--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> I was wondering if the different outcomes of Engl. -ough was caused by
> them being different from the beginning, thus
> -ough /-oUx/ > /-of/ and
> -ough /-oUG/ > /-oU/
>
>
> Torsten
>
That's what I would think too, but the evidence doesn't present a
clear-cut pattern:
<enough> [inVf] from OE <genog> [jeno:x] or [j@...:x] with final /-x/,
inflected <genoge> [jeno:Ge] or [j@...:G@] etc. > <enow> [inaU] archaic
plural of <enough>, also = <enough>
<tough> [tVf] from OE <toh> [to:x] with final /-x/
<rough> [rVf] from OE <ruh> [ru:x] with final /-x/
<cough> [kAf],[kOf] from OE *<cohhian> with /xx/
<trough> [trAf], [trOf] from OE *trog [trOx] with final /-x/
<laugh> [læf] from OE <hlæhhan> with /xx/
BUT
<though> [DoU] from Scand. *To:x, *Tox, with final /-x/
<dough> [doU] from OE <dag> [dA:x] with final /-x/
<bough> [baU] from OE <boh> [bo:x] with final /-x/
<slough> [slaU] from OE <sloh> [slo:x] with final /-x/
<plough> [plaU] from late OE <ploh> [plo:x] with final /-x/
It is worth noting that the lower group of words are all nouns and
conjunctions with original long vowels, while the upper group of words
are all adjectives, nouns with short vowels, or stem from OE geminated
<hh>. In any case it looks unclear, but for phonological reasons I
would say that OE final <-h> from *h or *g, and geminated <hh> after
back vowels and retracted vowels, became [f] (and shortened preceding
*[u:], from *u: and *o:, to [V]), while [G] from *g in medial position
(as in inflected forms of nouns) as well as possibly analogically
reintroduced *h in medial position probably produced diphthongs, [aU]
from *[u:x] from both *[o:x] and *[u:x], [oU] from *[O:x] from [A:x].
The development of <though> contradicts this, although some dialects
developed it to forms such as <thof>. Perhaps it is explained by
frequently having low stress.
Of course there may already be papers addressing this issue, I'm just
offering you my take on it. You may get better answers from other
list members.
Andrew