Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!bb3.andrew.cmu.edu!nntp.sei.cmu.edu!news.psc.edu!hudson.lm.com!godot.cc.duq.edu!news.duke.edu!news.mathworks.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uchinews!ellis!deb5
From: deb5@ellis.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: Ya'akov to James.
X-Nntp-Posting-Host: midway.uchicago.edu
Message-ID: <DGLuIn.KK9@midway.uchicago.edu>
Sender: news@midway.uchicago.edu (News Administrator)
Reply-To: deb5@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: The University of Chicago
References: <45sdec$cjm@pipe2.nyc.pipeline.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 1995 18:11:11 GMT
Lines: 24

In article <45sdec$cjm@pipe2.nyc.pipeline.com>,
Mark Odegard <mlomark@nyc.pipeline.com> wrote:
>I've been following the "Twelve Apostles" thread  
>with some interest. The etymological peregrination  
>of Hebrew Ya'akov to English James has always been 
>a minor but persistent mystery for me. 
> 
>Medival Latin "Yacobomus" as the root gives some 
>some problems. I can understand how Y transforms to J, 
>and how the internal B drops out. But how does "Ya'akov", 
>get turned into "Yacobomus" in Latin? Is this the Vulgate 
>form of the name? I would think "Iacobus" would be the 
>Latin form. Whence the "-mus"? 

I believe that the form "Yacobomus" is an error for IACOMVS
from earlier IACOBVS (the latinisation of Greek Iakobos).  As
someone else pointed out, B -> M is a spontaneous nasalisation.
 


-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
