To these derivatives, I will just add a comparative view of the verbs have and be in several languages.
HAVE.
| English. | Latin. | French. | Germ. | Spanish. | Portuguese. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I have | habeo | ai[142] | habe | he | éy |
| Thou hast | habes | as | hast | as | has |
| He has | habet | a | hat | as | ha |
| We have | habemus | avons | haben | avemos | hamos, avemos |
| You have | habetis | avez | habet | aveis | éys, evéys |
| They have | habent | ont | haben | an | ham |
The Substantive Verb BE.
| English. | Latin. | French. | Germ. | Spanish. | Portuguese. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I am, be | sum | suis | bin | estoy & soy | sou, estou |
| Thou art, beest | es | es | bist | estas, eres | es, estas |
| He is, be | est | est | est-es | está, es | he, esta |
| We are, be | sumus | sommes | sind | estamos, somos | somos, estamos |
| You are, be | estis | êtes | seyd | estais, sois | soys, estoys |
| They are, be | sunt | sont | sind | estan, son | sam, estam |
It is indisputable that have, in all these languages, is from the same root. But there seem to have been anciently two substantive verbs, or perhaps three, from which modern nations have borrowed; viz, the Greek ειναι or ειμι, or the Latin esse, from which most of the foregoing are derived; the Teutonic beon, whence the Germans have their bin and bist, and the English their be and beest; and an old Gothic or Teutonic word, weorthan, whence the Danes have derived their vœrer, and the English and Germans their were and werden. In the old English phrase, "woe worth the day," we see the same verb.
Having stated my reasons and authorities for believing all the European languages descended from one parent tongue, I will here subjoin the Lord's Prayer in several languages of Celtic and Gothic origin. The affinity between all the branches of the Gothic is very visible; the affinity likewise between all the branches of the Celtic is very obvious, except the ancient Irish. The Cantabrian and Lapland tongues have little resemblance to either of the stocks or their branches.
GOTHIC. |
|
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
| | |
| | |
1. Old Saxon, 2. Francic, 3. Cimbric,
or Anglo-Saxon. or Franco-Theotisc. or Old Icelandic.
| | |
| | |
| {1. English. +--1. German, +--1. Icelandic. +--{2. Broad, | or High Dutch (proper.) +--2. Norwegian,
| or Lowland Scotch. +--2. German | or Norse.
| | of Swabia. +--3. Danish. | {3. Belgic, +--3. Swiss. +--4. Swedish. +--{ or Low Dutch (proper.)
| {4. Frisic,
| { or Friezeland Tongue.
Very little affinity is discoverable between the original Gothic and Celtic or their derivatives; yet this is not a proof that they were ab origine distinct languages; for the words in this prayer are few, and it has been proved that there are many words common to both those ancient tongues.