Just some more random thoughts... I hope this isn't
too off topic, but it's about the Final -R.
The common rune name for the final -R sound is
ElhR, which is pronounced 'Elk-aR' with a very hard 'h' and translates to the
word Elk (as in the animal).
In the United States, the animal known everywhere
in Europe as an Elk is called a 'Moose'. For some
reason, we dumb Americans call the Wapiti an 'Elk' and called the Elk a
'Moose'. This is just one of the wonderful
linguistic anomollies to beat our heads against. :)
Now having said that, the divergence in languages
account for the translation of the ElkR rune to either a 'R' or a 'z' depending
on the school of the scholar/student. German evolved the 'z' sound for the
ending and so those like Thorsson (who, according to his bio, began his studies
in Germanic rune texts) prefer to continue to use the 'z' letter ending and
sound. Icelandic and English evolved the 'r' sound for the ending (as in
'dancer' and 'lumber') and so many of those native speakers prefer to use the
'R' for translation and pronunication.
However, the shear volume of Thorsson's
contributions (say what you will) has caused much of the serious US rune studies
to use his German based translations... at least in the early
years.
Since most people I know who study runes do NOT
also study language, they remain, alas, ignorant of the relationship between a
very interesting rune and their own modern language.
-Laz
p.s. - Besides, seeing the Rune 'Ur' published as
'Urur' or 'UrR' just wouldn't be comprehensible to the general public. 'Uruz' is
easy, especially since we use the letter Z so infrequently.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2002 9:10
PM
Subject: Re: [norse_course] Re: More on
"silent letters"
My attempt to translate these descriptions
into not quite linguistic terms.
I believe that for 'Nearly Silent' the authors
are referring to the fact that the Final -R inflection is a non stressed
syllable. To a non linguist this means that it makes less noise than a
stressed or medial syllable. Similar to butter and rubber. Though it is also
shorter. Not trilled ( as in classical languages) or held (like in
bar room) but short like in 'short' if you didn't say the -t-. and not like in
shore.
And, if i recall correctly, the inflected -R
ending on runestones in represented by the 'pitchforky one' "erhaz" in one
text. This used to be a -Z- sound but over centuries is became zh..then rzh,
then R, then faded entirely.
This is why the rune names are often ending in Z
such as tiwaz, erhaz, thurisaz. This is the Older pronounciation.
There is more of this on
Vikinganswerlady.com.
Ambrosius- Who has yet to find an appropriate
Norse name, though Gummi Bera is sounding appealing.
Sumir
hafa kvæði...
...aðrir spakmæli.
- Keth
Homepage: http://www.hi.is/~haukurth/norse/
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