Contraction of vowel groups

OLD ENGLISH VOWEL SYSTEM

PERIODIZATION of the ENGLISH LANGUAGE HISTORY

Stress in Germanic languages

Ablaut

In the domain of vowels the most important property of the Germanic languages is Ablaut or Gradation. This is a spontaneous vowel variation mostly inside a root which is common to all Indo-European languages. Germanic Ablaut goes back to some regular changes inherent in IE parent language. This vowel variation became a very important grammatical means especially in the verb system where it is employed for making past verb-forms:

Goth.: reisan-rais-risum-risans

OE: rīson-rās-rison-risen

ModE: rise-rose-risen

The most important distinguishing feature of the Germanic languages was their word-stress. In Germanic, like in other Indo-European languages, it was free, that is it might fall on any part of a word. Later it has been replaced by a fixed stress falling regularly on the first syllable. The effect of this fixed stress was considerable for English: many important changes have taken place in unstressed syllables. They tended to become weakened and gradually were lost. All this led to crucial simplification in the system of English paradigm

OLD ENGLISH from 7^th down to 1050 - the period of “full endings”

Transition Period from 1050 to 1150

MIDDLE ENGLISH from 1150 to 1500 – the period of “levelled endings”

EARLY MODERN ENGLISH from 1500 to 1660

MODERN ENGLISH from 1700 till the present – the period of “lost endings” (H.Sweet)

Front short vowels: i, e, y, æ Back short vowels: a, o, u Short diphthongs: ea, eo, ie, io

Front long vowels: ī, ē, y, æ Back long vowels: ā, ō, ū, å Long diphthongs: ēa, ēo, īe, īo

FRONT MUTATION (i-umlaut)

a > e (*framian > fremman виконувати)

æ > e (*tælian > telan говорити)

ā > æ (*lārian > læran вчити)

o > e (*ofstian > efstan поспішати)

ō > ē (*dōmian > dēman припускати, думати)

u > y (*fullian > fyllan заповнювати)

ū > y (cūþian > cyþan повідомляти)

Diphthongs:

ea > ie (*hleahian > hliehhan сміятися)

ēa > īe (*hēarian > hīeran слухати)

eo > ie (*āfeorrian > āfierran знищувати, прибирати)

ēo > īe (*3etrēowi > 3etrīewe вірний)

BACK MUTATION (u-umlaut)

i > io (hira > hiora їхній, silufr > siolufr срібло)

e > eo (herot > heorot олень, hefon > heofon небеса)

a > ea (saru > searu лати)

BREAKING (FRACTURE)

e > ea before “r+cons.”, “l+cons.”, “h+cons.”, “h” in the final syllable (*ærm > earm, * æld > eald, * æhta > eahta)

e > eo before “r+cons.”, “h+cons.”, “lc, lh,”, “h” in the final syllable (*herte > heorte, *melcan > meolcan)

1. “ah + vowel” > ēa (*slahan > slēan вбивати)

2. “eh + vowel”, “ih + vowel” > ēo (*sehan > sēon бачити *tihan > tēon звинувачувати)

3. “oh + vowel > ō (*fohan > fōn хапати)

4. ē and ō could absorb the following vowel (*sæē > sæ морю)

Influence of PALATALIZATION

OE front vowels could be diphthongized when preceded by palatal consonants 3, c, and other vowels – by cluster sc:

e > ie (*3efan > 3iefan давати)

æ > ea (*3æf > 3eaf дав)

æ > ēa (*3æfon > 3ēafon дав)

a > ea (*scacan > sceacan трусити)

o > eo (*scort > sceort короткий)

Дата добавления: 2014-01-11