In the previous post in this series, I described some overarching tendencies that should help a would-be MUGGLE-maniac identify words of the ‘common’ persuasion. In this post, I offer a pattern that should help students of Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, or Swedish identify some of the more popular neuter nouns in those languages.
The pattern goeth thusly. Single-syllable nouns of native origin that describe things familiar to the shared (and thus distant) ancestors of present-day MUGGLE speakers tend to be neuter. Better yet, these words often echo both the form and (to a somewhat lesser extent) the meaning English-language nouns of the stubby folksy persuasion.
Please note that the meanings of some of the words in the following table have diverged over the years. Thus, while ‘deer’ makes English speakers mindful of Bambi and his near relations, the MUGGLE-esque cognates of that word refer to animals in general. Similarly, the linguistic cousins of ‘bone’ can often mean ‘leg’ as well as ‘elements of a skeleton’.
Earlier Posts in this Series:
For More About Extra Muros: