Types of mutation

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 502.

The third consonant shift (Danish consonant shift)

The second consonant shift (High German Shift)

It led to the differentiation of the consonant system of German from other Germanic languages. 3-5 cent. AD.

1) When sound between vowels p, t, k were shifted to the corresponding double aspirate ff, zz, hh

2) When sound initially after a consonant or it doubled p, t, k are shifted to voiceless affricates pf, tz, kch (apple-Apfel)

3) Voiced consonants b, d, g were shifted to the corresponding p, t, k. (Tag-day-positional changes)

It began in XXII cent. and it considered to be not finished yet. According to the III CS, sounds [p, t, k] in position after vowels were changed into voiced plosives [b, d, g] and further changed to fricatives [v, ð, j].

Mutation is the regressive assimilation of vowels by vowels of the following syllables. The term „umlaut“ belongs to Jacob Grimm. Vowel mutation is attested at all Germanic languages except Gothic. There are 2 types of mutation: palatal or i-umlaut and velar or u-umlaut.

Palatal (i-umlaut) - back vowels become fronted by an i(:) or j after a following consonant. As a result, back vowels a, o, u under the influence of the following i (:) which could be dropped or turned to e were mutated: a→e, u→ii. (частичное изменение гласного корня под влиянием гласного последующего слога).

U-umlaut was occurred in Faroese and Icelandic, where a changed to ø/o in Faroese and ö in Icelandic when preceded by u.