|
|
| Line 49: |
Line 49: |
|
| |
|
| == Historical Development == | | == Historical Development == |
|
| |
| === Classical Gothic (c. 400–800) ===
| |
|
| |
| * Loss of initial /h/ in all positions.
| |
| ** ''handu'' → ''andu'' "hand"
| |
| ** ''hūs'' → ''ūs'' "house"
| |
| * Simplification of geminate consonants.
| |
| ** /tt kk ss/ → /t k s/
| |
| ** ''sittan'' → ''sitan'' “to sit”
| |
| * Raising of long mid vowels.
| |
| ** /eː/ → /iː/
| |
| *** ''dēdan'' → ''dīdan'' “to do”
| |
| ** /oː/ → /uː/
| |
| *** ''bōks'' → ''būks'' “book”
| |
| * Short vowels remained unchanged during this stage.
| |
|
| |
| ==== Early Middle Gothic (c. 800–1200) ====
| |
|
| |
| * Palatalization of velar consonants before front vowels.
| |
| ** /k/ → /t͡ʃ/
| |
| *** ''mikils'' → /mit͡ʃils/ “big”
| |
| ** /g/ → /j/
| |
| *** ''giban'' → /jiban/ "to give"
| |
| * Reduction of unstressed non-high vowels.
| |
| ** /a e o/ → [ə] in unstressed syllables
| |
| *** ''sunō'' → ''sunə'' “sons”
| |
| * Fronting of /β/
| |
| ** /β/ → /v/
| |
| *** /jiban/ → /jivan/ "to give"
| |
|
| |
| ==== Late Middle Gothic (after c. 1200) ====
| |
|
| |
| * Lowering of short /i/.
| |
| ** /i/ → /ɪ/
| |
| * Loss of vowel length contrast.
| |
| ** Long and short vowels merged, with /ɪ/ remaining distinct from /i/.
| |
| *** ''dīdan'' → ''didan'' “to do”
| |
| *** ''mikils'' → /mɪt͡ʃəls/ “big”
| |
| ** /uː u/ → /u/
| |
| *** ''būks'' → ''buks'' “book”
| |
| * Loss of word-final high vowels.
| |
| ** Final /i u/ → ∅
| |
| *** ''suni'' → ''sun'' "son"
| |
| *** ''andu'' → ''and'' "hand"
| |
| * General weakening of /g/ in all positions.
| |
| ** /g/ → /ɣ/ → /ɦ/
| |
| *** ''dag'' → /daɦ/ “day”
| |
|
| |
| ==== Modern Gothic (c. 1600 onwards) ====
| |
|
| |
| * Word-final obstruent devoicing.
| |
| ** /b d z v ɦ/ → [p t s f h] word-finally
| |
| *** /daɦ/ → [dah] “day”
| |
| * Secondary palatalization of dental consonants and affricates before front vowels.
| |
| ** /t d s z n r l t͡ʃ/ → [Cʲ] / _ {i, e}
| |
| *** ''nі'' → [nʲi] “not”
| |
|
| |
|
| == Orthography == | | == Orthography == |