700: Wrong Division Nov 7, 2016
Often on Word Facts words will be tracked over time, but the changes,
either from language to language, or within the same one, are not
explained. There are a slew of reasons why English takes has so many
words that are different from their original Old English, Latin, or
whichever language it may be, including accent-differences, and people's
unwillingness to speak consistently with the native pronunciation or
grammar rules. When words change within a single language, however,
it is easier to spot why. "Wrong division" is a term applied to words
which have sounds split, most commonly from the indefinite article 'a'.
The snake, 'adder', and the drill, 'auger' are both of Germanic origins
and both used to have an initial N; in fact 'nave' and 'auger' come from
the same word even though they sound nothing alike. This is true also
of adopted words, such as 'umpire' which comes from the French, 'nonper'
meaning, 'not equal' and for a period in Middle English was,
'noumpere'.
For more on this, see http://stonewordfacts.blogspot.com/…/240-napkin-and-apron-a… and also http://stonewordfacts.blogspot.com/…/2-nicknames-dec-10-201…
For more on this, see http://stonewordfacts.blogspot.com/…/240-napkin-and-apron-a… and also http://stonewordfacts.blogspot.com/…/2-nicknames-dec-10-201…
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