Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch | Page 9

cruddled, "curdled"; birde, O.E. brid, "offspring." The result is that many of these words are more like the corresponding O.N. words than the Anglo-Saxon (cp. O.N. fristr, brenna, Norse tretti, tredie, etc.), hence they have in many cases been considered loanwords. Sco. braist and landbrest, "breakers," (cp. O.N. bresta, _landbrest_), are not from the Norse but from the corresponding O. Nhb. words. Cors which occurs in Gau may be a similar case and like Eng. cross derived from O. Fr. crois, but Gau otherwise shows considerable Danish influence and Gau's form may be due to that. Eng. curl and dirt (from O.Du. krul and O.N. _drit_) have undergone metathesis. The Sco. words have not.
11. THE QUESTION OF PALATALIZATION IN O. Nhb.
Just to what extent g, c, sc were palatalized in O. Nhb. is not definitely known. Until this has been ascertained the origin of a number of dialect words in the North will remain uncertain. The palatal character of g, c, sc in O.E. was frequently represented by inserting a palatal vowel, generally e, before the following guttural vowel. Kluge shows (in Litteraturblatt für germ, und rom. Philologie, 1887, 113-114) that the Middle English pronunciation of _crin[vg]en_, _sin[vg]en_, proves early palatalization, which was, however, not indicated in the writing of the O.E. words cringan, singan. And in the same way palatalization existed in a great many words where it was not graphically represented. Initial sc was always palatalized (Kluge, 114 above). In the MSS. k seems to represent a guttural, c a palatal sound of older c (Sievers, 207, 2). Palatalization of c is quite general. K became palatalized to c in primitive Eng. initially before front vowels, also before Gmc. e and eu (Kluge, P.G.(2)I, 991). Kluge accepts gutturalizing of a palatal c before a consonant where this position is the result of syncopation of a palatal vowel. In the South palatal c became a fricative ch. According to Kluge it never developed to ch in Northern England and Scotland, but either remained c or recurred to a guttural k. The same is true with regard to g. The exact extent of such palatalization is very difficult to determine. It is possible that the sound always remained a guttural in the North. We have seen that c or g did not cause diphthongation of the following vowel in the North as often as in the South. In view of the fact that palatalization was not always indicated, this may not prove anything, but may, however, indicate less palatalization than in the South. The fact that e or i was sometimes inserted before a following dark vowel, cp. ahefgia, "gravare," gefragia, "interrogare," proves that palatalization in these words, at least, existed.
12. SK AS A SCANDINAVIAN SIGN. CERTAIN WORDS IN SK. PALATALIZATION IN NORSE.
Wall argues that non-palatalization cannot be regarded as a sign of Scand. influence and cites a number of words in support of this conclusion (see Wall, §30). With regard to dick, "ditch," and sag, "sedge," Wall is probably right. Those in sk are, however, not so easily disposed of. The presence of certain words with sk in the South or those cited in sh in the North does not prove the case. While the presence of a word in South Eng. diall. is in favor of its genuine Eng. origin, it does not prove it, for certain words, undoubtedly Scand., are found in the Southern dialects. Shag, "rough hair," Skeat regards as Norse rather than Eng. Scaggy, "shaggy," with initial sk, I would regard as Norse from O.N. skegg, not from O.E. sceagga. Shriek Skeat regards as Scand. Bradley derives it from O.L.G. scricon which is found once in the Heliand. Eng. dial. skrike. Wall on the other hand derives it from O.E. scricon, since scric is found. Scric occurs in O.E. as the name of the shriekbird. The vb. is not found. Whether we regard "shriek" native or not, scrike is to be derived from O.N. skrika. Skeer is from O.N. _skera_; sheer from O.E. sceran. In form if not in meaning, we have an exact parallel in the M.E. skir, "bright," from O.N. skir, and schir from O.E. scir. In a few cases words that seem Scand. appear with sh, not sk. The etymology of such words, however, becomes rather doubtful. This is especially the case where in the Norse word a guttural vowel followed the sk. Where, however, the Norse or Dan. word had a palatal vowel after the sk the change to sh is not at all impossible, and here arises the question of palatalization in O.N. O.N. _skiól_, pron. _sk-iól_, with sk, = Norse _skj[-u]l_ (pron. _sh[-u]l_). Ski thus becomes sh in O.N. skilinn, Norse shil, O.N. skilja, Norse shilja (or _skille_), O.N. skipta, Norse shifta. West Norse also shows change of k