 | χούφτα η φούχτα; |
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This is confusing! Χούφτα και φούχτα...transposing the consonants, both words mean "handful"? Is one used more commonly than the other? Brenda |
| Re: χούφτα ή φούχτα; |
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This is a good example of a phonetic process known as metathesis (μετάθεσις), where two spoken sounds exchange positions in a word. In this specific instance the original was χούφτα, but over time the now frequently used alternate φούχτα evolved in colloquial speech. Regards, Greg Brush |
| Re: χούφτα ή φούχτα; |
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Thanks, Greg. It's the first time I've come across this type of thing. Brenda |
| Re: χούφτα ή φούχτα; |
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Actually, this is a very common phenomenon in most languages in the world. English has plenty of them (like the children's mistake pasketti for spaghetti, or ask vs. ax, which goes back to Old English). Common English words like bird and horse are historically a result of metathesis (the original Old English words were bryd and hros). And of course, you have the very Bushian nucular, which is a metathesis of nuclear. The only difference is that in English, only one variant is considered correct, or only one variant has survived (although ax for ask is quite common, it's still considered incorrect), whereas in Greek, in this case at least, they just consider both of them acceptable, in different styles. |
