New Word-Analysis Part 46

PART IV.--THE ANGLO-SAXON ELEMENT.

I.--ANGLO-SAXON PREFIXES.

A--(corrupted from A.-S. _on_) signifies _in_, _on_, _at_: as abed, aboard, aside, aback; and gives the adverbial form to adjectives, as in aloud, aboard.

BE--gives a transitive signification, as in bespeak. It is sometimes intensive, as in bestir, and converts an adjective into a verb, as in bedim. _Be_, as a form of _by_, also denotes proximity, as in beside: as bystander.

FOR[10]--means privation, or opposition: as forbear, forbid, forget.

FORE--_before_: as foretell, forebode.

MIS--_error_, _wrongness_: as mistake, misstate, misinform.

N--has a negative signification, as in many languages: thus, never, neither, none.

OFF--from offspring.

OUT--_beyond_: as outdo, outlaw.

OVER--_above_: as overhang, overflow, overturn.

TO--in to-day, to-morrow.

UN--_not_, _the reverse_: as, unskilled, unlearned.

UNDER--_beneath_: as undermine.

WITH--_against_ (German _wider_): as withstand.

II.--ANGLO-SAXON SUFFIXES.

AR, ARD, ER, YER, STER[11]--signifying _agent_ or _doer_; as in beggar, drunkard, beginner, lawyer, spinster. _Er_ forms verbs of adjectives, as lower, from low, and also forms the comparatives of adjectives.

ESS, as in songstress, is borrowed from the French.

DOM, s.h.i.+P, RIC, WIC--from _dom_, judgment; _s.h.i.+p_, shape or condition; _ric_, _rice_, power; _wic_, a dwelling--signify state, condition, quality, etc., as in kingdom, friends.h.i.+p, bishopric, Berwick.

EL, KIN (= _chen_, German), LET (from French), LING, OCK--have a _diminutive_ effect, as in manikin, streamlet, youngling, hillock, c.o.c.kerel.

EN--adjective termination, as wooden, from wood; it also converts adjectives into verbs, as deepen from deep.

FOLD--from _fealdan_, to fold; a numeral termination, like _ple_, from the Latin _plico_, I fold.

FUL--full; truthful.

HOOD, NESS--of uncertain derivation, signify state, etc., as in priesthood, righteousness.

ISH--_isc_ (Saxon), _isch_ (German), denotes a quality; like rakish, knavish, churlish, Danish. _Ish_ is also employed as a diminutive--blackish.

LESS--_loss_: as penniless, hopeless.

LIKE and LY--_like_; _lic_ (A.-S.): as warlike, manly.

SOME--_sum_ (A.-S.), _sam_ (German), lonesome, handsome.

TEEN--ten, as in fourteen.

TY--from _tig_ (A.-S ), ten; _zig_ (German), as in six-_ty_. _Teen_ adds ten--_ty_ multiplies by ten.

WARD--_weard_, _warts_ (German), _versus_ (Latin), against, direction, towards; downward, eastward.

WISE--_wisa_, manner; likewise.

Y--_ig_, an adjective termination; _dreorig_ (A.-S.), dreary.

ANGLO-SAXON ROOTS AND ENGLISH DERIVATIVES.

The p.r.o.nunciation of Anglo-Saxon is much nearer to that of modern German or the Continental p.r.o.nunciation of Latin than of modern English.

The letters of the alphabet wanting in Anglo-Saxon are: _j_, _k_, _q_, _v_, and _z_. _K_ is commonly represented by _c_; thus, _cyning_ (king) is p.r.o.nounced _kining_; _cyrtel_, _kirtle_; _qu_ is represented by _cw_, as _cwic_, _quick_; _cwen_, _queen_; _cwellan_, to _quell_; _th_ is represented by two peculiar characters, one of which in its reduced form resembles _y_, as in _ye olden times_, where _ye_ should be p.r.o.nounced _the_, and not _ye_, as is often ignorantly done.

Long vowels should be carefully distinguished from short vowels. Long vowels are _a_ as _far_, _ae_ as in _fare_, _e_ as in _they_, _i_ as in _pique_, _o_ as in _bone_, _u_ as in _rule_, _y_ as in _i_ (nearly). Short vowels are _a_ as in _fast_, _ae_ as in _man_, _e_ as in _men_, _i_ as in _pin_, _o_ as in _G.o.d_, _u_ as in _full_, _y_ as in _i_ (nearly).

In the diphthongs _ea_, _eo_, and _ie_, the first element receives the stress; the second is p.r.o.nounced very lightly.

There are no silent letters in Anglo-Saxon as in modern English. The vowel of every syllable is p.r.o.nounced, and in difficult combinations of consonants, as in _hlud_, loud, _cniht_, knight, _cnif_, knife, each consonant has its distinct sound.

_E_ before _a_ and _o_ has the sound of _y_ as a consonant; _i_ before _e_ and _u_ has the same sound: thus, _Earl_ = _yarl_; _eow_ = _you_; _iett_ = _yett_; and _iugoth_ = _yugoth_, youth.

AC, _an oak_--oak, oaken.

ACSIAN, _to inquire_--ask.

aeCER, _a field_--acre, acreage.

aeR, _before_--early, ere, erelong, erst.

AFT, _hind-part_--after, abaft.

aGAN, _to have_--owe, own, owner, ought, disown.

ARISAN, _to arise_--raise, rise, rouse.

BaCAN, _to bake_--baker, bakery, bakehouse, batch.

BaeC, _back_--backbite, backslide, backward, aback.

BaeLG, _a bag_.

BALD, _bold, brave_--bold, boldness.

BaNA, _death_--bane, baneful, henbane.