User:Ceige/Germlang1

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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/

Umlauting

A-Umlaut