Les volgen

The Dutch phrase 'les volgen' translates to 'to attend a lesson' or 'to take a class'. Let's break down the etymology of each word. **Les:** * **Origin:** The word 'les' in Dutch comes from the Old French 'leçon' (meaning 'lesson', 'reading', or 'act of reading'), which in turn derives from the Latin 'lectio'. * **Latin 'lectio':** 'Lectio' (feminine noun) comes from the past participle stem of the Latin verb 'legere'. * **Latin 'legere':** This verb has a broad meaning including 'to read', 'to gather', 'to choose', 'to pick out'. The sense of 'reading' led to 'lesson' as lessons were often delivered by reading aloud from texts. * **Proto-Indo-European Root:** 'Legere' ultimately traces back to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root '*leg-' meaning 'to collect', 'to gather'. This root also gave rise to words like Greek 'legein' (to speak, to say, to collect), and English 'lecture' and 'collect'. **Volgen:** * **Origin:** The Dutch verb 'volgen' comes from Middle Dutch 'volghen'. * **Old Dutch 'folgian':** This word is attested in Old Dutch, meaning 'to follow'. * **Proto-Germanic '*fulganą':** 'Folgian' is derived from the Proto-Germanic root '*fulganą', which meant 'to follow'. * **Proto-Indo-European Root:** The precise PIE root for '*fulganą' is debated, but some scholars link it to roots meaning 'to go' or 'to move along'. It is related to Old English 'folgian' (to follow), German 'folgen' (to follow), and Old Norse 'fylgja' (to follow). **Combined Meaning:** When combined, 'les volgen' literally means 'to follow a lesson'. The act of 'following' in this context implies attending, participating in, and keeping up with the instruction provided in a lesson or class. It signifies being present for and engaging with educational instruction. The phrase has been in use in Dutch for centuries, reflecting the traditional way education was structured, where students would 'follow' the teacher's instruction or the text being read. The concept of 'volgen' in an educational context is consistent across Germanic languages, where similar constructions exist (e.g., German 'Unterricht folgen' or 'eine Vorlesung besuchen' - to attend a lecture, with 'folgen' also implying comprehension and keeping up).