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ANGOLA
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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|-
|Nephite GN
|'''[[:Category:Lehite GN|Lehite GN]]'''
|City, ca. 327–8 AD (Mormon 2:4)
|1.
|[[NEPHITE(S)|N<small>EPHITE</small>]] city ([http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/morm/2.4?lang=eng#3 Mormon 2:4])
|}
|}


If the root is Semitic, then possibly it may be derived from the common North-West Semitic ʾyn, a particle meaning “there is/are not,” or ʿyn “spring, fountain,” and from glh, “to uncover, reveal,” or gll, some kind of a stone object (DNWSI 224). Any combination of these, such as “open spring,” would yield a suitable GN. An Egyptian etymology is also possible.
'''Etymology'''


It is also possible that this name is not Nephite, but rather is to be derived from another indigenous language group from (?)  
'''A<small>NGOLA</small>''' is the name of a [[NEPHITE(S)|N<small>EPHITE</small>]] city. If the name is from a [[HEBREW|H<small>EBREW</small>]] root, it may be a combination of words, since the [[HEBREW|H<small>EBREW</small>]] letter ''nun'' in contact with any other consonant within a word would make it subject to "progressive assimilation" or "regressive assimilation" (i.e., "''ng''" or "''gn''" becomes "''gg''"). Thus, the name may derive from the [[HEBREW|H<small>EBREW</small>]] word ''ʿayn'', "spring, well," and a word from the root GLH, "to uncover, reveal" or GLL, with the basic meaning of "to roll, roll away (a rock or stone)." A combination of ''ʿayn'' plus a form of either of the roots may generate the names "Open Spring" or "Rock Spring."


Notes
It also seems unlikely that the transliteration practices used by the prophet Joseph Smith for representing the ''ʿayin'' with ''gn'' or ''ng'' were used in representing the ''ng'' of '''A<small>NGOLA</small>'''. Joseph adopted the practice as a result of his study of [[HEBREW|H<small>EBREW</small>]] with his Sephardic Jewish teacher, Joshua Seixas, after his arrival of Kirtland, Ohio in the early 1830s, after the publication of the Book of Mormon.
Any connection of Book of Mormon Angola with the African state of Angola is highly unlikely. The name of this African state is hardly mentioned in English before the 19th C., and therefore it may be that Joseph Smith had never heard at the time of the Portuguese colony.  


Any connection with the Turkish capitol Ankara, from Greek άγκυρα, and the famous cloth produced there, angora/Angola, is highly doubtful and could only have been from Hittite or Luwian sources in the Iron Age, if indeed the name existed in those days. (JAT)
Alternatively, '''A<small>NGOLA</small>''' may derive from the ancient Greek ''angelos'', ''angela'', "messenger angel." THe occurrence of names of Greek origin suggests the possibility of Greek contacts with the eastern Mediterranean in antiquity. Since the late second milennium B.C. Syrians and Phoenicians had trading contacts with the Aegean kingdoms, and in the first millennium B.C. Greek mercenaries and merchants maintained a significant and ongoing presence in Syro-Palestinian territories.<ref>Stephen D. Ricks, "I Have a Question: The name of one of the Lord's disciples listed in 3 Nephi 19:"4-Timothy-seems to be Greek in origin. Is there an Explanation for the Appearance of a Greek Name in the Book of Mormon?" ''Ensign'' 22/10 (October 1992): 53-54.</ref> It is also possible that Greek speakers may have arrived in the New World in the period after the Nephites arrived there.


It is doubtful that the -ng- in Angola can be explained by an appeal to the transliteration conceits used by the Prophet Joseph Smith in producing the Book of Abraham. While it is true that he rendered the ayin of Hebrew words with gn and ng, “Gnolaum” (ʿwlm) and “Raukeeyang” (rqyʿ), respectively (Abraham Fac. 1 Fig. 12; Fac. 2 Fig. 4), this conceit is peculiar to Sephardic Hebrew pronunciation. The Prophet first learned Hebrew pronunciation from his Sephardic Jewish teacher, Seixas, while living in Kirtland, several years after he translated the Book of Mormon, and therefore he would not have used Sephardic transliteration conceits. In fact, in nearly all cases where the Hebrew Vorlage of the Book of Mormon transliteration can be surmised, the transliteration conceits follow the KJV scheme. For example, see the discussion under Jershon.  
Distance and chronology make it unlikely that the Book of Mormon city name is related to the ancient (and modern) Anatolian city name, Angora (Ankara, Greek ''ʼAnkyra''). However, during the 7<sup>th</sup> century B.C., it was the principle city of Phrygia, after the destruction of nearby Gordion by the Cimmerians ca. 700 B.C.<ref>G.K. Sams, "King Midas: From Myth to Reality," ''Archaeology Odyssey'', 4/6 (Nov-Dec 2001): 14-26.</ref> The City was famous for "Phrygian" wool (and woolen embroidery). It was of such fine quality that the word "Phrygian" came to refer to this wool even as far away as Coptic Egypt.<ref>J. Černý, ''Coptic Etymological Dictionary'', 33.</ref> Thus it is possible that the name of the capital city was also well known.<ref>B. Burke, ''From Minos to Midas: Ancient Cloth Production in the Aegean and Anatolia''.</ref> (Note that the name elements ''cumen/kumen''-name found elsewhere in the Book of Mormon could also be Anatolian ([[Robert F. Smith|RFS]]).) However, [[John A. Tvedtnes|JAT]] doubts that Angora was well-known in the Iron Age, unless through Hittite or Luwian sources.


Moreover, Angola most likely cannot be derived from a root with initial aleph-ayin or ayin-ayin. Such patterns at the beginning of roots are contrary to Hebrew patterns, as Greenberg pointed out in his “The Patterning of Root Morphemes in the Semitic Languages.” If, therefore, Book of Mormon -ng- represents Hebrew ayin, then the initial a vowel of Angola most likely could not belong to the root but would probably be a prosthetic aleph. (JAT)
It seems unlikely that the [[Geographical Name|GN]] '''A<small>NGOLA</small>''' is connected with the name of the African state of Angola (a former Portuguese colony), whose name derives from the title ngola held by the kings of Ndongo, It is quite likely that Joseph Smith had never heard of the name Angola before translating the Book of Mormon.


[[Category:Names]]
See also [[Angola / Angolah Variant]]
 
'''Variants'''
 
[[Angola / Angolah Variant|Angolah]], [[Angola / Angolah Variant|Angelah]]
 
'''[[Deseret Alphabet]]:''' 𐐈𐐤𐐘𐐄𐐢𐐂 (ænɡoʊlɑː)
 
'''Notes'''
----
 
<references/>
 
[[Category:Names]][[Category:Nephite GN]]
 
<div style="text-align: center;"> [[ANATHOTH|<<]] Angola [[ANI-ANTI|>>]] </div>
 
==[[Name Index]]==
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Revision as of 17:13, 5 September 2016

Lehite GN 1. NEPHITE city (Mormon 2:4)

Etymology

ANGOLA is the name of a NEPHITE city. If the name is from a HEBREW root, it may be a combination of words, since the HEBREW letter nun in contact with any other consonant within a word would make it subject to "progressive assimilation" or "regressive assimilation" (i.e., "ng" or "gn" becomes "gg"). Thus, the name may derive from the HEBREW word ʿayn, "spring, well," and a word from the root GLH, "to uncover, reveal" or GLL, with the basic meaning of "to roll, roll away (a rock or stone)." A combination of ʿayn plus a form of either of the roots may generate the names "Open Spring" or "Rock Spring."

It also seems unlikely that the transliteration practices used by the prophet Joseph Smith for representing the ʿayin with gn or ng were used in representing the ng of ANGOLA. Joseph adopted the practice as a result of his study of HEBREW with his Sephardic Jewish teacher, Joshua Seixas, after his arrival of Kirtland, Ohio in the early 1830s, after the publication of the Book of Mormon.

Alternatively, ANGOLA may derive from the ancient Greek angelos, angela, "messenger angel." THe occurrence of names of Greek origin suggests the possibility of Greek contacts with the eastern Mediterranean in antiquity. Since the late second milennium B.C. Syrians and Phoenicians had trading contacts with the Aegean kingdoms, and in the first millennium B.C. Greek mercenaries and merchants maintained a significant and ongoing presence in Syro-Palestinian territories.[1] It is also possible that Greek speakers may have arrived in the New World in the period after the Nephites arrived there.

Distance and chronology make it unlikely that the Book of Mormon city name is related to the ancient (and modern) Anatolian city name, Angora (Ankara, Greek ʼAnkyra). However, during the 7th century B.C., it was the principle city of Phrygia, after the destruction of nearby Gordion by the Cimmerians ca. 700 B.C.[2] The City was famous for "Phrygian" wool (and woolen embroidery). It was of such fine quality that the word "Phrygian" came to refer to this wool even as far away as Coptic Egypt.[3] Thus it is possible that the name of the capital city was also well known.[4] (Note that the name elements cumen/kumen-name found elsewhere in the Book of Mormon could also be Anatolian (RFS).) However, JAT doubts that Angora was well-known in the Iron Age, unless through Hittite or Luwian sources.

It seems unlikely that the GN ANGOLA is connected with the name of the African state of Angola (a former Portuguese colony), whose name derives from the title ngola held by the kings of Ndongo, It is quite likely that Joseph Smith had never heard of the name Angola before translating the Book of Mormon.

See also Angola / Angolah Variant

Variants

Angolah, Angelah

Deseret Alphabet: 𐐈𐐤𐐘𐐄𐐢𐐂 (ænɡoʊlɑː)

Notes


  1. Stephen D. Ricks, "I Have a Question: The name of one of the Lord's disciples listed in 3 Nephi 19:"4-Timothy-seems to be Greek in origin. Is there an Explanation for the Appearance of a Greek Name in the Book of Mormon?" Ensign 22/10 (October 1992): 53-54.
  2. G.K. Sams, "King Midas: From Myth to Reality," Archaeology Odyssey, 4/6 (Nov-Dec 2001): 14-26.
  3. J. Černý, Coptic Etymological Dictionary, 33.
  4. B. Burke, From Minos to Midas: Ancient Cloth Production in the Aegean and Anatolia.
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