LL-L 'Orthography' 2006.07.23 (06) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 23 July 2006 * Volume 06
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From: 'Isaac M. Davis' <isaacmacdonalddavis at gmail.com> 
Subject: LL-L 'Etymology' 2006.07.23 (01) [E]

Listing words for apples, Ron Hahn wrote:

> Irish: ubhal
> Gaelic: ubhal
> Manx: ooyl
> Welsh: afal
> Cornish: aval
> Breton: aval
> Old Irish: abhal
> Gaulish: aballo

Actually, the standard Irish spelling is úll. Presumably it was respelled in the
last spelling reform of I-always-forget-the-year. It's funny how spelling reforms
really distance related languages; where prior to the spelling reform speakers of
each could sometimes understand the other language(s), when written, afterwards,
with spellings representing pronunciation more closely, even the written form,
which is, as a rule, more conservative than the spoken one, is fairly opaque. I'm
of two minds on the subject of spelling reforms as a result; on the one hand,
having a common written form for very different spoken forms is very convenient
(just ask Chinese-speakers, who can communicate in writing with each other even
when they can't understand a single spoken word), but on the other, it seems
rather to stifle local change, and encourages prescriptivist folks who give
people a hard time for speaking in the manner that's most natural to them.
Perhaps the best compromise is to be biscriptural, though that seems entirely too
much trouble for some folks.

Isaac M. Davis

-- 

Westron wynd, when wilt thou blow
The smalle rain down can rain
Christ yf my love were in my arms
And I yn my bed again 

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