The v sound shifted to a b sound, but again, this change did not affect English. Therefore, German has the word eben while English has even . Similarly, the y became a g . Today German contains the word sagen , while the English cognate is say . Initial or final z shifted to a t .
Cognates are words in two different languages that show evidence of a common origin.
They may no longer have the same meaning, but if the two words sprang from the same root, they are cognates . Also, words that are cognates may have acquired different meanings in different languages, but often they will still represent similar concepts. This project was prepared by students of Professor David Caldwell in German 102 at the University of Northern Colorado.