Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5
#119700 01/12/04 06:19 PM
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 261
B
enthusiast
OP Offline
enthusiast
B
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 261
I've been studying the Caterbury Tales lately and was just wondering why so many words we use now like run, fallen, drawn etc. have a 'y' in front of them in Middle English; is it to do with tense? How would it have been pronounced?

Examples:
carried = ybore
drawn = ydrawe
fallen = yfalle
led = ylad
run = yronne

P.S: Ooh, it's nice to be back - thanks, Jackie, for reminding me that AWAD still exists as I was wondering who to ask.
(oh yeah, and my website's finally up - okay, not the originally intended topic, but. See my profile)

#119701 01/12/04 06:31 PM
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 261
B
enthusiast
OP Offline
enthusiast
B
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 261
And by the way, what's ywimpled?


#119702 01/12/04 06:43 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
J
veteran
Offline
veteran
J
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
The y- prefix is from the earlier Old English ge- prefix, which like its cognate in German, is one of the signs of the past participle in Old and Middle English.


#119703 01/12/04 06:47 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
J
veteran
Offline
veteran
J
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
A wimple is a nun's hood which covers the nun's head and hair. It's sort of like a Christian burqa, but different from a snood. So, ywimpled would mean wearing a wimple or being a nun.


#119704 01/12/04 06:50 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Wimple, Burqa, and Snood. Hat Makers...



formerly known as etaoin...
#119705 01/12/04 06:56 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
J
veteran
Offline
veteran
J
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
Wimple, Burqa, and Snood. Hat Makers...

Shouldn't that be Mad Hatters, as opposed to Made Hatters in New Jersey.


#119706 01/12/04 07:01 PM
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 261
B
enthusiast
OP Offline
enthusiast
B
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 261
So would it have been pronounced as 'ge'? e.g: gewimpled


#119707 01/12/04 07:04 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Even when in Old English, when it was spelled ge- it was (probably) pronounced [ye].

Is there a Vox Inglisc, Nuncle?


#119708 01/12/04 07:07 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Dear BA: my guess is that it would not be a hard "g".
Remember Our "wagon" was once "wain".

and
stile

PRONUNCIATION: stl
NOUN: 1. A set or series of steps for crossing a fence or wall. 2. A turnstile.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, from Old English stigel. See steigh- in Appendix I.



#119709 01/12/04 07:46 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
there are modern days scarves/shawls that are knit (or fashioned) in long(18 to 24 inches/a half meter or so) wide tubes, the scarf can be pulled down onto the shoulders and worn as a shawl(caplet) almost, or pulled up over the head, so the opening of the tube frames the face.(and the rest of the tube rest on the top of the shoulders)

these are still called wimples. (you can google wimple and find several patterns for knitting one)

i would define a wimples as a chin straps that extend up to the top of the head and become part of a head dress/hat/veil. they have extra fabric that drapes over the neck as well as the chin, almost like a bib.

in chaucer time, a common head dress was shaped like a crescent moon, (which sat on top of the head) and it included a wimple..

most nuns today still wear veils, very few still wear wimples.

a snood is something like a shower cap in shape, (a large circle gathered at the edges. it was used to cover/gather up the hair) snoods are often netted, or made of a fairly open/lacy like material, and worn at the back of the head, holding long hair in an ornamental net. (you might not see a snood if you only saw someone from the front.)

in NY, orthodox jewish women sometimes use closely knit or crocheted snoods to cover their hair in public (combined with a hat to cover the top of their head)

Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 302 guests, and 2 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5