Phonological history of Valthungian

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N.B.: This article uses a phonetic feature notation shorthand in which all described features are limited to three characters. Please refer to the legend here.

Changes from Griutungi & Gothic to Old Valthungian (ca. 300ᴀᴅ‒950ᴀᴅ)

Spirantisation I

This is an expansion (or possibly merely a clarification) of the persistent inherited Spirantisation rule present in Proto-Germanic. The Proto-Germanic rule (“Spirantisation 0”) holds that voiced stops become spirantised when intervocalic. It is unclear whether spirantisation also occurred in the presence of other sonorants in Proto-Germanic, Gothic, or Griutungi. This rule cements the expansion to include liquids in the environment.

300ᴀᴅ: Voiced Stops become Continuant
Type: Phonetic
Rule: C[-snt][+vox] → [+cnt] / V,L}___{V,L

“A voiced stop becomes continuant after a vowel or liquid when followed by a vowel or liquid.”

Exhaustive: b,d,g → β,ð,ɣ / V,r,l}___{V,r,l
Notes: Already present in pre-Gothic and even Proto-Germanic (“Spirantisation 0”), but may not have included liquids in the environment. Allophonic at this stage.
Examples:
  ‘to have’ ‘terrible’ ‘bed’ ‘wonder’ ‘days’ ‘nice’
PGmc: *habaną
[haβanã]
*abrō
[a{b/β}roː]
*badją
[badją]
*seldō
[sel{d/ð}oː]
* dagōz
[daɣoːz]
*fagrō
[ɸa{ɡ/ɣ}roː]
Goth: haban
[haβan]
abra
[a{b/β}ra]
badi
[baði]
silda
[sil{d/ð}a]
dagōs
[daɣoːs]
fagra
[ɸa{ɡ/ɣ}ra]
Griut: *haban
[haβan]
*abra
[a{b/β}ra]
*badi
[baði]
*silda
[sil{d/ð}a]
*dagōs
[daɣoːs]
*fagra
[ɸa{ɡ/ɣ}ra]
Spir.I: *haban
[haβan]
*abra
[aβra]
*badi
[baði]
* silda
[silða]
*dagōs
[daɣoːs]
*fagra
[ɸaɣra]
OldVal: *habvan
[haβan]
abvra
[aβra]
*badvi
[baði]
*slidva
[sliða]
dagyous
[daɣoʊ̯s]
fagyra
[ɸaɣra]
MidVal: havɴ
[havn̩]
avʀ
[avr̩]
baði
[baði]
sliða
[sliðə]
dagos
[daɡos]
fagʀ
[faɡr̩]
Valth: havna
[havna]
avra
[avra]
baðe
[baðe̞]
sliða
[sliða]
dagas
[daɡas]
fagra
[faɡra]
Limit: 450ᴀᴅ
Persistence: Expanded into Spirantisation II
Phonemic Inventory: (unchanged)

Consonants

p t k kw b d g gw hw f þ s z h m n l r j w
/ p t k kw b d ɡ ɡw hw ɸ θ s z h m n l r j w /
[ p~pʰ t~tʰ k~kʰ kw~kʷ b~β d~ð ɡ~ɣ ɡw~ɡʷ hw~hʷ~ʍ ɸ θ s z h~x m n~ŋ l r~ɾ j w ]

Vowels

i e a o u ī ē ǣ ā ǭ ō ū iu
/ i e a o u ɛː ɑː ɔː iw /
[ ɪ ɛ a ɔ ʊ ɛː ɑː ɔː ɪʊ̯ ]

Pre-Liquid Stop Insertion

This is a persistent phonological rule that operated optionally in the Gothic period, but became mandatory sometime before Old Valthungian metathesis, affecting all of the resulting /NL/ and /sr/ clusters. Later, in the Middle Valthungian period, stop insertion is able to cross morpheme boundaries, occurring after prefixes like in‑, an‑, or un‑. This remains a persistent rule in the phonotactics of the language to the present.

350ᴀᴅ: Stops Inserted before Liquids in Clusters
Type: Phonemic
Rule: ∅ → b,d / N___L
∅ → t / s___r

“A homorganic stop is inserted between a nasal consonant or /s/ and a following liquid (!s_l).”

Exhaustive: ml → mbl
mr → mbr
nl → ndl
nr → ndr
sr → str
Notes: Already present (optional) in Gothic (cf timrjan/timbrjan)
Examples:
  ‘to build’ ‘spring’ ‘north’
PGmc: *temrijaną
[temrijanã]
*wazrą
[wazrã]
*nurþą
[nurθã]
Goth: timrjan~timbrjan
[tɪm(b)rjan]
*wasr
[wasr̩]
naurþ
[nɔrθ]
Griut: *timbrjan
[tɪmbrjan]
*wasr
[wasr̩]
*norþ
[nɔrθ]
Meta: *timbrjan
[tɪmbrjan]
*wasr
[wasr̩]
*nroþ
[nrɔθ]
Stop Ins.: *timbrjan
[tɪmbrjan]
*wastr
[wastr̩]
*ndroþ
[ndrɔθ]
OldVal: *timbrjan
[tɪmbrjan]
vastr
[wastr̩]
nroþ¹
[ndrɔθ]
MidVal: timbrjen
[tɪmbrjən]
wastʀ
[wastr̩]
droðþ
[drɔθ]
Valth: timbrin
[timbrin]
wastra
[ʋastra]
droþ
[dro̞θ]

¹ It is assumed that this sound shift was completed immediately after metathesis, but Old Valthungian spelling conventions usually do not show it when word-initial (e.g. nroþ ‘north’, mrogins ‘morning’, nravgz ‘anxious’

Persistence: persistent until Middle Valthungian Expansion.
Chronological Considerations: Occurs optionally in Gothic. Must become mandatory before metathesis. Remains persistent until Middle Valthungian Expansion of Stop Insertion change allowing the rule to cross morpheme boundaries.
Phonemic Inventory: (Unchanged, but phonotactics change; /NL/ and /sr/ clusters no longer allowed.)

Consonants

p t k kw b d g gw hw f þ s z h m n l r j w
/ p t k kw b d ɡ ɡw hw ɸ θ s z h m n l r j w /
[ p~pʰ t~tʰ k~kʰ kw~kʷ b~β d~ð ɡ~ɣ ɡw~ɡʷ hw~hʷ~ʍ ɸ θ s z h~x m n~ŋ l r~ɾ j w ]

Vowels

i e a o u ī ē ǣ ā ǭ ō ū iu
/ i e a o u ɛː ɑː ɔː iw /
[ ɪ ɛ a ɔ ʊ ɛː ɑː ɔː ɪʊ̯ ]

Geminate Collapse I

This is an expansion of the earlier Germanic Geminate Simplification rule inherited from Proto-Germanic and persistent through the Gothic era.

400ᴀᴅ: Sonorant Degemination before C,#
Type: Phonetic
Rule: CC[+son] → C / ___{C,#

“A geminate sonorant is degeminated before another consonant or when word-final.”

Notes: Already occurred optionally in some instances in Gothic.
Examples:
  ‘I swam’ ‘to fill’ ‘you can’ ‘I could’ ‘to make known’
PGmc: *(ek) swamm
[swamm]
*fullijaną
[ɸullijanã]
*(þū) kannt
[kannt]
*(ek) kunnþǭkunþǭ
[ kʊnθõː]
*kannijaną'
[ kannijanã]
Goth: swamm
[swamm]
fulljan
[ɸulljan]
kannt~kant
[ kannt]
kunþa
[kʊnθa]
kannjan
[kannjan]
Griut: *swamm
[swamm]
*fulljan
[ɸulljan]
*kannt
[kannt]
*kunþa
[kʊnθa]
*kannjan
[kannjan]
Gem.I: *swam
[swam]
*fuljan
[ɸuljan]
*kant
[kant]
*kunþa
[kʊnθa]
*kanjan
[kanjan]
OldVal: *svam
[swam]
feuljan
[fʏljan]
kant
[kant]
kunþa
[kʊnθa]
*keanjan
[kɛnjan]
MidVal: swam
[swam]
fyljen
[fʏljən]
kant
[kant]
kunþa
[kʊnθa]
kenjen
[kɛnjən]
Valth: suam
[swam]
fylin
[fylin]
kant
[kant]
kunþa
[kunθa]
kenin
[kenin]

Note the diachronic differences in the three examples on the right, which are all derived from the same verb.

Persistence: None
Phonemic Inventory: (unchanged)

Consonants

p t k kw b d g gw hw f þ s z h m n l r j w
/ p t k kw b d ɡ ɡw hw ɸ θ s z h m n l r j w /
[ p~pʰ t~tʰ k~kʰ kw~kʷ b~β d~ð ɡ~ɣ ɡw~ɡʷ hw~hʷ~ʍ ɸ θ s z h~x m n~ŋ l r~ɾ j w ]

Vowels

i e a o u ī ē ǣ ā ǭ ō ū iu
/ i e a o u ɛː ɑː ɔː iw /
[ ɪ ɛ a ɔ ʊ ɛː ɑː ɔː ɪʊ̯ ]

Spirantisation II

Deletion of Interconsonantal h

Spirantisation III

Expansion of [fl]→[θl], [hL]

Consonant Cluster Voice Changes I

Clisis & Lexicalisation

Consonant Cluster Voice Changes II

Changes to Geminate Obstruents

Changes to Geminate Nasals I

Changes to Geminate Liquids

Metathesis

Deletion of s after r

s-Clusters Diffused

Lengthening of Word-Final Stressed Vowels

Reversal of High Diphthong Altitude Trajectory

Umlaut

Launch of Rhotacism

Changes of /j/ to /ʝ/

Long Mid Vowel Diphthongisation I

Expansion of East Germanic Verschärfung

Deletion of Final Unstressed [a]

Changes from Old Valthungian to Middle Valthungian (ca. 950ᴀᴅ‒1350ᴀᴅ)

Defenestration of Greek Fricatives

Changes to Geminate Nasals II

Deletion of word-initial prenasalised stops

Rhotacism Failure

j/z Merger

Initial h to þ before a sonorant

Assimilation of h after short vowels

Repulsion of h after long vowels

All of the Above

Changes to Geminates

Change of h to þ after a liquid

Assimilation of s in Consonant Clusters

Palatalisation of sk

Palatalisation of h before j

Palatalisation of Non-Labial Stops before j

Vowel Reduction: Long Vowel Shortening

Vowel Reduction: Diphthong Changes

Vowel Reduction: Schwa Changes

Vowel Reduction: Syllabic Sonorants

Expansion of Stop Insertion

Changes from Middle Valthungian to Modern Valthungian (ca. 1350ᴀᴅ‒1850ᴀᴅ)

Reduction of Consonant Clusters

Vowel Reduction II: Lowering of Unstressed Short Vowels

Vowel Reduction II: Shortening of Unstressed Long Vowels

Change of ju to eu after r

Changes to Unstressed Word-Final Syllables

Deletion of j and Merging of Palatal Afficates

Vowel Tensing

Syllabic Unpacking

Schwa Fortition to /a/

Syllabification of word-final falling diphthongs

Monophthongisation of Diphthongs over Morpheme Boundaries

Relaxisation of Middle Diphthongs

Changes from Early Modern Valthungian to the present

Labial Trimming

Deletion of Internasal g

Changes to w