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ArchivesRe: How wrong is this invented name?
in reply to a message by pencils
Continental Germanic names beginning with the "is" element include Isbrand, Isabert, Iseger, Isigildis, Isohard, Hisburg, Isuwarth and others. This element can also be commonly found in the extended form "Isan-". The continental Germanic equivalent of Old English "giefu" was "geba" or "giba". This is not rare as an initial element, but it is very rare as a second element. Förstermann mentions only Thiatgif (Theitkeba in Swabian), and feminine names Ottogeba and Wiligip as examples.
Looking at this from the Anglo-Saxon angle, the element "is" seems to be uncommon. PASE ( http://www.pase.ac.uk/jsp/index.jsp ) lists Isegod, Isulf, Iseweard, Iseard.
I think all this demonstrates is that there are a number of ways this hypothetical name could have been recorded. Maybe Isegifa if Anglo-Saxon and Isegeba if continental?
Looking at this from the Anglo-Saxon angle, the element "is" seems to be uncommon. PASE ( http://www.pase.ac.uk/jsp/index.jsp ) lists Isegod, Isulf, Iseweard, Iseard.
I think all this demonstrates is that there are a number of ways this hypothetical name could have been recorded. Maybe Isegifa if Anglo-Saxon and Isegeba if continental?
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The Onomasticon lists Iseldis, Iseweard/Isweard/Isuwarth/Isuuardus/Iseward, Isgaer, Isolf/Isulf, Ishard, Ishere, Ismaer and Isgod. Many may be abbreviations of Isen- rather than representing Is "ice" (dative Ise), but it's impossible to be certain, and Is as a rune name has the pedigree for onomastic use, and the correlates in Frost- (Frostulf) and Hrím- (rime-frost, in Hrimgrim and Hrimweald).
The reduction from ȝiefu/ȝefu (the oblique cases are all ȝiefe/ȝefe) to -iva has two causes, 1: the g/ȝ in OE is actually the voiced palatal fricative /ʝ/, near enough to the approximant /j/ (consonantal i) to be indistinguishable and sharing a common letter in OE. 2: the f represents both the sound of modern f and v; so the change in spelling from -giefu to -iva reflects pronunciation, not just Latinization.
The reduction from ȝiefu/ȝefu (the oblique cases are all ȝiefe/ȝefe) to -iva has two causes, 1: the g/ȝ in OE is actually the voiced palatal fricative /ʝ/, near enough to the approximant /j/ (consonantal i) to be indistinguishable and sharing a common letter in OE. 2: the f represents both the sound of modern f and v; so the change in spelling from -giefu to -iva reflects pronunciation, not just Latinization.
This message was edited 6/6/2016, 10:24 PM
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