Yesterday Shelley listed more homophones so I had to do some more research.
"Ware" has four uses (as opposed to definitions) listed in Random House dictionary. The first has the common denotation of "an article of merchandise." The second means "watchful" and is shortened from "beware." The third (in Scotland and England) means "expend" and the fourth (again in Scotland and England) refers to the season of spring. The word is derived from the Old English waru which meant an article of merchandise and also shelter or protection.
"Wear" is a transitive verb (requires a direct object) as in "to wear jeans." It is also an intransitive verb as in "jeans that wear well." It is derived from the Old English word wergian meaning "to become tired." The modern English "weary" has the same derivation.
"Where" is an adverb as in "Where is it?" It is also a conjunction as in "It is where you left it." Derivation is the Old English word hwaer.
As you can see, the Old English words were not homophones since the Anglo-Saxons pronounced each letter. How did the pronunciation change? I'd suggest that it was through laziness: It's much easier to say these words the modern English way even though they add to the difficulty of our great language.
Here’s one I always have a hard time with. Obedience and Obedients.
ReplyDeleteObedience is a noun. Obedient is an adjective and I've never seen it with an "s" on the end. Mmmmmm...
ReplyDeleteDoesn't have anything to do with the above - just wishing you a comfortable day tomorrow, Bee.
ReplyDeleteI subscribed to a magazine titled Book in the late 90s and early 00s. It's no longer published. Cleaning out the basement, new year and all, I'm reading issues and laughing because Stephen King didn't like The Corrections, and some reviewers didn't like Stephen King's work. And the talk about the new Ebooks is fascinating. The more things change, the more they're the same...
Have a good night.
Thank you Bluecat. I really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteYou have a good evening also.