COMMENT ON COMPARISONS
The Viking and the Red Man, Vol. 5, p.23
Question: Why did Sherwin compare seven Algonquin words defined as "half" and "piece" with Old Norse words meaning, "break?"
Sherwin had grouped Algonquin words beginning with the syllables BOK, POOG, and P8'K. (They sounded almost the same.) Then he recorded the definitions given by, at least, five translators, including a Frenchman. They identified one verb, and two nouns. The "half" words could be nouns, pronouns, or adjectives.
Sherwin found his vital clue in the word "BOKOGADE." He knew, from previous analysis, that GADE meant, "leg," so the BOKO could have meant, "broken." Using that clue he identified a verb (braaka), a noun (braank), and an adjective (brankadhr) from Old Norse that were similar, in sound, to the BOK, POOG, and P8'K words. Sherwin then presumed that the original meanings of "half" or "piece" had been "break in half" or "break into pieces."
Then, to clinch his hypothesis, Sherwin proposed three valid Old Norse phrases using "leg," "rock," and "bough" to show that the Algonquin "words" were formed from a combination of an Old Norse adjective and a noun.
Comment: The odds of finding one adjective and three nouns in any other language to form the same sounds of the three Algonquin words is extremely low. (More comment.)
Finally Sherwin referenced six other sections of his manuscripts, which had supporting information.
