LL-L "Etymology" 2002.01.18 (01) [E/German]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 18.JAN.2002 (01) * 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: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

I wrote yesterday:

> Do you think there may be a connection between Northeastern Scots _peul_
> [pjul] 'seagull' (even though you suspected it to be onomatopoetic),
> English
> _(northern) fulmar_ (_Fulmarus glacialis_) and Scottish Gaelic _faoileann_
> (and Irish _faoileag_)?
>
> _Fulmar_ is supposed to be of Scandinavian origin; e.g., Icelandic _fýll_ > --
> e.g., 'fulmar' in Modern Scandinavian: Danish _mallemuk_, Norwegian
> _havhest_
> "sea-horse" (family of _stormfugl_ "storm-bird"), Swedish _stormfågel_
> "storm-bird").  (Dutch has _noordse stormvogel_ "northern storm-bird",
> German _Eissturmvogel_ "ice-storm-bird".)
>
> It is also interesting to note that Welsh has _gwylan_ and Breton has
> _gouelanig_ for 'gull', and that English 'gull' is supposed to be of
> Celtic origin, the Germanic counterpart being _mew_.
>
> Is there a regular _f-_ = _g(w)-_ correspondence between the Goidelic and
> Brythonic branches of Celtic, so that _faoileann_, _faoileag_, _gwylan_
> and
> _gouelanig_ are cognates?  And might there be a connection between these > and
> English _fowl_ (< _fugol_) as well as other Germanic words for 'bird', > e.g.,
> Low Saxon _Vagel_ ['fQ:g=l] ~ ['fQ:G=l], Dutch _vogel_, Afrikaans _voël_,
> German _Vogel_ ['fo:g at l], Danish _fugl_, Norwegian _fugl_, Swedish
> _fågel_, etc.?
>
> Just wildly stabbing in the semi-dark ...

Indeed ...

Drosdowski, Günther, et al., eds., _Duden: Etymologie: Herkunftswörterbuch der
deutschen Sprache_, vol. 7, Mannheim, Vienna, Zurich: Bibliographisches
Institut, Dudenverlag:
===start quote===
VOGEL
Das _gemeingerm._ Substantiv _mhd._ vogel, _ahd._ fogal_, _got._ fugls,
_engl._ fowl, _schwed._ fågel hat keine _außergerm._ Entsprechungen.
===end quote===

Sykes, J. B., _The Concise English Dictionary of Current English_, 6th ed.,
Oxford: Clarendon:
===start quote===
FOWL
[...] [OE _fugol_, = OS _fugal_, OHG _fogal_, ON _fugl_, Goth. _fugls_, f. Gmc
*_foglaz_, *_fuglaz_, f. *_flug-_ FLY [...]
<...>
FULMAR
[...] f. ON _fúll_ FOUL (w. ref. to its smell) + _már_ gull (cf. MEW) [...]
===end quote===

Partridge, Eric, _Origins: A short etymological dictionary of Modern English_,
1966 ed., New York: Macmillan:
===start quote===
FOUL
5. OE _fûl_ has ON cognate _fúll_, which, preceding ON _mâr_, a sea mew, (cf.
MEW, the bird), yields E _fulmar_, a gull named 'foul' because it ejects
foul-smelling liquid in self-defence [sic.].
<...>
FOWL
[...] OE _fugol_, whence ME _fugel_, _fowel_ or _foule_, Whence E 'a fowl':
and OE _fugol_ is akin to OFris _fugel_, OS _fugal_, OHG _fogal_, MHG-G
_vogel_, G _fugls_, ON _fugl_: Gmc r, app *_fugl-_, dissimilation of
*_flugl-_, as in OHG _fliogan_, MHG-G _fliehen_, and E 'to fly' [...]
===end quote===

Non-Germanic and Indo-European connections with the 'bird' etymon are not know
or are not clear (_...hat keine _außergerm._ Entsprechungen_).  I am still
wondering if there is a connection with Celtic _faoileann_, _faoileag_,
_gwylan_, _gouelanig_, etc..

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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