helpen Dutch · revision 37167

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=901–1000, Wachtendonck Psalms|origins=gem-pro *helpaną}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈɦɛl.pə(n)/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''helpen'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|dum|helpen]], [[inh|odt|helpan]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*helpan]], [[inh|gem-pro|*helpaną|t=to help]].^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)^(Kroonen 2013)^(ONW) The same word is [[osx|helpan]], [[goh|helfan]] (modern [[de|helfen]]), [[ofs|helpa]], [[ang|helpan]] (modern [[en|help]]), [[non|hjalpa]] and [[got|𐌷𐌹𐌻𐍀𐌰𐌽|tr=hilpan]].^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912)^(Kroonen 2013) It was a strong verb, as it still is in most Germanic languages: Middle Dutch had ⟨helpen, halp, holpen, gheholpen⟩.^(EWN)^(MNW) The noun [[hulp]] has the zero grade of the same root.^(EWN)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912)

+

+ The only plausible relative outside Germanic is [[lt|šelpti|t=to support, help]], but the match is imperfect, because Germanic ⟨p⟩ goes back to Indo-European ⟨*b⟩ and does not correspond to Baltic ⟨p⟩.^(EWN)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912) Lithuanian also has [[m|lt|gélbėti|t=to help]], which cannot be reconciled with either by regular sound laws.^(EWN)^(Kroonen 2013) Kroonen wonders whether the Lithuanian verb was borrowed from Germanic through a lost Slavic word, while the EWN thinks the likeness too great to be chance and suggests a common source in a pre-Indo-European substrate language.^(Kroonen 2013)^(EWN) A derivation from [[ine-pro|*ḱel-|t=to bend, lean]], with a link through “protect”, is traditional, but that root is hardly attested, and Trier's idea of a sense “help given within the fenced village community” the EWN finds far-fetched.^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old Dutch ''helpon'' is found in the 10th-century Wachtendonck Psalms, in ''herro te helponi mi ilo'', “Lord, make haste to help me”, and in the prayer ''got hilp mi'', “God, help me”.^(ONW)^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2001) Middle Dutch ''helpen'' appears in a Rhineland text of about 1201: ''wir ne muge nimenen uinde die uns helpen wilde'', “we cannot find anyone who would help us”.^(VMNW)^(EWN)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Helpen was originally intransitive, with the person helped in the dative; the dative later merged with the accusative, and the verb came to be used in the passive, whereas Middle Dutch said ''mi wert geholpen'' “help was given to me”.^(WNT) The past tense ''halp'' gave way to ''holp'' and ''hulp'' and then to ''hielp'';^(WNT) Vondel still used ''holp''.^(WNT)

+

+ The oath ''also helpe mi God'' “so help me God” is recorded from 1260 and was contracted to ''selp'' in Middle Dutch; it survives as ''zo waarlijk helpe mij God almachtig'' in taking an oath.^(VMNW)^(MNW)^(Stoett 1923) Bredero used ''help God!'' as an exclamation of surprise or fright, and in ''mijn help!'' the word ''help'' stands for God.^(Van Sterkenburg 2001)

+

+ In modern Dutch the verb also means to serve a customer.^(Van Dale 2014) It became a euphemism for castrating or sterilising animals, and among Dutch Jews for operating on someone; in the 1990s it was also used of euthanasia.^(Van Dale 2014)^(Beem 1975)^(Reinsma 1999)

+

+ The verb lives on in Afrikaans [[m|af|help]], and it was taken into Negerhollands (''help''), Berbice Dutch (''helpu''), Javindo (''helpen''), Sranan Tongo (''hèlpi'', ''yepi'') and Caribbean Javanese (''hèlep'').^(Van der Sijs 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 901–1000 – Old Dutch ''helpon'' appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^(ONW)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * c. 1201 – Middle Dutch ''helpen'' is recorded in the Rhineland.^(VMNW)

+ * c. 1240 – Limburg glosses translate Latin ''suffragari'' as ''helpen''.^(VMNW)

+ * 1260 – The oath formula ''also helpe mi god'' is recorded.^(VMNW)

+ * 1612 – Bredero writes the participle ''gehulpen''.^(WNT)

+ * 1990s – ''Helpen'' is used as a euphemism for euthanasia.^(Reinsma 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|help]], to [[m|en|assist]]: to act for someone's benefit.^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)^(ANW) ''Kun je me even helpen met deze kast?'' ''Iemand op de been helpen'' is to help someone get up.^(Van Dale 2014)

+ # (of things) To be of use, to have a good effect.^(Van Dale 2014) ''Een warm bad helpt tegen spierpijn.'' ''Alle beetjes helpen'': every little bit counts.^(Van Dale 2014)

+ # To [[m|en|serve]] a customer in a shop.^(Van Dale 2014) ''Kan ik u helpen?''^(Van Dale 2014)

+ # ''Iemand aan iets helpen'': to [[m|en|provide]] someone with something: ''Kun je me aan een pen helpen?''^(Wiktionary)^(WNT)

+ # ''(euphemistic)'' To [[m|en|castrate]] or sterilise an animal.^(Van Dale 2014)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[helper]]

+ * [[aanhelpen]]

+ * [[afhelpen]]

+ * [[behelpen]]

+ * [[bijhelpen]]

+ * [[doorhelpen]]

+ * [[meehelpen]]

+ * [[onthelpen]]

+ * [[ophelpen]]

+ * [[uithelpen]]

+ * [[verhelpen]]

+ * [[voorthelpen]]

+ * [[vooruithelpen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[hulp]]

+ * [[en|help]]

+ * [[de|helfen]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Iets niet kunnen helpen'' means not to be to blame for something.^(Van Dale 2014) ''Te dom om te helpen donderen'' is “extremely stupid”.^(Van Dale 2014) A southern variant ''hulpen'' was the usual form in Houwaert.^(WNT)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}