Re: Phoneme winnowing continues

Christophe Grandsire scripsit:

> >CG  = Christophe Grandsire (does that mean "grandpa" in French? :))
>
> Not at all :)) . It doesn't have a meaning as far as people now (it looks
> like "grand": tall + "sire": sire, but that's only in the looks. The
> etymology is actually unknown).
Given that English "grandsire" is an archaic/dialectical term meaning
"grandfather" (also "male ancestor" and "old man"), and that you are
a Norman, it would be absolutely astonishing if "grandsire" were not
Normand for "grandfather".

The term is also used to mean "sire's sire" or "dam's sire" when speaking
of animals, and likewise refers to the oldest method of English-style
bell-ringing.  The bulk of high-ranking Google references are to one or
the other.

The archaic uses are normally /gr&ndsaI(r)/ nowadays, but the dialectal
use is often /gr&nS@(r)/.

--
Business before pleasure, if not too bloomering long before.
        --Nicholas van Rijn
                John Cowan <jcowan@...>
                        http://www.ccil.org/~cowan  http://www.reutershealth.com

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