ǵʰans-

A PIE nominal root meaning "goose," one of the most famous cognate sets in IE studies.‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‍ Continued in English goose, German Gans, Latin ānser, Greek khḗn (χήν), Sanskrit haṃsá-, and Old Irish géiss. The word's distribution across all major branches makes it a textbook example of the comparative method.

Discussion

The root *ǵʰans- ("goose") is one of the most frequently cited cognate sets in introductory IE lingu‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‍istics, attested in Old English gōs ("goose"), Old High German gans, Latin ānser ("goose," from *h₂ānser < *ǵʰh₂éns-r̥), Greek khḗn (χήν, "goose"), Sanskrit haṃsá- ("goose, swan, flamingo"), Lithuanian žąsìs ("goose"), Old Irish géiss ("swan"), and Old Church Slavonic gǫsĭ ("goose"). Pokorny (IEW 412–413) provides the standard documentation.

English goose (Old English gōs, plural gēs) preserves the root with regular Germanic sound changes: PIE *ǵʰ > Germanic *g. The plural geese (from gēs) shows i-mutation, making it an iconic example of Germanic strong noun declension. Gander ("male goose") derives from the same root with an agentive suffix. Gannet may also be related.

Latin ānser ("goose") shows a different phonological development, with prothetic vowel and rhotacism. Greek khḗn (χήν, "goose") shows the regular Greek reflex of PIE *ǵʰ as kh. Sanskrit haṃsá- ("goose, swan") — whence the cultural concept of the sacred haṃsa in Hindu and Buddhist iconography — shows PIE *ǵʰ as h.

The set goose / khḗn / haṃsá- / ānser, all from *ǵʰans-, is routinely used to demonstrate that apparently unrelated words in different languages can be traced to a common ancestor through regular sound correspondences. It is one of the foundational examples in any presentation of the comparative method.

Notes

gsc-gap: source of "goose", "gander", "gannet", "chenopodium"

Laryngeal Analysis

No laryngeal.

Ablaut

Static noun; nominative *ǵʰans.