Германистика

introduction to philology and the history of english language

Geographical types of languages

Essential notions of sociolinguistics

Classification of Old German tribes (by Pliny “Natural History” )

Classification of Old German tribes ( by F. Engels )

Comparative Classification of Old German tribes and Old German languages

Phonetic features of Old German languages

Consonants
1. Occlusives(plosives)
voiced: b, d, g,
voiceless: p, t, k,
2. Fricatives: f, þ,ð,h,s,
3. Sonants
half vowels: j,w
smooth: r, l
nasals: m, n,

First German Consonant Shift (by R. Rasc and J. Grimm)

• p > f lat: Pater OE: fæder; goth: fadar
• t > þ lat: Trēs OE: þrī; goth: þreis
• k > h lat: noctem OE: nahts

• b > p rus: слабый goth: slēpan
• d > t lat: duo OE: twā goth: twai
• g > k lat: ego OE: ic

• bh > b sansk: bharãmi OE: beran
• dh > d sansk: madhyas OE: middel
• gh > g sansk: ghamsa OE: gōs

	Indo-European	German
First act	p, t, k, (voiceless plosive)	f, þ, h, (fricatives)
Second act	b, d, g, (voiced plosive)	p, t, k, (voiceless plosive)
Third act	bh, dh, gh, (voiced aspirated plosive)	b, d, g, (voiced plosive)

EXSEPTIONS

EXSEPTIONS

Role of consonant «s»

sp - sp lat: spicio - goth: speiran

st - st lat: stella - goth: stairno

sk - sk lat: piscis - goth: fisks

 

Development the combination of letters

pt > ft lat: captus - goth: hafts

kt > ht lat: octo - goth: Аhtau

Second Old High German Consonant Shift

• p > ff OSc: opan OHG: offan
• t > zz goth: wato OHG : wazzar
• k > hh goth: brikan OHG: brehhan

Exception:

p > f goth: slēpan OHG: slāfan

• p > pf/ph lat: piper OHG: pheffar
• t > z/zz goth: twai OHG: zwei

goth: nati OHG: sezzen

• k >ch/kh goth: drigkan OHG: trinkhan

goth: kaurn OHG: chorn

• b > p goth: giban OHG: kepan
• d > t goth: aldus OHG: alt
• g > k goth: giban OHG: kepan

EXSEPTIONS

EXSEPTIONS

1)

sp - sp goth: spinnan - OHG: spinnan

st - st goth: gasts - OHG: gast

sk - sk Ofr: skelda - OHG: skeltan

tr - tr goth: triggws - OHG: triuwi

ht -ht goth: nahts - OHG: naht

ft - ft OE: cræft - OHG: craft

2)

þ > d goth: þreis - OHG: dri

goth: airþa - OHG: erda

Holtsman’s Law half vowels j, w in the intervocal position formed diphthongs in the West German languages , in the Gothic and Scandinavian languages under the influence of strengthening articulation they changed to consonant affection

Phonetic features of stressed vowels (part of the tongue)

The Vowels (height of the tongue)

The Vowels (length of the tongue)

Monophthongs

Long Vowels	Short Vowels
(ā)	a
ē	e
ī	i
ū	u
ō	(o)

Diphthongs

Long	Short
ēī	ei
ēū	eu
āū	au
āī	ai

• a > a lat: aro goth : arjan
• o > a lat: hostis goth : gasts

• ā > a lat: māter goth : mōdor
• o > a lat: flōs OE : blōma

goth : blōma

Breaking in the Gothic language (change of one vowel to another before consonants)

Breaking in old English (diphthongization of short vowels before certain consonant clusters)