Editiones Arnamagnæanæ. Series A - 01.06.2003, Qupperneq 191
THE L RECENSION
149*
start a sentence or a proper name and is the norm in abbreviated ‘sua’,
‘ser’. As a variant (s) is otherwise sparingly used in initial position and
almost invariably only when followed by (i) or (y>; for an unusually nu-
merous concentration see e.g. 53vb: ‘sinuw’ 2-3, 21, 22, ‘signa’ 8, ‘sik’
8, ‘syngia’ 9, 15, ‘sina’ 10, ‘sin(n)uw’ 16, 19, ‘sem’ 16, ‘siðu’ 25. The
incidence in e.g. 57va is more typical: ‘syngr’ 1, ‘syðra’ 22, ‘synða’ 30.
(ii) Medial (s> is equally uncommon, though usual in ‘huc/'s(-)’ (cf.
‘huerfu’, e.g. 48va20, 57ra9); elsewhere again associated with (i) and
(y>, e.g. ‘goðfysi’ 49va7, 53vb3, ‘visv’ 49va30, ‘nauðsyn’ 52rb27,
‘auðsynir’ 57va39.
(iii) (s) is the rule in final position and standard in abbreviated
‘bps’, ‘Íls’, ‘kgs’. Where (f> occurs finally it is often after a preceding
tall letter. As the gen. ending (ff> is found in ‘munuðlififf’ 25/56,
‘musteriffins’ Misc. 59vb9; cf. with round (s> e.g. ‘heimleiðis’ 14/30,
‘alþingis’ 34/2, ‘hreinlifis’ Þs. 188/10.
(iv) In forms of demonstr. þessi (sjá) both abbreviated ‘þff-’ and
‘þs-’ are used. Gen. sg. m. and n. of demonstr. sá is always ‘þs’.
(v) In Misc. and Þs. intervocalic (s> = ss in e.g. ‘mesu’, ‘miseri’,
‘uisu’, ‘uisi’. In Js. similar forms are written with (ff>: ‘meffu’,
‘ymiffar’, nom. ‘baaffinn’, ‘huoffu’, ‘uiffi’. More variety is shown in Js.
in forms of kross: gen. ‘kros’ 53vbl2, ‘krasins’ 56va31, dat. ‘kroffi’
56val3, ‘kros/finum’ 56val4-15, adj. ‘kroffefta’ 56va23, verb
‘krosfeftu’ 56va28. Other monosyllabic forms are regularly written with
final (ff>, e.g. first person pl. pron. acc. ‘off’, gen. ‘fioff’ 56ra8, acc.
‘koff’ 57ra32.
(vi) Assimilation of rs to ss is suggested by spellings ‘vc/ ITa bock’,
‘ue/Tfaði’, 25/51, 28/9. Adv. fyrst is spelt ‘fyst’ 41/11 and ‘fystr’ is
common alongside ‘fyrstr’ in Misc., e.g. 59rb4, 9, 15. In Þs. ‘fyrstir’
186/6 and ‘syrftrum’ 191/2 are back spellings and the same may be
true of ‘hit fpr/sta’ Messusk. 111/25, though here r may be intrusive
from the comparative.24 Assimilation may be assumed but not certain-
ly in ‘annas stadar’ 28/52, ‘til annas’ Þs. 186/4.
(vii) s is lost in a virtually unpronounceable cluster in gen. ‘skrimls’
31/6. The place-name is ‘Knapp stqðum’ 39/20. byskups- is the usual
first element in byskupsdómr, -dœmi, -stóll, but ‘byskupdæmis’ and
‘byskup stoll’ both occur at 20/13.
24 Cf. Bandle, 165.