Re: Re; Ergativity

Tristan McLeay wrote:

> Joe raet:
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "John Cowan" <cowan@...>
> > To: <CONLANG@...>
> > Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2003 3:37 AM
> > Subject: Re: Re; Ergativity
> >
> >
> >
> >>Tristan McLeay scripsit:
> >>
> >>
> >>>Are 'deer' and 'choir' supposed to rhyme in that?
> >>
> >>Good question.  Almost all the corresponding rhymes in the stanzas
> >>are off (at least in my pron.) but look similar, suggesting that they
> >>rhymed in ME or EModE:  grown/crown, flower/Saviour, blood/good,
> >>thorn/morn, gall/all.  For me these are [grown kr\aun 'flau@r 'Saivj@r
> >>blVd gUd TO\rn mO\rn gOl Ol].  So only the last two pairs still rhyme.
> >>
> >>So probably yes, though for me they are [dir \kwaIr\].
> >
> >
> > I doubt it.  Sun and Organ don't rhyme there, so why should deer and choir?
>
> (a) It's not uncommon in poetry for only every second line to rhyme
> (i.e. ABCB pattern)
>
> (b) John's pointed out that other equivalent lines do or nearly rhyme.
>
> (c) Both 'deer' and 'choir' end in an i (not necessarily /ir/ or
> <ir>). Choir has an odd spelling, so it wouldn't surprise me at one
> stage it had a different pronunciation.
>
From my Websters (1940s)

choir also quire. Middle English quer Old French cuer (F chur) from Latin chorus
from Gr Choros

with ME quer I'd say there's a very good chance that they rhymed at some stage

David Barrow