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Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch: A contribution to the study of the linguistic relations of English and ScandinavianFlom, George T. (George Tobias)

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Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch: A contribution to the study of the linguistic relations of English and Scandinavian

Name: Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch: A contribution to the study of the linguistic relations of English and Scandinavian
Author: Flom, George T. (George Tobias)

Flom, George T. (George Tobias)

Scots language; Scots language -- Foreign words and phrases -- Scandinavian

16. CURTIS'S TABLE.

The following (see Curtis §§144-145) illustrates the development of
O.E. _ă_, and _ā_, in England and Scotland:

  1. Central Scotland.     {O.E. _ă_}
                           {        } > an _ē_-vowel.
                           {O.E. _ā_}

  2. S. Scotland and       {O.E. _ă_}
    Ellis's D. 31*         {        } > _ē_ > an _i_-
    in England.            {        }     fracture in
                           {O.E. _ā_}     the mdn. diall.

                                      { > an _ē_-vowel.
  3. The rest of Northern  { O.E. _ă_ { > _ē_, later
     England and Midland.  {          {     _ī_-fracture in
                           {          {   D 25, 26, 28, 29.
                           {
                           { O.E. _ā_ > _ō_ or _ū_,
                                             with fracture.

  4. Southern England      { O.E. _ă_ > an _e_-fracture or
                           {                 _i_-fracture.
                           { O.E. _ā_ > _ū_ or _ō_.

[*Footnote: Ellis's D 31 = N. W. Yorkshire, Cumberland,
Westmoreland and N. Lancashire.]

  In 1. O.E. _hām_ > _hēm_, _năme_ > _nēm_.

  In 2. _hām_ > _hēm_ > _hiǝm_, _năme_ > _nēm_ >
  _niǝm_.

  In 3. _hām_ > _hōm_, _hoǝm_, _hoᵘm_ or _hūm_ with
  fracture.
        _năme_ > _nēm_.
        _năme_ > _nēm_ > _niǝm_ in certain dialects.

  In 4. _hām_ > _hūm_, or _hom_.
        _năme_ > _neǝm_, _niǝm_.

The intermediate stage of this development, however, is explained
in two ways. According to Curtis it was (in 2) _ā_ > _ę̄_ >
_ē_ > _ī_ > _iǝ_. Luik (§244) shows that
  das Vorrücken zum Vocalextrem ist an die Abstumpfung gebunden;
  wir finden es nur dort, wo auch Abstumpfung zu constatieren
  ist, wäbrend diese selbst ein weiteres Gebiet hat. Schon
  daraus folgt, dass die Abstumpfung das Primäre ist, dass also
  ihre Basis _e_ war, nicht _i_. Dies wird bestätigt
  durch eine einfache Erwägung. Hätte die Abstumpfung die
  Lautstufe _i_ ergriffen, so hätte sie auch das _e_
  treffen müssen, das ja schon seit Beginn der neuenglischen
  Zeit in allen Dialekten durch _i_ vertreten ist. Endlich
  bieten die frühesten Zeugnisse nur _e_, nicht _i_,
  auch für solche Striche, die heute _i_ haben.
According to this, then, the development is more probably _ā̆ >
ę̄ > ēǝ > iǝ_, or, as Luik thinks, _ā̆_ >
_æ_ > _æǝ_, or _ę̄ǝ_ > _ēǝ_ > _iǝ_.


  17. O.E. _ō_.--A LIST OF ILLUSTRATIVE WORDS
      FROM THE ABERDEEN DIALECT.

Another Northern peculiarity relates to O.E. _ō_. While in the
south O.E. _ō_ developed to an _ū_-vowel or an _ū_-
fracture, in Scotland it became _ee_ (_ui_, _ee_, _i_). The process
involved here does not yet seem to be fully understood. The modern
dialect of Aberdeen is most pronounced in this respect, older _i_
also frequently becoming _u_, _o_. The following examples taken from
"Johnnie Gibb" (Aberdeen. 1871) will illustrate:

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Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch: A contribution to the study of the linguistic relations of English and Scandinavian

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