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Regarding the two s in Jónsson, it is consistent across all North Germanic languages. It's simply the genitive case - the father's son. That is: "Jón's son" rather than "Jón son" (indefinite articl...
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#3: Post edited
by
Lundin
·
2020-10-18T13:23:10Z (about 4 years ago)
Regarding the two s in Jónsson, it is consistent across all North Germanic languages. It's simply the definite article - the father's son.- That is: "Jón's son" rather than "Jón son" (indefinite article). Similarly, you'll have Jónsdóttir (Jón's daughter) and not "Jóndóttir".
- From what I can tell (and this is speculation), single s "Jonson" spelling is some manner of Americanization, possibly the meaning of two s got lost along the way when US settlers from the Nordic countries adapted English as their native language.
- As for the pronunciation, two s (or two of the same consonant in general) gives a shorter/sharper pronunciation. If not for that, you'd get "Jón son" with a slightly different and nonsensical meaning.
- Regarding the two s in Jónsson, it is consistent across all North Germanic languages. It's simply the genitive case - the father's son.
- That is: "Jón's son" rather than "Jón son" (indefinite article). Similarly, you'll have Jónsdóttir (Jón's daughter) and not "Jóndóttir".
- From what I can tell (and this is speculation), single s "Jonson" spelling is some manner of Americanization, possibly the meaning of two s got lost along the way when US settlers from the Nordic countries adapted English as their native language.
- As for the pronunciation, two s (or two of the same consonant in general) gives a shorter/sharper pronunciation. If not for that, you'd get "Jón son" with a slightly different and nonsensical meaning.
#2: Post edited
by
Lundin
·
2020-10-18T10:49:32Z (about 4 years ago)
- Regarding the two s in Jónsson, it is consistent across all North Germanic languages. It's simply the definite article - the father's son.
That is: "Jón's son" rather than "Jón son". Similarly, you'll have Jónsdóttir (Jón's daughter) and not "Jóndóttir".- From what I can tell (and this is speculation), single s "Jonson" spelling is some manner of Americanization, possibly the meaning of two s got lost along the way when US settlers from the Nordic countries adapted English as their native language.
- As for the pronunciation, two s (or two of the same consonant in general) gives a shorter/sharper pronunciation. If not for that, you'd get "Jón son" with a slightly different and nonsensical meaning.
- Regarding the two s in Jónsson, it is consistent across all North Germanic languages. It's simply the definite article - the father's son.
- That is: "Jón's son" rather than "Jón son" (indefinite article). Similarly, you'll have Jónsdóttir (Jón's daughter) and not "Jóndóttir".
- From what I can tell (and this is speculation), single s "Jonson" spelling is some manner of Americanization, possibly the meaning of two s got lost along the way when US settlers from the Nordic countries adapted English as their native language.
- As for the pronunciation, two s (or two of the same consonant in general) gives a shorter/sharper pronunciation. If not for that, you'd get "Jón son" with a slightly different and nonsensical meaning.
#1: Initial revision
by
Lundin
·
2020-10-18T10:45:56Z (about 4 years ago)
Regarding the two s in Jónsson, it is consistent across all North Germanic languages. It's simply the definite article - the father's son. That is: "Jón's son" rather than "Jón son". Similarly, you'll have Jónsdóttir (Jón's daughter) and not "Jóndóttir". From what I can tell (and this is speculation), single s "Jonson" spelling is some manner of Americanization, possibly the meaning of two s got lost along the way when US settlers from the Nordic countries adapted English as their native language. As for the pronunciation, two s (or two of the same consonant in general) gives a shorter/sharper pronunciation. If not for that, you'd get "Jón son" with a slightly different and nonsensical meaning.