So Right - I'll copy it up for reference sake
- (eh up!! lad - that's nobbut sense tha knows)
which translated for my American Cousins
(come along my lad that is only sense you know)
Funny thing that - nobbut sense - tha knows is a
favourite saying of my Yorkshire Zen Master
(the one who meditates on Ilkley Moor - baht 'at of
course)
Bless
Patricia
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, May 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Subject: [norse_course] Some differences
between Old & Modern Icelandic
Don't worry about trying to memorise these if they're new
to you.
You'll quickly get used to them as you read. The text
at [
http://www.snerpa.is/net/isl/njala.htm
] isn't completely
assimilated to modern conventions, so I'll just mention
some changes
that might be relevant. Actually some of these changes
go back to
the Middle Ages, so this is more a list of differences between
modern spelling and the normalised textbook spelling of Old
Icelandic
based on how the language was in the early 13th century.
1. The ending
-r > -ur after consonants, e.g. maðr > maður, Hildr >
Hildur. Also where -ur is part of the root, e.g. fagr > fagur,
fagrt > fagurt. This doesn't apply where a vowel follows in the
ending (nökkrir > nokkrir), except with the suffixed definite
article: maðrinn > maðurinn.
2. Final -rr > -r, e.g. optarr
> oftar.
3. The combination pt after a vowel is often now spelt ft,
e.g.
optarr > oftar, aptr > aftur.
4. Final -ss, where due to
assimilation of s + inflectioanl r, > s,
e.g. íss (nominative) > ís,
but final -ss stays in the genitive,
íss "of ice" > íss.
5. In
unstressed words and endings, final k > g, final t > ð. E.g.
ok > og, ek > eg/ég, mjök > mjög, lítit > lítið, at > að,
hvat >
hvað.
6. The sequence vá > vo. E.g. várr >
vor, hvárt > hvort.
7. tvau "two" > tvö. sjau "seven" >
sjö.
8. In a few words, e > é. E.g. fekk > fékk, fell >
féll.
9. þykkja > þykja.
10. The 1st person singular past
ending a > i, so no there's no
difference between 1st and 3rd persons
in the past singular,
e.g. "síðan vaknaða ek" > "síðan vaknaði eg", "ef
ek væra" > "ef eg
væri".
11. The subjunctive endings im, ið, i
> um, uð, u (as in the
indicative).
12. z > s (ss between
vowels), e.g. unz > uns, Gizurr > Gissur.
13. The endings -sk and
-zk > st.
14. oe > æ. E.g. broeðr > bræður.
15.
In some words, ø > e. E.g. kømr > kemur.