[Up] [Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Re: more on mottos



Neil wrote :

""Was the letter "W" in the alphabet at the time or was v = w or indeed was 
there a Swedish import of the motto into the spelling of work-verk. We forget 
that the Swedish culture was highly developed in the middle ages and had 
heraldry and chivalry to becoming a well developed art. I suspect that 
because the "o" was also changed (work = verk) we are looking at old English, 
phonetic language or simply the import of another word from Sweden. ""

I remember from my study of German many years ago that "" V "" is pronounced 
as a "" W "" and "" W "" as a "" V "" !!!

I presume that the same may be said for the Scandinavian languages ??

Also , the "" E "' in "" werk "" also follows the Germanic usage closely !

The craftsmen of the Middle Ages could not read in most cases and in any 
event from what I have seen in my other research , the spelling of words was 
not as fixed in form as we follow today  

Regards to all ,
Joe Greigg
[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@mids.org
[ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html