Re: s-stems in Slavic and Germanic

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...> wrote:

>
>
>
> > This seems to be the exact opposite of what occurred in English, so
> > I don't think English offers support for Torsten's shibboleth
> > hypothesis (or for that matter German).
>
> And that is exactly what happened in German. No Saxon in England would
> argue with a Norman that it was eyren, not egges (except out in the
> sticks, note that the irregular plural in English, as well as in Dutch
> and 'Scandinavian' occurs in 1) body parts and 2) farm animals), but a
> Southern German would, against a Hanse trader (if he heard something
> similar).
>
>
> Torsten
>

But why would the Southern German insist that the correct plural of
<Wort> is (the new and at first incorrect) <Wörter> rather than (the
old and originally correct) <Wort>, instead of the creolized
<Wort(e)s>? I don't see how this s-shibboleth would encourage the
spread of <-er> beyond its original bounds.

Andrew