754 



motje (dialect of moet-je= must 3'ou) & raotje (noun, dimunitive of mot 



= moth) 

 port (from the verb porren=to stir) & port (noun from porto, oporto) 

 t9bbe (noun =: tub) & tobben (verb = to worry) 



It seems to me tliat the above may induce us to think of etymo- 

 logical influences. Words that have o iu Dutch, usually occur in 

 German witii ii, while those with p either have o, a, or au in 

 German. I do not venture to judge about the value of this pheno- 

 menon. Other cognate languages as well may give indications. It may 

 be wortwhile to make an elyujologicai inquiry in this connection. 



If etymological influences are ascertained indeed, we can imagine 

 that they be inconsistent to a certain extent with the other influen- 

 ces described above. The word "pols", for instance, may be men- 

 tioned in this connection, because the pronunciation is wavering. It 

 appears to me thai this word is pronounced "pols" by more careful 

 speakers, while the majority say "pols". Judging by its etymology 

 the former pronunciation would be the right one; the latter may 

 be easier because of the 1 that follows. 



Summary. 



There are in Diitcii two short o-sounds that can be clearly 

 distinguished both acoustically and phonetically (perhaps also eiy- 

 mologically). 



