LL-L "Grammar" 2010.03.16 (05) [EN]

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*L O W L A N D S - L - 16 March 2010 - Volume 05*
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From: Paul Finlow-Bates <wolf_thunder51 at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Grammar" 2010.03.14 (04) [EN]

Hi Ron,

I disagree that "There *is* *a **number** of* books on the shelf" is
ungrammatical.  "Number" is singular so strictly that is the correct form,
if you wanted to be pedantic about it.  Most people would still probably say
"are" though.  In fact nearly all of those forms would be used by many
different people even in "educated" speech, and wouldn't really stand out as
wrong, other than "There *is* *a few* books on the shelf, which has an odd
ring to it.

Paul
Derby
England

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From: Marcus Buck <list at marcusbuck.org>
 Subject: LL-L "Grammar" 2010.03.16 (03) [EN]

From: Jonny <jonny.meibohm at arcor.de <mailto:jonny.meibohm at arcor.de
>>

>
> *Is the Suffix -schaft (börgerschafft) also LS or does LS have -schap like
> Dutch?*
>
>  LS has -schopp or -schapp.
>

Until a few moments ago I was convinced that "schap/schop/schup" is Saxon
and "schaft" is a German loan. I wanted to add that some Low Saxon dialects
have completely incorporated the loan "schaft" and don't even know
"schap/schop/schup" anymore.

But then I looked into my etymological dictionary (to look up whether
"schap, "schop" or "schup" is the original form [it's "schap"]) and
discovered that "schaft" is actually _both_ Low Saxon _and_ German and no
loan. "schaft" is derived from "schap" + "ti" suffix and "schapti" developed
into "schaft" cause the sound pattern "pt" is phonotactically avoided (this
is independant of the High German sound shift "p" to "f" as in "schâp" ->
"schâf"). Old English had "sceaft" (besides unsuffixed "scipe" which
developed into modern "ship").

So "börgerschaft" is not necessarily a loan.

Marcus Buck



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