Re: [tied] Axing a Kentish woman for meat

The verb <ascian> had the variant <axian> already in Old English, and "ax" for "ask" is still quite widespread in English dialects. There is evidence that it was considered the regular pronunciation by 17th-century orthoepists.

"Atte" = contracted "at the" (this is why Modern English has so many idiomatic prepositional phrases involving "at", with definite article apparently omitted: at the table > atte table > at table). The "forelond" in Caxton's story is possibly North Foreland, the headland on the coast of Kent. "Mete" (meat) meant "food" at the time.

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: Håkan Lindgren

To: Cybalist

Sent: Monday, March 05, 2001 4:28 PM

Subject: [tied] Re: Shibboletisation

He axed for meat, did he? I'm glad he didn't axe me! Did this verb really sound like this in Caxton's days? Mishearing/misspelling "ks2" for "sk" sounds more probable, to me, than an original "ks" developing into "sk". "And one of theym named sheffelde, a mercer, cam in to an hows and axed for mete: and specyally he axyd after eggys:" And what's "atte forlond" in modern English? Could "atte" be the preposition "at"? ("They tarried at Forlond"?) Hakan