From: Arnaud Fournet
Message: 60787
Date: 2008-10-11
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...>
>
> However, I've just been reminded that the <st> spellings may
> actually represent /xt/, not /st/, as I suggested earlier:
> Pope (§1178) notes that in the combination /st/, OFr /s/
> developed into /ç/ and /x/ in the 11th or 12th century
> before being effaced. The 13th century 'Orthographia
> Gallica' makes this pretty explicit: 'Et quant _s_ est joynt
> a la _t_ ele avera le soun de _h_, come _est, plest_ serront
> soner _eght, pleght_'. In Anglo-Norman the change persisted
> into the late 13th or 14th century, as evidenced by
> spellings with <h> for expected <s>.)
>
> Brian
>
===========
Interesting,
So it's the contrary to my previous thinking that is true,
beste does not stand for be:te but for behte !
Arnaud