Re: Spaß...spasso (was Re: German orthography: long/short vowels)

<<

>Another one is `Spaß' = `fun'.  It is supposed to be [Spa:s], but I
>have [Spas].  The current spelling reform does not allow this
>pronunciation anymore, so this reform made the system a bit
>inconsistent for my dialect.
    hmm, _spasso_ is Italian for "fun."  ::looks around for Luca::
BTW where
is Luca?

    czHANg >>

Hmm...it would be interesting if it was, but according to the
dictionary, it's a coincidence:

spasso is apparently derived from spassare, meaning v.tr. to enjoy,
v.refl. to enjoy oneself, which is derived from Latin expassare, the
past participle of expandere, which means to expand, extend.

Perchance the German has been borrowed from the Romance?

Imperative

Reply