place at the level of vowels as well. Monophthongization and diphthongization are
common phonetic phenomena in the Germanic languages [13, p. 15]. Identified is the
transition of the Germanic ō into the Old High German uo. Please compare the Gothic
sōkjan, the Old High German suohhen and the Middle High German suochen, where
uo later transitioned into u. In addition, the transformations might have occurred, as a
result of which we obtained the following: sōk- was formed from sko- as a result of the
appearance of a vowel at the junction of the consonants. S is an s-mobile while ko kw
is derived from g
U. In his study, N. A. Lutsenko indicates that gu [<hu] correlates with
‘earth’ [4, p. 92]. In our case, ‛earth’ is ‛bottom’ and ‛bottom’ ~ ‛darkness’. In the
darkness (at the bottom), the cognition of the unknown took place. Consequently, the
semantic series ‘darkness’ ~ ‘bottom’ is also the semantic foundation of the German
term Untersuchungsführer (m) meaning ‛investigator’. Untersuchung- is part of 37
terms. The process of narrowing the semantic framework of the lexical unit's
functioning testifies to the fact of the de-symbolization of the word.
Vergehen (n) / Vergehung (f) means ‛misconduct’, ‛tort’, ‛offense’, ‛(minor)
crime’ [8, pp. 510-511]. Vergehen ist die rechtswidrige Tat, die im Mindestmaß mit
einer geringeren Freiheitsstrafe oder mit Geldstrafe bedroht ist [9, p. 442].
‛Misconduct is a wrongful act that is punishable by a minor term of imprisonment or a
fine’. The etymological dictionary of the German language indicates that Vergehen is
derived from gehen [10, p. 890]. The first part ver- of the word corresponds to the Latin
per- [10, p. 887] and means ‛through, by means of’.
In the second part geh- of the word, e might have been formed at the junction of
consonants, which explains the following transformation: geh- derives from ghe- / ghi-
. Comparing the Indo-European *ĝhē [i], the Germanic gai- / ghæ- meaning ‛to go’
[13, p. 200] and the Latin īre meaning the same makes it possible to conclude that ge
is comparable to i and presumably corresponds to the Ukrainian iк = к, ко. The restored
prototype primitive means ‛nearing’, ‛movement’, ‛movement through’. Consequently,
‘nearing’ / ‘movement’ is the semantic foundation of the German terms Vergehen (n)
/ Vergehung (f), i. e. ‛misconduct’, ‛tort’, ‛offense’, sich vergehen, i. e. ‛to violate’.
Verhandlung (f) means ‛proceedings, hearing of the case’ [8, p. 514]. Im
Verfahrensrecht ist Verhandlung der Zeitraum, in dem eine rechtliche Angelegenheit
vor dem Gericht erörtert wird [9, p. 443]. ‛In the procedural law, a proceeding is the
period, during which a case is heard'. The etymological dictionary of the German
language provides the following data: verhandeln ← handeln, the Middle High
German handeln meaning ‛to grab with the hands, to touch; to process’, the Old High
German hantalōn, the English to handle, the Old Norse hondla meaning ‛to grab with
the hands, to touch’ [10, p. 315]. Please also compare this with the Gothic -hinþan
meaning ‛to grab’ and the Germanic *handuz meaning ‛grabbing; hand’ [13, p. 245].
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