Ferke

ferke Central Franconian Alternative forms gmw-cfr Firke Kölsch Etymology gmw-cfr ine-pro *perḱ- dig From gmw-cfr gmh verhelīn, from gmw-cfr goh farhilī, goh farhilīn, diminutive of goh farah pig. Cognate with nl varken. This is generally regarded an original diminutive, in which case we expect Central Franconian gmw-cfr *Ferche. However, if the word had been contracted early on, the cluster -rk- would have remained unshifted. Compare de Ferkel, whose -k- has been considered secondary and irregular, but might be due to the same reason. Alternatively, the Ripuarian form could be an unshifted relict (compare gmw-cfr söke, etc.). Pronunciation gmw-cfr /ˈfɛʀ(ə)kə/ Noun gmw-cfr noun n plural Ferke diminutive Ferkelche gmw-cfr Ripuarian pig Synonyms gmw-cfr Schwein; gmw-cfr Sau both Moselle Franconian