Phonological history of Valthungian

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)