Gubernatorial
The Governator
Jim from Northport
asked, “Why is gubernatorial the adjective for the noun governor? Why are the B
and V interchanged?”
Interchanging the two
letters began back in the ancient Greek period. Both are called labials because
the lips are involved in pronouncing them. Because the two are closely allied
in their formation, it was easy to confuse them. The blending of the two is
known as betacism; beta was the Greek name for our B sound. If English
formation had prevailed, we could very well have an adjective spelled
governatorial.
Both words, and all
variations containing the root govern,
stem from a Latin word—guberna—that
meant a steersman or the pilot of a vessel. The concepts of guidance and protection
are baked into the root.
By the way, the same
kind of linguistic musical chairs can take place with D, T, and TH.
Dese guys and dem gals
already know dat.
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