languages where AE vocalizations may have been recorded. As a probable candidate for the source of Winters' "uher," WB gives whr.t, which is there translated as "Hundin," i.e., "bitch." It also gives a single attestation of "whr" as "Hund," dog. In addition, the Coptic version of the word "whr" has a transliteration that could be pronounced something like "uher," which I think makes it most likely the underlying AE word here. In any case, WB I.346.6 indicates that whr is "nur in Personennamen belegt," i.e., the word is attested only in personal names, so it is most certainly not a general word for "dog" in AE.

Lee



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2007 09:57AM by Lee.