Niemish: Difference between revisions

|pronunciation = /nʲimsk/

|creator = [[User:Tardigrade]]

 

| [[w:Voiceless_dental_affricate|ʦ̪]] ⟨tz⟩ || [[w:Voiceless_dental_affricate|ʦʲ]] ⟨tzj⟩

| [[w:Voiceless postalveolar affricate|ʧ]] ⟨cz⟩

| [[w:Voiceless_dental_affricate|ʣ̪]] ⟨dz⟩ || [[w:Voiceless_dental_affricate|ʣʲ]] ⟨dzj⟩

| [[w:Voiced postalveolar affricate|ʤ]] ⟨dsz⟩

| [[w:Voiced_labiodental_fricative|v]] ⟨v⟩ || rowspan="2" | vʲ ⟨wj, vj⟩

| ⟨be⟩ || ⟨je⟩ || ⟨hä⟩ || ⟨e⟩  

| [[w:Yat|Ꙓ ꙓ]] || || Jä jä, iä || /jɛ, , ʲɛ/ || ||

| [[w:Yus|Ꙙ ꙙ]] || || Ą ą || /ã, ʲã/ || ||  

| [[w:Yus|Ѩ ѩ]] || || Ję, ję || /jẽ/ || ||  

All nouns belong to one of two genders: masculine and feminine. The neuter gender of medieval Niemish has fallen together with masculine except in the Westlandic dialect, although the neuter plural still survives as an irregular plural for some formerly neuter nouns and has even become generalised to mark the plural of masculine nouns that commonly occur as a group, especially in pairs, often in parallel with a regular plural with a less specialised sense.

There are three classes of masculine noun:

*hard stem (may be subject to umlaut) ''[[Contionary:wich|wich]]''

*soft stem ''[[Contionary:kunnj|kunnj]]''

*mixed (may be subject to umlaut in the singular) ''[[Contionary:sun|sun]]''

*hard simple stem ''[[Contionary:blum|blum]]''

*soft simple stem ''[[Contionary:sullj|sullj]]''

*hard N-stem ''[[Contionary:trega|trega]]''

*soft N-stem ''[[Contionary:snuria|snuria]]'', ''[[Contionary:szuke|szuke]]''

====Masculine nouns====

The Gothic subjunctive mood has been repurposed into two set of dependent verb forms (perfective and imperfective); these cannot occur without subordinating prefix ''i''.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

! rowspan="2" | Imperative

! scope="row" rowspan="8" | [[w:Imperfective|Imperfective]]

! rowspan="2" |

| ''('I break')''

| ''('I was breaking')''

| ''('be breaking!')''

! 1 sg.

| brek || brak  || rowspan="3" | brik

! 2 sg.

| briks || brakt

! 3 sg.

! 1 pl.

| breką || braką || rowspan="3" | brikt

! 2 pl.

| brikt  || brakt

! 3 pl.

| breką  || braką

! scope="row" rowspan="8" | [[w:Perfective|Perfective]]

! rowspan="2" |

! rowspan="8" |

| ''('I broke')''

| ''('break!')''

! 1 sg.

| gybrak  || rowspan="3" | gybrik

! 2 sg.

! 3 sg.

| gybrak

! 1 pl.

| gybraką  || rowspan="3" | gybrikt

! 2 pl.

| gybrakt

! 3 pl.

| gybraką

! scope="row" rowspan="8" | [[w:Perfect (grammar)|Perfect]]

! rowspan="2" |

! rowspan="8" |

| ''('I have broken')''

| ''('I had broken')''

! 1 sg.

| hab gybrokyn    || had gybrokyn

! 2 sg.

| has gybrokyn  || hads gybrokyn

! 3 sg.

| hat gybrokyn  || had gybrokyn

|-

! 1 pl.

| ham gybrokyn || hadą gybrokyn

|-

! 2 pl.

| hat gybrokyn  || hadt gybrokyn

! 3 pl.

| han gybrokyn  || hadą gybrokyn

! scope="row" rowspan="7" | Imperfective<br/>[[w:Dependent_and_independent_verb_forms|Dependent]]

! Past<br/>perfective dependent

| breka    || brikkia

| brekes  || brikes

| breke  || brikkj

| brekem || brikem

| breket || briket

| breken ||briken

! scope="row" rowspan="7" | Perfective<br/>[[w:Dependent_and_independent_verb_forms|Dependent]]

! Past<br/>perfective dependent

| gybreka    || gybrikkia

| gybrekes  || gybrikes

| gybreke  || gybrikkj

| gybrekem || gybrikem

| gybreket  || gybriket

| gybreken  || gybriken

|}

 

{| class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2" |  

! colspan="4" | With subordinating preposition ''i''

! colspan="4" | With future construction ''williund i''

! colspan="2" | Present

! colspan="2" | Past

! Imperfective

| i na breke

| na willt i brikkj

| 'he would break'

! Perfective

| i na gybreke

| 'he will break'

 

! rowspan="2" | Imperative

! scope="row" rowspan="8" | [[w:Imperfective|Imperfective]]

| colspan=2 | hab || had  || rowspan="3" | hab

! 2 sg.

| habt || hat || had

| habą || ham || hadą || rowspan="3" | habt

| habt || hat  || hadt

| habą || han  || hadą  

! scope="row" rowspan="8" | [[w:Perfective|Perfective]]

! rowspan="2" |

! colspan=2 rowspan="8" |

! Past

! Imperative

| ''('I had')''

| gyhad  || rowspan="3" | gyhab

| gyhadt

| gyhad

| gybraką  || rowspan="3" | gyhabt

| gyhadt

| gyhadą

! scope="row" rowspan="7" | Imperfective<br/>[[w:Dependent_and_independent_verb_forms|Dependent]]

! colspan=2 | Present<br/>perfective dependent

| colspan=2 | haba   || haza

| colspan=2 | habes || hades

| colspan=2 | habe   || haz

| colspan=2 | habem || hadem

| colspan=2 | habet || hadet

| colspan=2 | haben  || haden

| colspan=2 | gyhaben || gyhaden

! colspan="4" | With subordinating prefix ''e-''

! colspan="4" | With future prefix ''we-''

| i na habe

| '(that) he be having', 'to be having'

| i na haz

| '(that) he was having, 'to have been having'

| na willt i habe

| 'he will be having'

| na willt i haz

| 'he would have'

|-

! Perfective

| i na gyhabe

| '(that) he have', 'to have'

| i na gyhaz

| '(that) he had', 'to have had'

| na willt i gyhabe

| 'he will have'

| na willt i gyhaz

| 'he probably had'

|}

Wulfilan Gothic had three (in some analyses five) short vowels and seven long vowels. The short vowels were maintained in Post-Gothic and ''ē'' merged with ''ei'':

Wulfilan Gothic already showed signs of merging ''ē'' with ''ei'' attested in variant spellings such as ''[[wikt:𐌰𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍄#Gothic|akeit]]'' for ''[[wikt:𐌰𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍄#Gothic|akēt]]'' and ''[[wikt:𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍃#Gothic|leikeis]]'' for ''[[wikt:𐌻𐌴𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍃#Gothic|lēkeis]]''. In Post-Gothic this merger was complete.

#Clusters cease to be treated differently from simple consonants in their effect on the gain or loss of voice in fricatives of subsequent syllables.

With the exception of ''h'', ''w'', consonants followed by ''j'' were geminated in a similar process to that seen in [[w:West_Germanic_gemination|West and East Germanic]] but much more extensive, as in Italo-Romance. [[w:Sievers's_law|Sievers's law]] was no longer operational at this time, as the change also occurred after long vowels (which were subsequently shortened):

 

*Got. ''[[wikt:𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌽#Gothic|skaþjan]]'' → ''*skæþþjan'' → ''*skættjan'' → ''skaczond''

 

It is thought that ''dj'' initially became */ddz/ before /z/, both because it patterns with ''tj'' → /tts/ and because Gothic ''[[wikt:𐌳𐌰𐌳𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽#Gothic|daddjan]]'' became ''dazond''; had degeminated /z/ arisen in the Post-Gothic period, extended Thurneysen's law would have devoiced the consonant to give ''*dasond''. There are no examples of ''z'' arising from the coronal palatalisation being affected by extended Thurneysen's law.

*Got. ''[[wikt:𐌰𐌺𐍂𐍃#Gothic|akrs]]'' → ''[[Contionary:akker#Niemish|àkker]]''

*Got. ''[[wikt:𐌱𐌰𐌲𐌼𐍃#Gothic|bagms]]'' → ''[[Contionary:bachom#Niemish|báchom]]''

*Got. ''[[wikt:𐍄𐌰𐌲𐍂#Gothic|tagr]]'' → ''[[Contionary:tagor#Niemish|tágor]]''

*P-Gmc. ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/*wazrą#Proto-Germanic|*wazrą]]'' → Post-Got. ''wasr'' → ''[[Contionary:waszor#Niemish|wàszor]]''

**P-Gmc. ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/aplaz#Proto-Germanic|*aplaz]]'' → ''[[Contionary:appul#Niemish|àppul]]''

Second umlaut was unable to occur in ja- or ju-stem nouns, and only occured in the singular of i- and u-stems. '''This gave rise to the three stems all Niemish masculine nouns belong to: ''hard'' (a-stems), ''soft'' (ja- and u-stems) and ''mixed'' (i- and u-stems).'''

*Lat. ''[[wikt:amphora#Latin|amphora]]'' → Post-Got. ''amfaúra'' → ''ąfor'' → ''[[Contionary:ąchor#Niemish|ą̀chor]]'' ("bucket")

*Post-Got. ''[[wikt:𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌽#Gothic|*láuna]][[wikt:-𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍃#Gothic|lig̃gs]]'' → ''lonling'' → ''lǫlling''

*Post-Got. ''[[wikt:𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌹#Gothic|*kunja]][[wikt:-𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍃#Gothic|lig̃gs]]'' → ''kunnling'' ("relation, relative")

There was no compensatory gemination when the syllable with the nasal coda was unstressed, as with words prefixed with ''an-'', ''in-'', ''un-'':

*Got. ''[[wikt:𐌿𐌽𐌻𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌿𐍃#Gothic|unlustus]]'' → ''*unlust'' → ''ųlust'' ("lethargic, unenergetic")

*P-Gmc. ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/unrehtaz#Proto-Germanic|*unrehtaz]]'' → ''*unriat'' → ''ųrat'' ("crooked, wrong")

*P-Gmc. ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/*wazrą#Proto-Germanic|*wazrą]]'' → Post-Got. ''wasr'' → ''{{term|waszor#Niemish|wàszor}}'' ("spring")

****P-Gmc. ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/skurtijǭ#Proto-Germanic|*skurtijǭ]]'' → Post-Got. ''skaúrtjō'' → ''skaúrtsō'' → ''[[Contionary:skorcza#Niemish|skórcza]]'' ("apron")

*Got. ''[[wikt:𐍈𐌰𐍃𐍃𐌿𐍃#Gothic|ƕassus]]'' → ''{{term|fass#Niemish|fàss}}'' ("sharp")

Between vowels, /p/ arising from /kʷ/ geminated:

A limited form of the [[w:Boukólos_rule|''Boukulos'' rule]] came into effect, where /wɔ, wo, wu/ immediately after an initial consonant delabialised:

*Got. ''[[wikt:𐍄𐍅𐍉𐍃#Gothic|twōs]]'' → ''{{term|twa#Niemish|tú}}'' ("two" fem.)

 

The ''Boukolos'' rule did not apply absolutely word-initially:

*Got. ''[[wikt:𐍅𐌿𐌻𐍆𐍃#Gothic|wulfs]]'' → ''{{term|wulch#Niemish|wúlch}}'' ("wolf"), not *úlch

 

====Depalatalisation of labials and /r/====

At the beginning and end of a word, /pʲ, bʲ, mʲ, rʲ/ depalatalised:

*Got. ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/paidō|*paidō]]'' → Medieval Niemish ''piady'' → ''{{term|pad#Niemish|pád}}'' ("cloak, overcoat")

*Got. ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/bainą|*bainą]]'' → Medieval Niemish ''bian'' → ''{{term|ban#Niemish|bán}}'' ("bone")

*PGmc. ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/mainą#Proto-Germanic|*mainą]]'' → Medieval Niemish ''mian'' → ''{{term|man#Niemish|mán}}'' ("perjury")

*PGmc. ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ribją#Proto-Germanic|*ribją]]'' → Post-Gothic ''*rifi'' → Medieval Niemish ''riffj'' → ''{{term|riff#Niemish|rìff}}'' ("rib, spoke")

*Got. ''[[wikt:𐌱𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃#Gothic|bráiþs]]'' → Medieval Niemish ''brias'' → ''{{term|bras#Niemish|brás}}'' ("broad, wide")

*PGmc. ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/kraitaz#Proto-Germanic|*kraitaz]]'' → ''{{term|kriat#Niemish|kriát}}'' ("circle, region, borough")

The fact that /r/ was also depalatalised at the beginnings and ends of words suggests that Medieval Niemish had a distinction between /r, rʲ/ and /ɾ, ɾʲ/ similar to Spanish and Old Irish, although such a distinction was not observed in writing.

*Got. ''[[wikt:𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃#Gothic|raíhts]]'' → Medieval Niemish ''riat'' → ''{{term|rat#Niemish|rát}}'' ("straight, correct")

*Got. ''[[wikt:𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃#Gothic|sōkāreis]]'' → Medieval Niemish ''sukarj'' → ''{{term|sukar#Niemish|súkar}}'' ("seeker")

*''{{term|riff#Niemish|rìff, rìffian}}'' ("rib, the rib")

*''{{term|sukar#Niemish|súkar, súkarian}}'' ("seeker, the seeker")

 

 

 

In the Great Plains dialect (and by extension the Standard), open syllable lengthening was blocked before voiceless plosives.

 

The Westlandic dialect underwent the law of open syllables: where possible, consonants in the syllable coda were resyllabified into the onset of the following syllable. Consequently, more syllables became analysed as open in Westlandic than in other dialects, and open syllable lengthening affected a greater number of words. It also has lost geminate consonants, although vowels before historic geminate consonants remain short.

 

The Capitoline dialect is a special case. It developed as a koiné from numerous dialects in the capital. It is thus broadly similar to the standard, other than shortening historically long vowels before voiceless plosives (this is due to spelling pronunciation and hypercorrection) and loss of geminate consonants.