TH becomes T, e.g. A.S. theofthe has become theft. highth (so in Milton's Paradise Lost),, height. drouth or drougth (so in Spenser) drought. Tbecomes TH, e.g. Lat. tertius appears in English as third. M.E. autor, autour* author. By a corrupt spelling, arising from mistaken etymology, In Anglo-Saxon, before the Conquest, e was always hard. Under Norman French influence, in many words was changed to ch; while in others the hard c of the Anglo-Saxon is represented by its modern equivalent k. A.S. ceaca has become cheek A.S. ceafa A.S. ceap A.S. ceorl has become churl A.S. ceaster A.S. cele A.S. cag has become keg A.S. cnawan has become know A.S. cene keen A.S. ceol A.S. cent A.S. cepan A.S. cyth A.S. cnapa knave A.S. cyn In a few instances, became first ch and then j, e.g.— A.S. chaw (a Noun formed from the Verb) has become jaw. M.E. achar, i.e. on char on the turn [A.S. on cyrre (Dat. of yrr)] has become ajar. M.E. knowlech from A.S. cnawlac has become knowledge. Se has been in many instances softened down to sh, e.g.— A.S. scadu has become shadow | A.S. scapan has become shape A.S. scamu There are a few instances in which k or the k sound has passed into g, e.g. Grk. Koẞados, an impudent rogue, Fr. perruque (sound of k) has become wig Lat. cupelletum goblin goby flagon sugar Grk. kóßios, a gudgeon, Fr. flacon (from Low Lat. flasconem),, For other changes of the Gutturals, see Economy of Effort. Interchange of Sounds uttered by different Organs. TH becomes F, e.g. M.E. dwerth (A.S. dweorh) has become dwarf. For Lat. Theodora the Russians say Fedora. TH becomes S, e.g. M.E. loveth has become loves. Compare Germ. saal with Engl. hall. Grk. έ, era with Lat. sex, septem. R becomes L, e.g. Lat. purpura has become purple. Lat. turtur Lat. peregrinus turtle. pilgrim. Lat. paraveredus L becomes R, e.g. Lat. lavendula Lat. capitulum 39 Fr. chapitre, and Eng. chapter. M has been sometimes weakened to N,† e.g.— Old Fr. conter (Lat. computare) has become count (a). Old Fr. cumte (Lat. comitem) has become count (b). Fr. nom (Lat. nomen) has become Noun. Old Fr. raençon (Lat. redemptionem) has be come ransom. Engl. renowned (Fr. renommé) would have been renowmed but for the influence of the preceding n. Nhas become M,e.g. A.S. hancp has become hemp. A.S. lind A.S. snacc lime (the tree). smack (a boat). Old Fr. confort (Lat. confortare) has become comfort. Old Fr. tenter (Lat. tentare) has become tempt. Fr. migraine (Lat. hemicranium) has become megrim. Fr. velin (Lat. vitulinum) has become vellum. Grimm's Law. Besides these comparatively simple mutations of letters, there are others of much greater complication and wider range. A very remarkable permutation of consonants which pervades the Indo-European family of languages has of late years been reduced to a formula. This is called Grimm's *Colonel comes ultimately from Lat. columna. The colonel leads the little column or company at the head of the regiment. † Even in Anglo-Saxon, m sometimes becomes n in inflections, as scip-un for scip-um, a fact which tends to puzzle the student. * The Latin word is from the Greek ημικρανιον. The word seems to convey the idea of a 'splitting' headache, but it is explained as meaning a pain in one side of the face or head. Law. It traces the variations which words assume which are common to several of the Aryan languages without having been borrowed by any one of them from the other, all having received the word from some more primitive source. Grimm's Law Explained. When a word, as for instance three, is found in similar forms in different languages, it is natural, says Dr. Abbott, to account for the differences by saying that the several forms suited the several nations. Drei, we might say, was easier to pronounce for the Germans, tres for the Latins, three for the English. This theory has been justified by the collection of a large number of instances of changes of a similar character in the different languages. In the example just cited, t, d, and th, which are all consonants produced by the action of the tongue on the teeth, are interchanged; and this might suggest that the national preference, when rejecting a consonant, replaces it by some consonant uttered by the same organs as the first. This suggestion is warranted by fact. It has been shown by Grimm that the same words, when found in (1) the Classical languages, i.e. Sanscrit, Greek, or Latin, (2) Low German (which may be represented by Eng lish), (3) High German, exhibit three systematically varying forms, in which three different consonants of the same organ are regularly found. The law which regulates these correspondences was first discovered by a Danish philologist, named Rask, but was more fully elaborated by the great German philologist, Grimm, after whom it is now called. Grimm points out 1. That an aspirate in I. the Classical languages is represented by a flat sound in II. Low German, and a sharp sound in III. High German, e.g.— 2. That a flat mute in I. the Classical languages is represented by a sharp sound in II. Low German, and an aspirate sound in III. High German, e.g.— 3. That a sharp consonant in I. the Classical languages is represented by an aspirate in II. Low German, and by a flat sound in III. High German, e.g.— The student will, perhaps, find it still easier to remember by means of a short memoria technica : 'If it be remembered that soft=flat, and hard = sharp, the whole of Grimm's law can be remembered by the mnemonic word ash, with its varying forms sha or has, according to the sound which is to come first.'-(Dr. Morris, Hist. Eng. Gram. p. 48.) The mnemonic for the first law will be ash, for the second sha, and for the third has. The above is the law in its general form. It is subject to special modifications and exceptions. National Preferences. Among the strongest influences at work in changing words is the preference of different nations for certain sounds. |