LL-L "Etymology" 2003.02.05 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
 L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
 S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Thomas <t.mcrae at uq.net.au>
Subject: LL-L "Help needed" 2003.02.04 (10) [D/E]

on 5/2/03 7:31, Gustaaf Van Moorsel <gvanmoor at cv3.cv.nrao.edu> wrote

> 'Duyemelker' looks very similar to modern Dutch 'duive-
> melker', someone whose keeps carrier pigeons for a hobby.
> (Duif -> pigeon/dove).  I don't know why they are being
> called pigeonmilkers!
Fascinating as in the the Scottish Lothians pigeons are known as 'doos' and
the cage where they are kept is a 'dookit'. Pigeon 'milk' is in fact the
regurgitated digested food which the bird uses to feed its young.
Regards
Tom
Tom Mc Rae PSOC
Brisbane Australia
"The masonnis suld mak housis stark and rude,
To keep the pepill frome the stormes strang,
And he that fals, the craft it gois all wrang."
>From 15th century Scots Poem 'The Buke of the Chess'

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Tom,

I assume that Scots _doo_ is related to English "dove."   I just checked Wir
Andy's dictionary (http://www.scots-online.org/dictionary/engscots.asp), and
it confirmed that both 'dove' and 'pigeon' are _doo_ ~ _dou_ (and a "stray"
pigeon, probably a street pigeon, is a _strag_).

Note that in Lowlands Saxon (Low German) the word for both is _Duuv'_
[du:.v] (pronounced pretty much as though written <doove> in English
orthography, just with a somewhat longer vowel).  In some dialects they
still use earlier _Duve_ ['du:ve] (also > Dutch _duuv_ <doev> > /dVyv/
<duif>, plural _duiven_).

It is interesting that the English form _dove_ has a short vowel while the
Scots and LS forms have a long _oo_ sound.  This English vowel shortening
seems to have taken place late, or Modern English adopted the form from a
previously unwritten dialect form.  Middle English has _douve_ ['du:v@], and
Old English has /duuv@/ _dûfe_ ['du:v@].  Differenciation between doves and
pigeons started in Middle English with the adoption of archaic French
_pijon_ < Latin _pipio_ 'young, chirping bird' < _pipire_ 'to chirp'.  I
guess this word did not enter Scots.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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