--- In phoNet@yahoogroups.com, "POTET" <potetjp@w...> wrote:

> Could you worthies tell me why we have Eng. <anger> and Ger.

<Ärger>.

> What is the phonetic law that accounts for the /n/ > [N] in

English and the

> /r/ in German?

The two are not related. Eng. <anger> is an abstract formation from
the root of the German adj. eng 'narrow', Proto-Germanic *angaz-
'narrowness, anxiety', adj. *angwu-/*angia- 'narrow'. Ärger is a
derivative from the adj. arg 'evil', from Proto-Germanic *arga-, an
adjective of a highly pejorative meaning, derived from a verbal root
meaning roughly 'to mount' designating an act of homosexual
intercourse of low social esteem. The word-formation in Ärger is by
backformation from the verb ärgern 'annoy, enrage' which is believed
to be based on the comparative of the adjective, i.e. PGmc. *arg-iz-
o:n 'make more annoyed'. The Indo-European root of the 'narrow' word
is *H2amg^h-, that of 'mount' is *H1erg^h- (the -a- of 'narrow' may
be from older -e-). In Indo-European dress the adj. 'narrow' will be
*H2amg^h-ú-s, with the abstract *H2ámg^h-os. An adjective derived
from the other word may have existed as *H1org^h-ó-s meaning 'being
mounted (in the special way)', but that is very uncertain, since it
belongs to a semantic field where slang travels fast. The basic verb
is retained in Hittite ark- 'to mount', and many Indo-European
languages have retained the derivative *H3org^h-i- which
means 'testicle'. Also the root of 'narrow' is used as a verb,
meaning 'to tie, tighten', Latin ango, Greek ánkho:, Hittite
hamekzi 'tightens' (this from *H2m-ne(n)-g^h-, proving that the
nasal of the root is an old *-m-).

Jens