LL-L "Semantics" 2011.11.15 (03) [EN]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L - 16 November 2011 - Volume 03
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Semantics

Dear Lowlanders,

I've long been intrigued by the semantic development of the word complex
"dear" within the Germanic languages, and I wonder if you have any
information to add.

"Dear" and its relatives can mean the following:

   1. highly valued (dear to one's heart)
   2. expensive (having a high price)

Clearly, the common denominator is "valuable" or "valued."

In the English-speaking world there appears to be a split:

   1. American English uses "dear" only in the first-mentioned sense, with
   idiomatic exceptions (i.e., supposedly archaisms) such as "to pay a dear
   price" or "to pay dearly."
   2. Non-American English, at least many varieties of it, uses "dear" in
   both senses. Thus, for instance, in Australian English you may say
   something like "Computers are very expensive" and "Computers are very
   dear." The latter sounds strange to most American.

How does this play out in related language varieties?

   - Scots:* dear** ** *both 'expensive' and 'dear'
   - West Frisian: *djoer* both 'expensive' and 'dear'
   - Low Saxon: *düür *'expensive' (somewhat archaic also as 'dear (to
   one's heart))'
   - Dutch: *duur* 'expensive' (?)
   - Limburgish: *deur* (*dœr*) 'expensive'
   - Afrikaans: *duur* 'expensive' (?, but *dierbaar* 'valuable',
   'esteemed')
   - German: *teuer* 'expensive' (somewhat archaic also as 'dear (to one's
   heart)')
   - Yiddish: *tayer* (טײַער) both 'expensive' and 'dear'
   - Danish: *dyr* 'expensive'
   - Norwegian: *dyr* 'expensive'
   - Swedish:* dyr* 'expensive'
   - Icelandic: *dýr** *'expensive'

Once we get into the ancestral language varieties it becomes a different
game, and the two meanings will eventually merge. In other words, somewhere
along the line a semantic split occurred.

Any further information or simply thoughts?

Regards and thanks,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

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