“A little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese (= pieni pala leipää ilman juustoa) on sirkku kertonut englantilaiselle ja zu-zu-zu-zu-zu-zu-früh (= liian-liian-liian-liian-liian-liian-varhain) varoittaa huolestunut saksalainen yksilö pohjoiseen kiirehtiviä muuttolintuja.” [©1991 Harri Viitanen via FMIC Finnish Music Information] “yellow-(h)ammer. It cannot be said with safety either that the h is due to ignorant assimilation by popular etymology to hammer, or that the absence of h is mere h-dropping. Each form has its etymological theory on its side, and OED says that both forms ‘are historically justifiable’. The only reason for resisting the prevalent h is thus removed.” [Fowler’, 2nd edition, p.723.] Emberiza citrinella. (We had kissed beneath the tress, / And then we heard again / The yellowhammer say, quite plain / “A little bit of bread and no cheese!” [Anonymous & Liza Lehmann Bird Songs Cycle]) A bunting.
Posted by jim at December 6, 2003 07:34 AM | TrackBack