LL-L "Morphology" 2007.10.27 (03) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  27 October 2007 - Volume 03
Song Contest: lowlands-l.net/contest/ (- 31 Dec. 2007)
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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org>
Subject: LL-L "Morphology" 2007.10.26 (05) [E]

> From: Ingmar Roerdinkholder < ingmar.roerdinkholder at WORLDONLINE.NL>
> Subject: LL-L "Morphology" 2007.10.26 (02) [E]
>
> I wonder if the popular realisation of -ing as -in' in English may be
> the
> key here...
> I suppose, older English had an equivalent of -end in stead of -ing,
> as in
> German, Dutch, Scandinavian and all other Germanic languages.
> So let's assume, -ing was abbreviated to -in', and -end to -en' in
> spoken
> colloquial English at the same time. This must have led to confusion
> and
> merging between -in' and -en':
> I am warnend thee => I am warnen' thee.
> I give thee a warning => I give thee a warnin'.

Older Scots writers (say, 17th century and earlier) distinguished
between -ing and -and, however, some writers make more sense to me than
others on this.

>From Sanders Montgomerie's "The Cherrie and the Slae
(
http://scotstext.org/makars/alexander_montgomerie/the_cherrie_and_the_slae.asp
read "quh" as "wh", "z" as "y" and "-is" as a morphological "-s"
ending):

15
[...]
Then came I granand to the ground,
   Freind welcome hame quod he:
       Quhair flew ze, quhome slew ze,
           Or quha bringis hame the buiting:
       I sie now, quod he now,
           ze haif bene at the schuting.

You'll notice "granand" (groaning) versus ""buiting" and "schuting".

By the 20th century I think the distinction was confined to dialects of
the Scottish Borders (quite a vast area, actually, though sparsely
populated), I heard it when I was a child when visiting relatives in
Hawick, so it might be that it still persists. The modern pronunciation
is "-an" and "-in" (both short) and some 20th century writers have
written it this way. Some because that's how they speak and any other
way just sounds wrong, some in what seems to be more an effort at
reversing language shift.

Sandy Fleming
http://scotstext.org/

----------

From: Paul Tatum <ptatum at blueyonder.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Morphology" 2007.10.26 (02) [E]

Hello Ron and everyone,
Ron wrote:
> I think it is rare, if not impossible, that -en and -ung nouns are equal
> in usage. At best, there may be marginal cases in which you would use
> the same word in English translations; e.g.,
>
> Vor dem Sonnenuntergang ist das Füttern der Kühe nicht erforderlich.
> (The ) Feeding (of) the cows before sunset is not required.
>
> Jüngere Kühe benötigen eine zusätzliche F ütterung. ~
> Jüngere Kühe benötigen zusätzliches F üttern.
> Younger cows require an addition feeding.

Even in these sentences they do not seem to me to be equal in meaning:
'Fütterung' can be translated as 'ration' or 'meal' in your second
example, and seems to refer to a definite amount or one performance of
the act of feeding, whereas your third example seems to imply that there
is some additional feeding of younger cows is required, but not how much
 - 'Füttern' couldn't be translated as 'ration' or 'meal'.

Cheers, Paul Tatum

----------

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

Sandy:

> You'll notice "granand" (groaning) versus ""buiting" and "schuting".

They are used precisely as they would have been used in English up to the
transition between Middle English and Early Modern English, and in Scots
well after that time:

granand (present participial):

Summe þer graninde sikeð.
(Some there became "groaningly" sick.)
1179

He is ofte seke and ay granand.
(He is often sick and always groaning.)
Richard Rolle of Hampole, A devoute medytacyon (The remedy ayenst the
troubles of temptacyons ) 1349

shuting (deverbal noun):

It semid with þaire schoting als it war snaw.
(With their shooting it seemed as if there were snow.)
Laurence Minot, *Poems* *a* 1352 (1795; J. Hall 1887)

These kynges hadden beholden ful wel the schetyng of this cherl Every del.
(These kings had full well witnessed every detail the shooting of this man.)
Henry Lovelich, *Merlin, a middle-English metrical version of a French
romance* *c* 1450 (E.E.T.S. 1904–13)

Paul, I quite agree with your analysis, but in addition I would say that
Füttern can be general in meaning while Fütterung can also denote specific
events, such as the first, second and third feeding of the day.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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