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Germanic g to English y
1. Germanic g to English y
Many Germanic words with a hard "g" changed in English over time to a "y" sound. So German "Gestern" (yesterday) became English "yester-day". German "Gelb" (yellow) became English "yellow". German "garten" (garden) or Gothic "gardis" became English "yard".
2. Yule
The English word "
yule" comes from the Old English "
geol" where the "
g" sound changed to a "
y" over time. The "
geol" was a pagan feast which corresponded to the Roman Saturnalia festivals during the Winter solstice of late December and into January as part of the
12 days of Yule or, later, the
12 days of Christmas.
"Gelb" ≈ "yellow".
"gestern" ≈ "yesterday" as in "yestern".
German "garten" to English "yard".
3. Garden and yard
4. Old English
5. Matthew 22:40
KJV: On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Greek: εν ταυταις ταις δυσιν εντολαις ολος ο νομος κρεμαται και οι προφηται κρεμανται
Latin: in his duobus mandatis universa lex pendet et prophetae
Wessex: On þisen twam be-boden beoð ge-fyld eal sy lage.
Wycliffe: In these twey maundementis hangith al the lawe and the profetis.
Tyndale: In these two commaundemetes hange all the lawe and the Prophetes.
Luther: In diesen zweien Geboten hanget das ganze Gesetz und die Propheten.
6. Other examples
7. Other examples
8. Holy
9. More examples
10. Old English
The word "
yoke" shows a change from hard "
g" in Old English to softer "
y" in modern English.
"goc" ≈ "yoke".
11. Old English
The word "
many" shows a change from hard "
g" in Old English to softer "
y" in modern English.
"manage" ≈ "many".
12. Middle English
Here are some Middle English words showing the change from "
y" to "
g".
"yaf" ≈ "gave".
13. Matthew 26:27
KJV: And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Greek: και λαβων το ποτηριον και ευχαριστησας εδωκεν αυτοις λεγων πιετε εξ αυτου παντες
Latin: et accipiens calicem gratias egit et dedit illis dicens bibite ex hoc omnes
Wessex: Aend he genam þanne calic þanciende & sealde heom þus cweðende. Drinkað ealle of þisen.
Wycliffe: And he took the cuppe, and dide thankyngis, and yaf to hem,
Luther: Und er nahm den Kelch und dankete, gab ihnen den und sprach: Trinket alle daraus!
Russian: И, взяв чашу и благодарив, подал им и сказал: пейте из нее все,
14. Saga of a saw
The English word
"saw" comes from two sources.
The Viking "
saga" was a story.
From
PIE (Proto Indo-European), the "
sag" was something that cut.
In both cases, the Germanic "
g" softened, in this case to a "
w" that was not pronounced.
Thus, an "
old saw" would be an "
old saga" which would be an "
old story" and not an old cutting tool.
15. Mutual influence
In many cases, when words have similar sounds, they tend to influence the meaning of the other word.
This happened in the English word
"bliss" and the English word
"bless".
16. Slogans
Matthew 21:35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. [kjv]
… of-slogen… [wes]
… slowen … [wy]
21:39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. [kjv]
… of-slogen … [wes]
… slowen … [wy]
… slewe … [ty]
22:6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. [kjv]
The English word
"slogan" comes from the Middle English word
"slugharne" ≈ "battle cry" that has Scottish and Gaelic roots. The hard "
g" softened so that the "
slug" became "
slew".
You might say that we have "
struck gold" and "
hit" on a "
slew" of variations of "
slap" or "
beat". Can you "
beat" that with a "
stick"? Have we "
struck out"? Can we make a "
slogan" out of these "
hit" ideas?
17. End of page
