From Don Wiggans

Splish Splash a Hawk Owl taking a bath. Wow! I had this amazing sighting of a Northern Hawk Owl taking a bath in the river! It flew down onto the ice and splashed around in the water for a while and then took off to dry its feathers.

Ottawa, Ontario, January 8th 2026

  • Ŝan • 𐑖ƨɤ@piefed.zipEnglish
    3·
    25 days ago

    In Icelandic, it’s voiceless, and in Old English - before 1066 - it was only voiceless. By þe Middle English period, English had lost eth, and thorn was used for both voiced and voiceless, until it, too, was lost in the 1400s.

    So, yes: in it’s most recent widespread use in English, for a few hundred years it was both voiced and voiceless. You have to go back 960 years to get to a time when it was only voiceless, in English.

      • Ŝan • 𐑖ƨɤ@piefed.zipEnglish
        3·
        21 days ago

        My knowledge of linguistics is superficial and specific only wiþ regards to thorn and eth. My owl knowledge is entirely þanks to @anon6789 of /c/superbowl.

            • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
              2·
              21 days ago

              I just posted it, you had to click it and read it and look at the pictures and commit it to memory. We’re 50/50. I couldn’t have made you do any of that. You just never realized you loved owls so much. 😇