Posted by Andy Clayton on July 18, 2002 at 19:35:15 from 195.93.50.173 user cousin_jack.
In Reply to: Re: Margaret and Peggy posted by RichardG on July 18, 2002 at 09:19:47:
Translation: Margaret-Maggie-Meg-Peg-Peggy...Its a possibility. Its not always apparent using the 'logic' of modern English how some of these things have mutated. Rules and conventions were diferent in previous centuries, and subject to greater regional variation too. Several postings have cited the consonants varying in Welsh and the French using Guillume for William. But there is also a celebrated vowel shift in English which may be relevent, the switch from using a to e in many words which changed 'marchant' to merchant and left us with Derby pronounced Darby as a relic pronunciation. (We're talking UK English here not American!) I can recommend Bill Bryson's excellent 'Mother Tongue' for an amusing appraisal of English in its many and varied forms. I don't think he mentions Jib-booms and bobstays though...where is the bobstay exactly???