I wish my US readers well today as they exercise their democratic rights! I want you to remember that most people in the world still don’t have them, but the current president of the United States has done more to further their cause than anyone since Ronald Regan (whose actions led to freedom in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union). He’s pursuing the great liberal agenda of the US: To let freedom ring!
The word for vote in Hebrew is: hisbia` (הצביע) – root: s-b-`, it also means: point. Other words with the same root: esba` (אצבע) – finger, seva` (צבע) – color, sava` (צבע) – paint. You point with you finger. You paint with color. I don’t know what the relationship is between painting and pointing, but in English the words are similar too!
There is a very ancient word in Hebrew for voting-box: qalpi (קלפי) – root: q-l-p. Other words from this root: qlaf (קלף) – parchment, card (the kind with 52 in a deck, not all the other kinds of cards we have in English, for which Hebrew has various other words), qlipa () – shell (of nuts), peel (of fruit). You vote with a card, a card is made of parchment, parchment is made from the skin of an animal, the skin of nut or fruit is its shell or peel.
UPDATE: Amritas teaches us to vote in Korean.
UPDATE: Election Day media watch here. Some thoughts on voting in the US here.
Posted by David Boxenhorn at November 2, 2004 07:02 PM