LL-L "Etymology" 2011.02.21 (02) [EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 21 February 2011 - Volume 03
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From: Ed Alexander <edsells at cogeco.ca>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2011.02.21 (01) [EN]

 At 02:24 PM 21/02/2011, Henry Pijffers wrote:

Someone asked why the English words "laughter" and "daughter" are pronounced
so differently. I've already found that the former comes straight from
Middle English, via Old English "hleahtor", and the latter from Middle
English "doughter", from Old English "dohtor".

That explains why the vowels are different, but not endings (both -htor
originally). Nor why both words are written nearly the same these days.
Anyone got any ideas?



Probably they were pronounced the same way when their orthography became
fixed.  I think what you are looking for is why the gh is now pronounced
differently in each.  Daughter is originally an old compound, meaning
"breast (dug) or milk bearer."  Word for breast in Anishnaabe is "dodo".

Ed Alexander


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From: Mark and Ruth Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2011.02.21 (01) [EN]

Hello Henry:



Subject: LL-L Etymology



You wrote:

Someone asked why the English words "laughter" and "daughter" are pronounced
so differently. I've already found that the former comes straight from
Middle English, via Old English "hleahtor", and the latter from Middle
English "doughter", from Old English "dohtor".



My mite:

Both words go to an IE origin little changed from the ME (spelling).
Afrikaans & Nederlands both use the unvoiced palatal fricatibe (x) in the
same place for the same words. I am sure OE did the same, however they
spelled it in AS (I would like to see the conventional spelling in
Northumbrian or Anglian, of course)..



As a matter of interest an Iranian Jew & I got together on an idle
afternoon & compared words in Afrikaans & Modern Persian. With just a little
Kentucky windage to the exact meaning, very little, in fact, we stopped a
ways past one hundred. I reckon we could have done more had the time
allowed. I remember one of these words was daughter, 'dogter' as we spell it
in Afrikaans. It is pronounced exactly thae same & means the same in Persian
& Afrikaans.



Cheers,



Mark.



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