LL-L "Etymology" 2002.02.21 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 21.FEB.2002 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German) S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
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From: "Andy Eagle" <andy at scots-online.org>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2002.02.20 (09) [E]

Ron Hahn wrote
>
> Colin Wilson wrote under  "Administrativa":
>
> > Another possibility for "guideline" is the farming term _feerin_.
> > This a line made carefully in a field before ploughing begins, and sets
> > the orientation which is followed during actual ploughing.
>
> I wonder if the above-mentioned _feerin_ is related to Low Saxon (Low
German)
> _Föör_ [f9:3] (~ _Foor_ [fo:3] ~ _Fuur_ [fu:3]) and assumedly thus to
English
> "furrow" (with the same meaning).  (Cf. Middle English _furwe_ < Old
English
> _furh_, German _Furche_.)
>
> There is also the Low Saxon verb /föür-/ _föhren_ ['f9.I3n] ~ _feuhren_
> ['fo.I3n] ~ _führen_ ['fy:3n] (1) 'to drive', 'to transport' (cf. German
> _fahren_ 'to drive/transport', _Fuhre_ '(transported) load'), (2) 'to
guide',
> 'to lead' (cf. German _führen_).  Might any of these be related to Scots
> (*_feer-_ >) _feerin_?

Scots also hae furr [fVr] 'furrow' from A-S furh
According to the CSD feer comes from A-S fýrian < furh.
A now obsolete pronunciation of furr [f2r] was also given in the CSD. The
vowel /2/ went through changes in Scots. It remained /i/ in NE Scots but
probably went through having /i/ in other dialects before they came to have
their modern forms. This is bourne out by vestigial remnants of the 'famous'
<ui> as /i/ in some parts of SW Scotland and Eastern Ulster. Perhaps feer is
simply a form of furr which arose through semantic differentiation.

Andy Eagle

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