Why We Call Them These Names, Part Two

For those needing it, here is the link to "Part One:"

http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-do-we-call-them-these-names.html

I'm limiting this part to only two words, as I'm still doing research on some others.

Vandals-Old (Proto) Germanic had “Wandal,” which meant “wanderer,” and this Germanic tribe used that name for itself. In Old English, they were called “Wendlas.” The Romans took the basic Germanic name into Latin and called them the “Vandali.” Unfortunately for the Romans, they got to know these Germanic warriors too well, as they captured and sacked Rome in 455 A.D. The amount of actual destruction caused by the Vandals in Rome has been debated by historians, but needless to say, the association of the Vandals with deliberately destroying fine and beautiful objects and property stuck with their name. During the 1600s, the word was borrowed into English from Latin and it has been with us ever since. I “assume” the Old English word died out, but I can’t find any further details on it. “Vandalism” seems to have come into use in the late 1700s, and was borrowed from French “vandalisme.” The Vandals have quite a history, for those interested in the period of the late Roman Empire, as they certainly lived up to the original meaning of their Germanic name, “wanderers.” Not only did they invade what is now modern Italy, but also Gaul (essentially much of what is now modern France), Spain (giving their name to the Spanish province of “Andalusia,” and even North Africa!!!

Franks-This was a large Germanic tribe, probably formed by the inclusion of many smaller Germanic tribes. “Supposedly” the tribal name itself derives from their particular type of spear or javelin, called a “frankon.” Old English had “Franca,” and Old High German had “Franko.” The meaning is not a certainty, as they also used a throwing ax called a "francisca/franciska." Some linguists feel that instead of their tribal name being derived from their spear, that it was really the other way around; that is, the tribal name was applied to their main weapon. The main elements of the Franks conquered much of Gaul, eventually giving their own name to the territory, “France,” and to the people and language, “French.” Interestingly in German, the word for France is “Frankreich;” that is, “empire of the Franks.” Gaul (named after the Celtic people, “the Gauls”) had been a Roman province for centuries by the time the Franks arrived, and the population spoke a form of Latin. Ever so gradually over a few centuries, the conquerors became the conquered, so to speak, as the Frankish language essentially was absorbed into the existing and more widespread Latin dialects. Frankish, however, did give many words to the “new” French language before it disappeared as a separate language in that area. Another part of the Franks settled in the region around Nuremberg (Germany), and to this day, that area is still known as “Franken,” (usually rendered in English as "Franconia") and the regional dialect is a descendant of the Frankish spoken centuries before, still called “Fränkisch” (pronounced like “Frenk-ish). Again, note the similarity to our word “French,” which was also spelled “Frensch” in England by some folks up until a few centuries ago. Another note, historians (confirmed by archaeologists) say there were also a number of Franks who accompanied the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes in their eventual conquest of much of Britain and their founding of England. In those times, circa 450-500 A.D., the various Germanic dialects had “probably” not yet so differentiated that one group couldn't understand the others; at least in most cases.

The Latin speaking Gauls borrowed the name for the Franks into Latin and it took on the meaning of “freeman, free” as during Frankish rule, only people of Frankish background had full rights and status in their kingdom. This was borrowed into English during the 1300s from Old French, along with the meaning “free,“ and by the 1500s, it came to be used in the sense of “outspoken:” that is, “to speak freely,” which we still have today. Remember this line? “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn!”

To be continued....