Only, the "th" sound was eliminated from the german language generations ago - so it is pronounced "tal", and always has been. the "th" spelling was a throwback to middle german.
So the word has not changed - the spelling is just catching up with the pronunciation.
Thanks, that was helpful.
I was awakened from my sleep last night worrying about that orthographic change, and when and why it came to be.
So the word has not changed - the spelling is just catching up with the pronunciation.
It was in 1924 that the Germans completely restructured their written language to match pronunciation. "Neanderthal" has always been pronounced "Neandertal". It has never been pronounced (at least not properly) with the soft "th" sound, as that sound does not exist in the German Language.