LL-L: "Names" LOWLANDS-L, 03.MAY.2000 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

 ======================================================================
 L O W L A N D S - L * 03.MAY.2000 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
 Posting Address: <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>
 Web Site: <http://www.geocities.com/sassisch/rhahn/lowlands/>
 User's Manual: <http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8c/userindex.html>
 Archive: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html>
 =======================================================================
 A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German), S=Scots, Sh=Shetlandic
 =======================================================================

From: Thomas [t.mcrae at uq.net.au]
Subject: LL-L: "Names" LOWLANDS-L, 02.MAY.2000 (04) [E]

> While on the subject, does anyone know what "aber" means as in "Aberdeen,
> Aberavon and Aberystwyth"?
Could it be "over" or "trans" perhaps?
Regards
Tom
Tom Mc Rae
Brisbane Australia
"Oh wid some power the Giftie gie us
Tae see oorselves as ithers see us"
Robert Burns--

----------

From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at fleimin.demon.co.uk]
Subject: "Names"

> From: john feather [johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk]
> Subject: Names

> Chambers Dictionary of Etymology cites the suggestion that Welsh "pen" +
> "gwyn" is the origin of "penguin" but doesn't like it, pointing
> out that it
> would actually give "penwyn". I wonder if this is an example of initial
> consonant mutation, which bedevils the learning of Welsh (because it makes
> it harder to look things up in dictionaries!). An obvious example is
> Cymru/Gymreig = Wales/Welsh. If the basic form of "gwyn" is "wyn" then it
> would revert to it as a second syllable. But this is just hwesswork.

And there's the fact that penguins have black heads, not white (gwyn)!
"Gwyn" is the basic form and "wyn" the mutation.

Welsh for "Wales" is "Cymru" and for "Welsh" is "Cymreig". The mutations
(Cymru/Chymru/Gymru/Nghymru & similarly for "Cymreig") appear as a result of
grammatical considerations.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org
http://www.fleimin.demon.co.uk

----------

From: Ian James Parsley [parsley at highbury.fsnet.co.uk]
Subject: LL-L: "Names" LOWLANDS-L, 02.MAY.2000 (12) [E]

Folk,

On this point there is the old Scots spelling 'quh-' for 'wh-', which may
indicate that it was once pronounced not dissimilarly to /k/ (and thus /g/)?
I must say I doubt it, I suspect it was merely a spelling convention, but
it's worth considering.

Best,
-------------------------------
Ian James Parsley
http://www.gcty.com/parsleyij
0772 0951736
"JOY - Jesus, Others, You"

==================================END===================================
 You have received this because your account has been subscribed upon
 request. To unsubscribe, please send the command "signoff lowlands-l"
 as message text from the same account to
 <listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org> or sign off at
 <http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html>.
 =======================================================================
 * Please submit contributions to <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>.
 * Contributions will be displayed unedited in digest form.
 * Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.
 * Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l") are
   to be sent to <listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org> or at
   <http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html>.
 * Please use only Plain Text format, not Rich Text (HTML) or any other
   type of format, in your submissions
 =======================================================================