LL-L "Etymology" 2004.09.10 (05) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Global Moose Translations <globalmoose at t-online.de>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2004.09.08 (08) [E]

Hugo wrote:
> Gabriele
> I reply with some diffidence because, to borrow from and paraphrase John
> Feather, I am usually bowled over by your erudition so lightly cloaked in
> humour and intuitive perception. But I had always thought that varsity was
> simply an affectionate mutation of university. Sure enough, Oxford says it
> is a clipped version of university and dates it to 1846.

Alas, Hugo, I'm only human, even if The Ron That Be occasionally claims that
I must be part mouse and part monkey... ;-)

Actually, I had always "intuitively perceived" that "varsity" must be
derived from "diversity". Beats me why I never thought of "university", but
then, as a German, I wouldn't make that connection easily, since sports and
university just aren't connected the way they are in other countries,
especially in North America.

Gabriele Kahn

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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org>
Subject: "Etymology" [E]

> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Etymology
>
> Folks,
>
> Gabriele's question about "varsity" and the responses of John Feather,
David
> Barrow and Elsie Zinsser above prompt me to revisit my perpetual question
> about this /er/ to /ar/ shift.
>
> OS=Old Sax., LS=Mod.Low.Sax., OE=Old Eng., ME=Mod.Eng., OF=Old Fries.,
> WF=Westerl.Fries., Sc=Scots, D=Dutch, G=German
>
> OS  |  LS  |  OE  |  ME  |  Sc  |  OF  |  WF  |  D  |  G
> werk  | wark | weorc | work | wark | weorc | wurk | werk | Werk
> kirika/kerika | kark | circe | church | kirk |
szereke/szurke/tzierka/tziurk
> | tsjerke | kerk | Kirche
> berg  | barg | beor? | barrow | ? | berch | berg | Berg
> herta  | hart | heorte/hearta* | heart | hert* | hert | hart | Herz
> ? | smart | smeart | smart | smert | smairt | smart | Schmerz

I'm not sure what I can make of this in the case of Scots, because although
where English has "ar" Scots tends to have "er" /E:r/, it's more general
because where English has "a" Scots tends to have "e" /E:/ or in some
dialects "ai" /e:/.

So we have 'smert', 'ferm', 'erse', 'merk', 'herk', 'herp', but also
'gless', 'gress', 'peth'.

It does seem easier to think of examples with the 'r', though.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org/

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