21-07-2023, 01:40 PM
Regarding the question if "pox" can be a genitive form, we need a situation where the scribe decided to replace the usual spelling /cks/ by /x/. Did this ever happen? When did scribes use /x/ to begin with?
As a quick test, I went through the cookbooks transcribed at You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. These are the situations:
* /x/ is not used at all: B1, B2, B5, B6, Br1, Bs1, Er1, Ha1, Hi1, M1, M7, M8, Mi1, N2, Pr1, Sb1, St1, Ste1, W2, Wol1
* /x/ is only used in Latin numerals: B3, B4, Bs2, Db1, Er2, H2, H3, H4, Ka1, Ka2, Ka3, Ko1, M2, M5, M6, M9, M10, M11, N1, Pa1, So1, W1, W4, Wo2, Wo3, Wo4
* /x/ is only used in Latin numerals and paragraphs of Latin text: A1, K1, Sb2
* /x/ is used in Latin loanwords within the German text: Ds1
* /x/ is used in German words: Gr1, Sb3, Wo1, Wo7, Wo8, Wo9, Wo10, Wo11
Summary: 46 manuscripts in this selection do not use /x/ at all, or only as a Roman numeral. Four additional manuscripts only use it in Latin words. Only 8 manuscripts use /x/ in German words, and most of those are later than the 15th century.
The manuscripts that use /x/ in German words show the following examples:
Gr1: sex, waxein, wax, wüext, braxsenn
Sb3: sex
Wo1 (16th or 17th century): oxn, bix
Wo7 (16th century): flux, oxen, wax, waxen, weixel, weixsel
Wo8 (17th century): bix
Wo9 (17th century): weixell, weixel, weÿxel, weixeltaig, oxenzungen
Wo10 (16th century): Mastix, Weyxel, weÿxlen, bux, oxen, wax
Wo11 (16th century): Oximell, laxiert, simplex, complexi, Storax (Latin loanwords)
An interesting observation here is that /x/ tends to gravitate towards certain words that become associated with it: ox, wax, bix, weixel. I did not encounter a single situation where an incidental /ks/ like in the genitive pocks is replaced by /x/.
Hence, it is possible that the spelling /pox/ became associates with expletive use, but it is in my opinion much less likely for a simple genitive of pock, "male goat".
This was just a small selection of manuscripts, but they do paint a certain picture of the use of /x/ in 15th century German texts. Maybe counterexamples can be found.
As a quick test, I went through the cookbooks transcribed at You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. These are the situations:
* /x/ is not used at all: B1, B2, B5, B6, Br1, Bs1, Er1, Ha1, Hi1, M1, M7, M8, Mi1, N2, Pr1, Sb1, St1, Ste1, W2, Wol1
* /x/ is only used in Latin numerals: B3, B4, Bs2, Db1, Er2, H2, H3, H4, Ka1, Ka2, Ka3, Ko1, M2, M5, M6, M9, M10, M11, N1, Pa1, So1, W1, W4, Wo2, Wo3, Wo4
* /x/ is only used in Latin numerals and paragraphs of Latin text: A1, K1, Sb2
* /x/ is used in Latin loanwords within the German text: Ds1
* /x/ is used in German words: Gr1, Sb3, Wo1, Wo7, Wo8, Wo9, Wo10, Wo11
Summary: 46 manuscripts in this selection do not use /x/ at all, or only as a Roman numeral. Four additional manuscripts only use it in Latin words. Only 8 manuscripts use /x/ in German words, and most of those are later than the 15th century.
The manuscripts that use /x/ in German words show the following examples:
Gr1: sex, waxein, wax, wüext, braxsenn
Sb3: sex
Wo1 (16th or 17th century): oxn, bix
Wo7 (16th century): flux, oxen, wax, waxen, weixel, weixsel
Wo8 (17th century): bix
Wo9 (17th century): weixell, weixel, weÿxel, weixeltaig, oxenzungen
Wo10 (16th century): Mastix, Weyxel, weÿxlen, bux, oxen, wax
Wo11 (16th century): Oximell, laxiert, simplex, complexi, Storax (Latin loanwords)
An interesting observation here is that /x/ tends to gravitate towards certain words that become associated with it: ox, wax, bix, weixel. I did not encounter a single situation where an incidental /ks/ like in the genitive pocks is replaced by /x/.
Hence, it is possible that the spelling /pox/ became associates with expletive use, but it is in my opinion much less likely for a simple genitive of pock, "male goat".
This was just a small selection of manuscripts, but they do paint a certain picture of the use of /x/ in 15th century German texts. Maybe counterexamples can be found.
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