minimal pairs

[Brian M. Scott]

BJE> I believe that the "th" in Goethe and Luther (which I've also
BJE> seen as Ludher) is an orthographic survival of the dental
BJE> fricatives in German.

<Luther> is from earlier dithematic <Liut-hari> and <Hlud-hari>.  The
earliest example of <Go"the> of which I'm aware is <Nikolaus Go"the>
in Badra; the spelling is said to be a High German reworking of Low
German <Go"de>, a pet form of <Godefrid> and the like.

Brian M. Scott