Fiji zigaboo---(role of "Igbo" tribe?)

Mark A. Mandel mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU
Sat Mar 31 17:24:15 UTC 2007


Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU> said:
 >>>

I've often wondered whether the apparent change in pronunciation represented
by "Igbo" > "Ibo" replicates the process that altered OE "igland" ('island')
to "iland."

 <<<

That wasn't "igl" as in "igloo". In layman's language: the "g" was
pronounced something like a modern "y" after "e" or "i", so it was more like
"eeland". then the Great Vowel Shift changed the "ee" to what we call "long
I", and here we are with /'ayl at nd/.

Mark Mandel

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