Re: Soleil

caeruleancentaur scripsit:

> Thanks!  That's been plaguing me for years.  My next (rhetorical)
> question is: Why would anyone want to make a diminutive
> of "sun"?  "What a cute little sun!"  "Ear" I can understand!
Diminutives often survived in French because the plain roots would
have been crushed completely by sound change:  APEM for example
would have surfaced as "ée", which would be unintelligible.
ModF "abeille" is Occitan in form < APICULU(S); in rural dialects,
"mouche-à-miel" is or was used instead.

--
John Cowan  cowan@ccil.org  http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
O beautiful for patriot's dream that sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears!
America! America!  God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law!
        -- one of the verses not usually taught in U.S. schools