Re: Pluralis på svenska och tyska
From: | Douglas Koller, Latin & French <latinfrench@...> |
Date: | Wednesday, September 8, 2004, 18:03 |
I wrote:
>My dictionary gives both, with "svanar" listed first. I won't mess
>with your native instincts, but it would appear the some Swede
>somewhere at some time uttered "svanor", and it codified as
>acceptable usage.
And it appears the culprit is some dude named Carl Snoilsky who wrote
a ditty called "Svarta Svanor":
Svarta svanor, svarta svanor
Glida som i sorgetåg,
Leta sjunkna solars skimmer
I den nattligt dunkla våg.
Mörk, liksom i eld förkolnad,
Är den rika fjäderskrud,
Näbben, stum i blodig purpur,
Ännu bär om braanden bud.
Hvita svanor tamt i vassen
Kryssa efter gunst och bröd.
Ut på djupet, svarta svanor
Ut, I barn af natt och glöd.
Suffice it to say it's outdated usage. Now from the top, with feeling.
Kou