Thoughts about the development of language
The reflexive pronouns “se” in Latin and Spanish, “self” in English, “sich” in German, “sik” in Old Norse, all come from the original Indo-European root “se”.
“To bath oneself” in Old Norse had a construction with reflexive pronoun (“sik”) parallel of that in Spanish bañar + se = bañarse: baða + sik (bath oneself) = baðask, from where the modern English word “bask” come from (literally, to bath oneself in sunshine). Another originally reflexive verb is busk, from Old Norse bua + sik (prepare oneself) = buask.
Let’s look at “gustar” in Middle English: "þ?os giefu is for ?s, and h?os l?caþ us" (The gift is for us, and it pleases us). Notice that 'giefu' is a feminine word (yes, English had genders), and " l?caþ us" is "nos gusta" (well... "gusta nos").
There is an anonymous Middle English poems that says “Me reweth , Marie, thi faire rode”, which appears to literally mean “To me saddens, Marie, your lovely face” (modern translation: “I rue…”). Confer the Spanish “Me apena, María, tu precioso rostro”. Influence of Latin, perhaps? Check this line from Chaucer (2nd half of the 14th): “Me lakketh but my deth and then my bere”. What is that “me lakketh”? Easy: “me falta” in Spanish (literally: “to me, it is missing…”) These constructions had almost disappeared in Middle English, but they were more common in Old English.
Do you find it strange that in Spain you say “Nevó” (it snowed”) without a subject, like “it” in English? Look how it was said in Middle English (up to the end of the 15th century): “Sniwde”. Yes, like in Spanish, no “it”!
"Hiver" and "hibernate" (English) come from the theoretical Indo-European root "ghei-" (meaning winter), through Latin "hiemal", from where "invierno" comes from too (remember that the H is not pronounced). Even "chimera" in English ("quimera" in Spanish) is meant to be either a one year (one winter) creature, or a winter creature.
The English "winter" is more likely to come from the Indo-European "w*d" (wet), or wind, or white.
And yes, "ojalá" means "Allah willing" in Arabic.
