LL-L "Phonology" 2004.03.22 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 22.MAR.2004 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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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: Allison Turner-Hansen <hallison at gte.net>
Subject: LL-L "Phonology" 2004.03.20 (02) [E]

Dear Lowlanders,
    In respect of one part of Frederic's question below, the voiced quality
of the medial consonant of the word for seven, I would like to say that I
think we're dealing here with Verner's law.  Verner's law explains the
exceptions to Grimm's Law.  According to Verner, the Indo-European sounds
p,t, k, kw  yield voiced outcomes in Gmc. (instead of the voiceless spirants
expected under Grimm's Law) when non-initial, and when the Indo-European
accent did not fall on the immediately preceding syllabic sound.  In this
word the accent is reconstructed for the second syllable.  In Proto-Germanic
there was the voiced spirant, then, which hardened up to a stop in some
dialects.  I think the change from fricative to stop started in the south
and moved in waves to the north, leaving lowlands languages less affected.
There are other wierd things about the word seven in Gmc, though, like the
lack of t: Latin had septem, Skt. sapta, Gk hepta.

I hope you're all doing well!
Allison Turner-Hansen

> From: Frédéric Baert <baert_frederic at CARAMAIL.COM>
> Subject: morphology
>
> Hi to everybody
>
> I have a question in mind :
> I know about the first germanic sound shift and about the high german
sound
> shift. But I can't understand something : to the english word "seven",
> dutch/flemish "zeven" correpond german "sieben", french "sept",
> griek "hepta" or something like that. So lowlands languages seem to have
> a "v" in place of a "b" in high german and a "p" in other european
> languages. Kind of sound shift in lowlands languages. I think also about
> english/dutch/flemish "half" german "halb" (I think). English "self",
> flemish "zelve" and "zelvst" but german "selbst". Perhaps english "answer"
> but dutch/flemish "antooren/antworen".
> I'm sorry for eventual orthograph mistakes.
> I did never read about this phenomenon. Can you give me informations about
> it ?
> Thank you
> Frédéric Baert
>
> ----------
>
> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Phonology
>
> Hi, Frédéric!
>
> Lowlands Saxon (Low German) has either /v/ or /b/ in such instances,
> depending on the dialect.  (It is /b/ in the Lower Elbe region, for
> instance.)  In Old Saxon, such instances are written with a barred "b"
> (<ƀ>), which may mean that it was pronounced as a bilabial fricative, much
> like Modern Spanish <b> and <v>.
>
> Regards,
> Reinhard/Ron

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From: Brooks, Mark <mark.brooks at twc.state.tx.us>
Subject: LL-L "Phonology" 2004.03.20 (07) [E]

Heiko wrote:
"For the origin of København, I have heard that the first part means
merchant..."

This is funny, because in my own peculiar folk etymology I always thought
the "Koeben" and "Copen" meant "copper" as in "Copperhaven."  I was
analysing it as "cobre" in Spanish and copper in English.  I don't remember
other languages' word for copper, but I remember they were all similar.
Now, that analysis fit nicely with the fact that so many of the roofs of the
main buildings there are made from copper.

Mark

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