THE RIMES IN THE AUTHENTIC POEMS OF WILLIAM DUNBAR. 



635 



the liquids, encourage lengthening and vowel-change, so that we find no such instances 

 in their case. I am inclined also to think that Dunbar still distinguished between 

 a and 2,, though probably only in quantity, the latter being probably only half-long 

 with him. I gather this from the fact of the comparative infrequency of rimes between 

 a and a, and that most even of these are before r, a consonant which has an undoubted 

 tendency to give length to a syllable. So that fair, fare, cair, etc. may be regarded 

 as full long and thus form perfect rimes for sair, mair, etc.* 



On the whole, the evidence seems in consonance with the view of Professor 

 Kluge (P.G. 1. 877), that the change from a to e was completed early in Scotland, 

 as it appears to be well established in Dunbar's time. 



According to Professor Luick (Archivfiir das Studium der neueren Sprachen und 

 Litteraturen, Band cii. Heft 1-2, pp. 52 and 63) the originally short vowels had begun 

 to lengthen to a sort of half-long quantity in the Northumbrian dialect as early as the 

 second half of the tenth century. But how long this would take to spread to the 

 Lothians, if it spread in this manner at all, it is impossible to say. 



8 3. A + G rimes with 



a) itself, 

 lawis : sawis, 317, 36. 

 (?) flawis (OE. fla3u) : lawis, 317, 39. 



b) OE. a + w. 

 draw : knaw, 276, 32. 



„ : Maw, 166, 226. 



c) OE. a or ea + 11. 

 draw : staw, 276, 32. 



The rimes in b) confirm the lengthening of au (from OE. ag) in MSc. (Curtis, 



§27). 



§ 4. A + W 



a) with OE. a + g (see § 3). b) with OE. eall. 



staw : knaw : 276, 33. 



Although, as we shall have reason to observe later on, the influence of the Scotch 

 w on a following vowel seems to be different from that of the English w, its influence 

 on a preceding is the same, i.e., just the same as an u, giving an cm-sound (see § 46). 



A: 



1. Followed by Nasals. 

 § 5. (a) followed by -nd rimes with 



draw : waw, 166, 228. 



„ : aw (NE. all), 166, 226. 

 law : waw, 317, 38. 

 sawis : wawis, 317, 39. 

 d) Lat. au. 



lawis : cawis, 317, 37. 

 sawis : „ 317, 36. 



a) itself, 

 landis : bandis : strandis, 104, 57. strandis, 



271, 14. 

 land : stand : hand, 191, 5. 

 landit : blandit (NE. flattered) : handit, 262, 76. 

 band : hand : strand : stand, 376, 34. 

 brand : understand, 351, 1. 

 brand : land, 203, 9. 



b) OF. and & ant. 

 stand : garland, 193, 45. 



* I am inclined to maintain this position in the face of Dr Geeken's remark which seems to bear on it [§ 6. 3], 

 to the effect that one must not ascribe any influence to r in preserving the quantity of the a. It is quite possible that 

 Dr Gerken has ample materials to prove his point, but he does not produce them in his thesis. 



upaland : garland, 203, 19. 

 : variand, 328, 41. 

 handis : gyandis (OF. geant), 126, 21. 



c) Sc pres : part : in - and. 

 understand : brand : kindilland, 351, 1. 

 hand : serwand, 239, 4. etc. 



d) ON. b'nd. 



landis : wandis (ON. vondr), 104, 63. 



