Gafilhsaggws

[Arthur Jones]

Hails,
   
  I would like to thank the Gothic List members who contributed their condolences and their fine Gothic thoughts on the occasion of my Mother's passing.
   
  Mom would have thoroughly enjoyed the discussion of nouns, declensions, dative and accusative absolutes, gerundives, and reconstructions that several of you have built up over the past few days! Indeed, you have done her great honour.
   
  Especially, I would like to thank LLama_Nomandans, Michael Erwin, Ualarauans, Pituxalina, and others for joining in. Imagine a wake in an extinct language! 
   
  Incidentally: I notice once more that reconstructing "wings" in Gothic served to run us by the e>i process again (weggs - wiggs - vaegg - wing). I am gaining am impression that, perhaps, predominant Gothic dialects such as that (or those) incorporated by Wulfila were intentionally left a bit archaic at the time --mid fourth Century-- to create a sense of unity, as well as the aura of respect usually shown to tribal elders and their older speech patterns. In fact, the e>i changes might have been considerably more advanced in the spoken vernacular of the time. 
   
  In other languages, the e>i transition is anything but complete: Take, e.g., Appalachian English, in most dialects of which "pen" and "pin" are homophones, as are "many - minny", "men - min", etc. 
   
  As to "wings", would a reconstruction based on archaic forms of the NHD (Neuhochdeutsch) "Fittich" be a possible? As LLama_Nomerabilis has pointed out, the MFO (Most Frequently Occurring) Gothic word could well have been a "feather" relative: hence, perhaps "fedarahs" or similar?
   
  Thanks again, all.
   
  Arthur
   
   


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