22-04-2026, 03:51 PM
In Dutch, "ij" was originally just double i, so a long /i:/ sound (as in English "see").
This becomes clear when you compare to English: Dutch "hij" corresponds to English "he". Both used to have a long /i/, but in Dutch this sound changed into a diphthong, merging with the already existing diphthong "ei". This is why in modern Dutch, you have to learn by heart which words are spelled with ij and ei (they sound the same).
To get to the point, "ij" cannot be relevant at the start of "yong", because that would turn the initial consonant sound /j/ into a long vowel sound, like "eeong" in English. That's a bit much...
Therefore, the only option I see is to read this as "yong".
I wonder though, if the sound of consonant "i" in French "iuin" and "iollet" had hardened, then isn't the same true for word-initial y?
This becomes clear when you compare to English: Dutch "hij" corresponds to English "he". Both used to have a long /i/, but in Dutch this sound changed into a diphthong, merging with the already existing diphthong "ei". This is why in modern Dutch, you have to learn by heart which words are spelled with ij and ei (they sound the same).
To get to the point, "ij" cannot be relevant at the start of "yong", because that would turn the initial consonant sound /j/ into a long vowel sound, like "eeong" in English. That's a bit much...
Therefore, the only option I see is to read this as "yong".
I wonder though, if the sound of consonant "i" in French "iuin" and "iollet" had hardened, then isn't the same true for word-initial y?