--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...> wrote:
>
>
> One should bear in mind that what was counted as *the* dialect by
> its lexicographers was the form of language furthest from the
> standard language. Thus Bornholm has palatalization, which of
> course doesn't mean that no one there speaks varieties that are
> palatalized, as in standard Danish, and the reverse for Gotland,
> of course.
You seem to contest the concept that Lautgesetz equals natural law
at work in a certain area at a certain time.
If Bornholmers have unpalatalized k g I think that is due to school
rather than having a genuine vernacular.
Some month ago, on the subject of Emil-in-Lönneberga -e instead of
-a you proposed a similar thought that not all Scanians had -a and
that lexicographers had generalized a from Sjaelandic aberrant
pronunciation.
Generalized -a today would then be the result of sermons, catechism
and schools. I doubt this. I think -a is genuine.
One exception perhaps: the dialect in Falsterbo SW of Malmö. But
this dialect (when genuine) is Sjaelandic, not Scanian, according to
dialectologists.
> To my knowledge
> no other Swedish dialect was unpalatalized.
Yes. Svealand and Norrland from the 19th century. Or rather, the
Lautgesetz of palatalization is no longer valid in that area, as
shown by loans like "kilogram" with a hard k, but with
palatalized /tj/ in Götaland, including Scania. The same
for "kex": /keks/ and /tjeks/ respectively.
Earlier loans show general nature law palatalization, uncontested in
the whole territory, i.e. the cardgame "kille" (with a deck of 42
cards) which is incontestably pronounced /tjille/. Its etymology is
thought to be from one of the important cards: "-kin" in (Harle)quin.
As a friend of order Torsten might immediately bring up the
homograph, meaning "bloke".
Well, that's a mistery. Its etymology is thought to be "kid", young
goat", everywhere pronounced /tji:d/.
What to make of that?
Personally I am bound to think that we have to do with
hypercorrection from literate persons in the no-longer-palatalizing
area, including the capital with its influence on media.
The same goes for the harbour of "Hällekis" at the southern coast of
lake Vänern with -kis having a hard /k/. I deem this due to the
counts Klingspor and the people around them with urbanistic
pretensions.
Torsten might also add ´"kisse" (Scania "ki:se"), pussycat with a
hard /k/. My answer is that this is due to it coming from an
interjection "kiss, kiss!" when calling a cat. Interjections tend to
fall out of norms.
Its homonym and homograph "kissa", mingere, is also exceptional due
to ancient shame of uttering certain body functions.
These are all examples of exceptional hard /k/ in front of e i y ä ö
I can come up with for the moment.
I firmly believe in nature laws and exceptions can always be
explained.
Lars