Re: [tied] Davs (was Pronunciation of "r"

I wonder also whether "steg" meaning "steak" has a different pronunciation than "eg", even though they both go back to Old Danish e:k and ste:k, because "steg" is also the spelling of the word for "step", and the one spelling came to have only one pronunciation rather than two (the pronunciation of the one with -g in Old Danish instead of the one with -k, being chosen). I must confess I am assuming that Lars is correct about the meaning "step", and I am assuming the forms e:k and ste:k for Old Danish -- were they eik and steik or something similar?

Similarly, "boeg" (I can't yet get the foreign characters) comes from *bo:kiz while "loeg" comes from *laukam, do they not? Any chance that that could be the reason for the divergent pronunciations?

Andrew

squilluncus <grvs@...> wrote:

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...> wrote: > Also note > 'bøg' /bø?G/ "beech", 'løg' /loI?/ "onion" > 'eg' /e?G/ "oak", 'steg' /staI?/ "steak" We also got "egetrae", "egebord" with /e?G/ retained. ("Meget egendomligt") Couldn't it be special spheres within which a certain pronunciation is maintained? Weighty pre-industrial lumberdealers and carpenters vs. low-status cooks and housewives (bög vs. lög)? There is also a factor similar to shibboleth to be considered: "troll" and "boll" is pronounced exactly the same in Sweden, whereas "trold" is pronounced /tro?l/ and "bold" /bold/ in Danish. Probably they were once exactly rhyming, but inappropriate associations with "bolle" ("futuere") has lead to the d in writing gaining also pronounced value as /d/. As a Swede coming to Denmark you have to be careful with expressions like "bolla med idéer" ("juggle with ideas"). Lars

Re: [tied] Davs (was Pronunciation of "r" - again?)