LL-L "Etymology" 2011.01.02 (03) [EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 02 January 2011 - Volume 03
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From: Andy (scots-Online) <andy at scots-online.org>

Subject: Etymology [EN]



Peter wrote:

>I was recently asked about the origin and widespread usage of the words
chuse and chuses (choose and chooses).
>A few online dictionaries refer to the words as archaic or obsolete
English.
>The Lowlands archives show reference to the words used in Scots as follows:
>R.Hahn...I wonder how to label the language variety. It seems to be 17th
century English but also has a lot of Scots in it. "17th century Scottish
English"? Or is it "cleaned up" Scots?

The Old English 'eō' in ceōsan was fronted to /yː/ in Early Scots and
thereafter lowered to /øː/ (Vowel 7 in Aitken's system). The spelling <uCe>
as in 'chuse' is one of the Scots convention for representing that vowel.
The other common convention for representing that vowel is <ui>. The vowel
in 'chuise' is still /øː/ in peripheral dialects such those spoken in in
Shetland, Orkney, north Angus, east Perthshire and southern Scotland. In the
north east of Scotland it has unrounded to /iː/ and in other areas the vowel
unrounded to /eː/.

The form 'chuse' in the Scots examples may simply illustrate the use of a
Scots spelling convention for the standard English cognate 'choose'.

>"Lady Anne Bothwell's Lament",
...
>I cannae chuse, but ever will

>There is also a reference to:
>"The Bonny Lass o Anglesey": by Burns
...
>To chuse thy husband for to be.

I unfortunately have no explanation for the form 'chuse' in English texts.

Andy Eagle



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