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General Discussion & Feedback => Just Chat! => Topic started by: Jimbee on 04/01/2024 09:02:48

Title: How Did S Lose Its E?
Post by: Jimbee on 04/01/2024 09:02:48

"Force shites upon Reason's Back."

-Benjamin Franklin.

As you can see, the S word used to have an E on the end. But when and how did it lose the E? It is from the Germanic -skīt, meaning "to cut, to split". But no one ever talks about how it lost the E, at least nothing I have seen.

So how did it happen?

Title: Re: How Did S Lose Its E?
Post by: Bored chemist on 04/01/2024 10:58:01

The question might be where did it ever gain that e?
The Norwegians pronounce SK as we would pronounce SH

skitt.png (6.4 kB . 765x195 - viewed 435 times)

It looks like the vowel sound had changed by the time Chaucer was using it.
"And shame it is, if that a priest take keep, To see a shitten shepherd and clean sheep:?

1:20.
However, both pronunciations are still to be found in the uk

Title: Re: How Did S Lose Its E?
Post by: evan_au on 04/01/2024 11:05:00

Benjamin Franklin lived 1706 to 1790, a time when spelling was more freestyle than it is today.
Webster's dictionary was first published in 1806, and brought some standardisation to American English.

This etymology website does not mention shite as a predecessor of sh1t...

Quote from: https://www.etymonline.com/word/sh1t

https://www.etymonline.com/word/sh1t

PS: I see that this website has a "politeness censor", which automatically changes "i" to "1"...

Title: Re: How Did S Lose Its E?
Post by: alancalverd on 04/01/2024 12:52:25

I've always assumed the word derived from Old Norse kitt (which hasn't changed in any Scandinavian language) rather than any Saxon root. Modern German uses scheisse, which is quite different and "cut" is schnitt.

Title: Re: How Did S Lose Its E?
Post by: Zer0 on 04/01/2024 20:35:31

SHlT!