User:Ceige/Germlang1

History of Sound Changes

Sound changes from Proto-Germanic to Proto-NEEDANAME

/ɛː/ opens to /æː/ This has the effect of fronting long and short a afterwards.

/ɑ/ is centralised to /ä/ for both long and short variants.

/äː/ and /æː/ merge. This eliminates a phoneme from the inventory, reducing it to an 8-vowel system, with /a/, /i/ and /u/ retaining the length distintions and /e/ and /ɔː/ lacking their long and short counterparts respectively.

/e/ opens to /ɛ/. This must happen before /i/ in closed syllables opens to /e/. Presumably this also balances out the long /ɔː/.

/i/ and /u/ open in closed syllables /i/ > /e/ /u/ > /o/

• /i/ and /u/ in closed syllables shift to /e/ and /o/ respectively

ɑ

Proto-NEEDNAME to Old NEEDNAME#1

/ɛ/ and /ɔː/ merge are raised to /e/ and /oː/ In more detail, they and /e/ and /o/ meet midway.

Vowels rearrange to a 10 vowel system in open syllables, and a 5 vowel system in closed syllables. In open syllables: /a, e, o, i, u, aː, eː, oː, iː, uː/ In closed syllables: /a, e, o, i, u/

Proto-NEEDNAME to NEEDNAME#2

Vowels rearrange to an 8 vowel system eliminating length distinction. /i, iː/ and /u, uː/ merge. /ä/ becomes /æ/, and /äː/ becomes /ɑ/

The 3-Umlauts rearrange the vowel system

i-umlaut affects /æ/, /ɑ/, /ɔ/, /o/, /u/ /æ/ > /ɛ/ /ɑ/ > /æ/ /ɔ/ > /œ/ /o/ > /ø/ /u/ > /y/

a-umlaut affects /ɛ/, /e/, /u/ /ɛ, e/ > /ɛi/ /u/ > /ɔu/

u-umlaut affects /ɑ/, /æ/, /ɛ/, /e/, /i/ /æ/ > /ä/ /ɑ/ > /ɔ/ /ɛ/ > /œ/ /e/ > /ø/ /i/ > /y/

/i/ and /u/ diphthongise in open syllables /i/ > /əi/ > /ɛi/ /u/ > /əu/ > /ɔu/

/e/ and /o/ close in open syllables /e/ > /i/ /o/ > u/

/e/ and /ɛ/, and /o/ and /ɔ/ merge in closed syllables /e, ɛ/ > /e/ /o, ɔ/ > /o/

/ɑ/ rounds triggering a slight raising in /ɔ/

All front rounded vowels become centralised /œ, ø/ > /ə/ The distinction between these two is preserved in some dialects. /y/ > /ü/

NEEDNAME#2 Vowel inventory:

	Front	Central	Back
Closed	i	ü	u
Mid	e	ə	o
Open	æ~ɛ	ä	ɒ~ɔ

Diphthongs:

• /ɛi/
• /ɔu/