Re: American Dutch dialects

From: tgpedersen
Message: 63514
Date: 2009-02-28

> > > > I would ask, is the fact that /w/ became /v/ in Danish
> > > > also due to French influence?
> > >
> > > I think it came the same way, through the same stages, Jysk
> > > still has /w/, but also that it happened all over Europe,
> > > Belorussian still has /w/, says Piotr. It started in the 18th
> > > century, with French at its peak influence.
> >
> > Only in the 18th century? In German it started soewhere around
> > 1350. But I can't believe that it was due to French influence.
> > It's a natural tendency for /w/ to shift to /v/,
>
> That point of view makes the English unnatural.

Besides, it isn'r true:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiced_labiodental_fricative


Torsten