LL-L "Etymology" 2007.07.25 (10) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  25 July 2007 - Volume 10

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From: Luc Hellinckx <luc.hellinckx at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology"

Beste Ron,

You wrote:
> I am beginning to wonder if, instead of eastward, fiets(e) for
> 'bicycle' spread westward, namely from Northwestern Germany to the
> Netherlands.  This may sound audacious at first, but there are
> phonological reasons for this:
>
> Let's assume that the origin is French vélocipède. This became
> Velociped in German, pronounced [velotsi'pe:t]. Low Saxon of Germany
> typically borrows neologisms from German. If this word was introduced
> into the relevant dialects, it would have undergone predictable
> phonological adaptation to [felotsi'pe:(t)] (as in German Violine
> [vio'li:n@] > Low Saxon Vigelien [fige'li:n] 'violine'). Indeed, it is
> Velozipee [felotsi'pe:] in some dialects.
>
> To some up:
>
>     * c is pronounced [ts]
>     * v- is pronounced [f]
>
> I think it is harder to imagine fiets [fi(:)ts] to be a contraction
> from [ Velos i'pe:] (Dutch) than from [felotsi'pe:] (Low Saxon).

I'm with you on this one.  The "ts"-sound in Dutch definitely points
(north)eastward, just like Frits ~ Fritz, in opposition to Fred.

Here in the Southern Netherlands, we shortened the original word to
v(e)lo(o), and being closer to the French "Kulturraum", I cannot imagine
such a very different word for the Northern Netherlands, if it wouldn't
have come from the East.

Just my 2 c. Kind greetings,

Luc Hellinckx

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From: R. F. Hahn < sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Thanks, Luc!

Looks like I'll have company.  Does this mean I must share my spot in the
sun or my spot at the stake, whichever it will be?

Cheerio1

Reinhard/Ron
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