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From: deb5@midway.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: dare/durst, darf/drfen
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Date: Fri, 7 Mar 1997 23:30:56 GMT
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In article <33202D91.3ECB@cam.sri.com>,
Martin Keegan  <martin@cam.sri.com> wrote:
>Elizabethan English had 'durst' as the past tense of 'dare';
>is 'dare/durst' cognate with the German 'darf/drfen'?

Nope.  By the 2. Lautverschiebung ("Second Consonant Shift"), PWG d -> t
in AHG.  (I'm not sure at what point th -> d, but it can't be too long
afterward.)  So the cognate of 'dare/durst' is obsolete 'turren/torste'.
The true cognate of 'duerfen' is OE 'thurfan'.

However, there seems to be some confusion between the cognates of these
two verbs in Netherlandic, if that's any consolation.
-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
