OK. Thanks a lot, Piotr.
Marc
++++++++
Ah, bien. Brugge has Het Belfort
(belforten are indeed folk-etymological "translations" of N French
beffrois/belfrois), but apparently in the Francophone tradition Bruges has Le
Belfroi. I've done some checking and here is a piece of local testimonial
evidence:
A belfort itself offers a safe high place
to whoever climbs it -- that's the whole point about the meaning of
*berg-friT. Final g was pronounced [x] at
least in some Germanic dialects (cf. OE beorg [be@...]),
including Frankish and Low German in general, I suppose. Middle High German
spellings indicate [berkfrit].
Piotr
Brugge has a belfort
("volksetymologisch" from French
belfroy?). From
berg 'high place'? Most belforten in my
country (and in northern France) are not on high places (but there few high
places here...). Perhaps from
berg 'safe place', eg, Dutch herberg (now
'hotel, café'), and vrede 'peace', eg, Dutch
godsvrede & stadsvrede. Piotr, was the
g in *berg-friT was pronounced
/x/?
Marc