Re: Re; Ergativity

Joe ƿraet:
> ----- 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+r (not necessarily /ir/ or
<ir>). Choir has an odd spelling, so it wouldn't surprise me at one
stage it had a different pronunciation.

--
Tristan                  <kesuari@...>

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