LL-L "Etymology" 2009.05.09 (03) [EN]

[Lowlands-L List]

===========================================
L O W L A N D S - L - 09 May 2009 - Volume 03
Encoding: Unicode (UTF-08)
Language Codes: lowlands-l.net/codes.php
===========================================

From: James Wilson <jawi2300 at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2009.05.08 (02) [EN]

The below from "A Glossary of North Country Words- John Trotter Brockett"

Axe, to ask. This, now vulgar, word is the original Saxon
form, and is used by Chaucer, Gower, Bale, Heywood, and
many other ancient writers. It does not, however, appear
 to have obtained a footing in any of the cognate languages
of the North, which seems to show that whilst we formed
our vocabulary from the Saxons, other northern nations
drew from Gothic sources.
" You lovers axe I now this question.
Who hath the werse, Arcite or Palemon ?"
Chaucer,—The Knight's Tale.

----------

From: Diederik Masure <didimasure at hotmail.com>
 Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2009.05.08 (02) [EN]

Ron wrote:
Isn't another word like this "ask" whose English dialectical and Scots form
"aks" is the earlier one?

This one is more complicated
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=ask&searchmode=none
 As German and Dutch eisen (older Dutch eischen) also show sk is oldest here
germanically speaking, but in English the x could be said to be oldest
(within English)
(altho wasp isn't as uncomplicated as it may seem either)

Greets, Diederik

----------

From: Mike Morgan <mwmosaka at gmail.com>
 Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2009.05.08 (03) [EN]

In reply to the question by Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
> I know metathesis
> happens, but why?

As a historical comparative linguist who has worked over the past 28
years on a wide variety of languages (including spoken and signed), my
considered answer is .... "why not"?

Language change sometimes SEEMS to be for a reason (the old
explanation was laziness on the part of speakers! ... i.e. "ease of
articulation"), often there SEEMS to be no rhyme or reason ... just
greater or lesser chance of a given change happening. In language,
NOTHING (or almost nothing) is actually IMPOSSIBLE (just improbable).

mike || U C > || мика  || माईक || マイク || ሚካኤል
      (( Michael W Morgan, PhD ))
soon to be lecturer in linguistics
Ethiopian Sign Langauge and Deaf Studies Programme
Addis Ababa Univeirsty, AA (Ethiopia)
+++++++++++++++++
በቅሎ ግዙ ግዙ አንድ አሞሌ ጨው ላያግዙ

•

==============================END===================================

 * Please submit postings to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.

 * Postings will be displayed unedited in digest form.

 * Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.

 * Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l")

   are to be sent to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or at

   http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.

*********************************************************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lowlands-l/attachments/20090509/b27dc80a/attachment.htm>