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Post by hubertus on Jan 30, 2013 7:54:51 GMT
How do you pronounce the noun swath?
I think it should be different from the pronunciation of the verb swathe.
I only ever hear the noun or verb pronounced swathe as in bathe.
Also, I often see the noun written as swathe. I think this is incorrect.
However, it could be that the noun form has changed through usage to swathe.
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Post by Dave Miller on Jan 30, 2013 8:04:01 GMT
I've only ever come across it as:
noun, swath (cut a swath): "swoth".
verb, swathe (wrapped in swathing bands): "swaythe".
However, when I just went to some online dictionaries, I found the former listed as noun, with pronunciations of "swoth", "swath" and "swarthe",and the second listed as either noun or verb, with "swoth", "swath", "swarthe" and "swaythe"!
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Post by Dave Miller on Jan 30, 2013 9:04:12 GMT
I see that my little Concise Oxford distinguishes between the nouns swath and swathe:
swath (-aw-; pl.pron. -dhz), n.
Ridge of grass, corn, etc, lying after being cut, or space left clear after one passage of mower etc. [OE swæth, swathu, =M Du., MLG swāde, G schwade f. Gmc *swath-]
swāthe (-dh), v.t. & n.
1. Bind with bandages, enclose in wraps or cloths or warm or many garments.
2. n. (rare). A bandage or fold. [OE swathian f. *swæth n. ; cf. SWADDLE]
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Post by Verbivore on Jan 30, 2013 12:31:42 GMT
Perhaps too much information, but the blue part relates to pronunciation -- from the OED (2nd edn):
swath1, swathe
(swɔːθ, swɒθ), (sweɪð)
Forms: 1 swæþ, swaþu, 3 swaðe, (4 swethe ?, 6 swade, suath, 7 swaithe, sweath, 7–9 swaith), 4– swath, swathe.
[OE. swæþ str. n., swaþu str. fem. trace, track, corresp. to MLG. swat, swâde furrow, swath, measure of land (LG. swad, swatt), MDu. swat (-d-), *swâde (Du. zwad, zwade) swath, MG. swade wk. m. swath, piece of flesh torn off longways (G. schwad str. m. and n., schwade wk. m. and f. swath, space covered by the scythe in a swing); Fris., (M)LG., early mod.Du. swade have also the meaning ‘scythe’. The ulterior relations and original meaning of the underlying Teut. root swaþ- are uncertain.
Evidence is not available for determining the date of the appearance of the form with a long vowel typically represented by the spelling swathe, since in the early periods swathe, swathes, are phonetically ambiguous; in modern local use, swathe is characteristic of the northern counties; its use in literature has prob. been furthered by association with swathe n.2]
†1.1 Track, trace. lit. and fig. Obs.
Chiefly or ? only OE.; quot. c 1250 is dubious.
2. a.2.a The space covered by a sweep of the mower's scythe; the width of grass or corn so cut.
b.2.b As a measure of grass land: A longitudinal division of a field, ? orig. reckoned by the breadth of one sweep of the scythe. local.
†c.2.c The extent of sweep of a scythe. Obs. rare.
Misunderstood by R. Holme Armoury iii. 332/2 as ‘the long crooked Staff or Pole’ of a scythe.
d.2.d A stroke of the scythe in reaping. rare.
3. a.3.a A row or line of grass, corn, or other crop, as it falls or lies when mown or reaped; also collectively, a crop mown and lying on the ground; phr. in (the) swath (cf. LG. in't swatt), lying in this condition.
Sometimes, ‘the quantity falling at one sweep of the scythe’ (Robinson Whitby Gloss. 1876 s.v. Sweeathe).
b.3.b transf. Applied to growing grass or corn ready for mowing or reaping.
c.3.c to cut a swath (U.S. slang): to make a pompous display, swagger, ‘cut a dash’. Now freq. to cut a wide swath.
4.4 transf. and fig. a.4.a A broad track, belt, strip, or longitudinal extent of something.
b.4.b Something compared to grass or corn falling before the scythe or sickle; esp. used of troops ‘mown down’ in battle.
5.5 attrib. and Comb., as swath-width; swath-board, a slanting board attached to the cutter-bar of a mowing machine, designed to force the cut grass, etc., into a narrower swath; swath(e)-balk, a ridge of grass left unmown between the swaths, or between the sweeps of the scythe; hence swath(e)-balked a.; swath(e)-rake, ‘a wooden rake the breadth of the swath, used to collect the scattered hay or corn’ (E.D.D.); swath-turner, a machine used for turning over swaths of hay.
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swath2, swathe
local variant of swarth n.1 (Cf. swad n.1)
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swath
obs. form of swathe.
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† swath-band, swathe-band Obs.
1.1 pl. Swaddling-bands, swaddling-clothes.
2.2 A bandage, binder.
3.3 transf. An enveloping membrane. rare.
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† swath-clouts, n. pl. Obs.
Also 4 clut; 6 swathe.
[f. stem of swathe v. + pl. of clout n. Cf. swathing-clouts.]
Swaddling-clothes.
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swathe, n.1
see swath1.
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swathe, n.2
(sweɪð)
Also 7–8 swaith, swath.
[OE. *swæþ (?), swaþ-, only in dat. pl. swaþum; for related forms see swathe v., swethe, swaddle, sweddle.]
1.1 A band of linen, woollen, or other material in which something is enveloped; a wrapping; sometimes, a single fold or winding of such; also collect. sing. a.1.a gen.
†b.1.b sing. and pl. An infant's swaddling-bands. Obs.
c.1.c A surgical bandage.
2.2 transf. a.2.a A natural formation constituting a wrapping; †a covering membrane, integument; an object that enwraps something, as a cloud.
†b.2.b = list n.3 6 b, listel. Obs.
c.2.c fig. Something that restricts or confines like a swaddling-band.
3.3 Comb.: †swathe-fish, the ribbon-fish.
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swathe, v.
(sweɪð)
Also 6–7 swath.
[late OE. swaþian, f. swaþ: see swathe n.2]
1.1 trans. To envelop in a swathe or swathes; to wrap up, swaddle, bandage.
b.1.b Said of the swathe or wrapping.
c.1.c To wrap round something, as or like a swathe or bandage.
2.2 transf. and fig. To envelop or surround as with a wrapping; to enwrap, enfold; †to encircle so as to confine or restrain.
¶3.3 To make into sheaves. Obs. rare—0.
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swathe-band
see swath-band.
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Post by hubertus on Jan 30, 2013 17:11:52 GMT
Great info, which I think confirms my suspicion that the noun 'should' be pronounced swoth and written swath.
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Post by Verbivore on Jan 31, 2013 20:55:33 GMT
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Post by hubertus on Jan 31, 2013 21:30:48 GMT
Which appears to be a 'correct' use. Unlike the case if it had been written: 'A broad swathe of the city was wreathed ...' Do you think swathes coupled with wreathing is mildly tautological? |
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Post by Verbivore on Jan 31, 2013 22:01:05 GMT
[...]Do you think swathes coupled with wreathing is mildly tautological? I considered that at the time of reading, and considered it borderline at best. |
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