Re: OT: NB as Xy

["Patricia M. Godfrey" priscamg@xxxxxxxx]

Robert Holmgren wrote:
> A diaeresis recognizes two adjacent vowels as separate syllables
> -- and that's the meaning of the diacritical mark.
Yes, indeed. Hence the same mark is called diaeresis when it does
that, and umlaut when it represents a modification (albeit in the
direction of diphthongalizing) of a vowel, as in German, where it
indicates that the sound is what it would be if it were written
oe or ue or ae.
> The English
> letter "y" derives from the Dutch "ij" (both vowels. pronounced
> ee-ye). Note that y-diaeresis *looks like* cursive "ij" -- no
> accident.
Now that I had never heard before. But wasn't modern y also used
at certain periods to represent the Old and Middle English (and
Scots) letter yogh? E.g. in the name of the poet Layamon?

--
Patricia M. Godfrey
PriscaMG@xxxxxxxx