User talk:DKauffman

Brouhaha

I'm frustrated and confused as to why @jberkel can undo edits to 'brouhaha' when I present a new interpretation which can be verified by any Hebrew speaker. The entry is speculative, and admits it is disputed where it comes from. The wiktionary entry is basically copied from Merriam Webster, which refers to "others believe it comes from the Classical Hebrew phrase barukh habba', meaning "blessed be he who arrives" (Psalms 118:26)"

It's clear to any good listener, and especially to Hebrew speakers that brouhaha is very unlike the sound of baruch habah and the meaning of the latter being "welcome" makes it abundantly clear that this interpretation is mistaken. I researched this for many hours before posting, yet jberkel reverted it immediately without conversation or exploration.

The word brouhaha is attributed to being French in origin, and appears on page 1 of a 1865 book by Jules Verne, La Tetu, which is why it is usually attributed to a French origin.

The Hebrew word brouhacha is in Exodus 15:10 (v' is the soft variant of b' both sounds of the letter bet)

נָשַׁ֥פְתָּ בְרוּחֲךָ֖ כִּסָּ֣מוֹ יָ֑ם (na-shafta v'ruhacha k'samo yam.) You made Your wind blow, the sea covered them (Sefaria)

'Clearly a wind blown by the Lord sufficient to make the sea cover the pursuing Egyptian army is a more likely source of brouhaha than baruch habah'' (welcome) is. ' The whole purpose of wiktionary is to be open contribution, and I have uncovered a viable re-interpretation that cites the book of Exodus as a source, a book that Verne was likely to have read. There are many references to brouhaha on the web with this non-credible etymology, and they all seem to have copied them from one another in ignorance. I hope Wiktionary can be the source of a greater and more accurate insight.

DKauffman (talk) 22:20, 28 December 2021 (UTC)