Re: Tech Umlaut

At 10:44 2001-08-08 +0200, Daniel Andreasson wrote:

 >I seem to remember reading something about this "brytning"
 >having exceptions, but I can't find the source. I think
 >u and o affect the e differently. CeCu should be CjuC and
 >CeCo -> CjoC. But I also recall something about phonetic
 >surroundings playing a part in this. (The word _þjúf_
 >'thief' comes to mind.)

Apparent exceptions would traditionally be ascribed to dialect mixture or
analogy, but given that changes spread across vocabulary one item/one
individual at a time there may arise real exceptions.

Not all jV clusters in Scandinavian languages arise from breaking.  Notably
the jó/jú found in words like þjófr--thiufwer--tjuv arose from older *iu
and *eu diphthongs.

Breaking was always caused by *a or *u following in the next syllable after
*e.  Of these *e-a gave _ja_ or _jæ_ and *e-u gave _jo_ or _jø_; the ja/jæ
and jo/jø variation is dialect-dependent.

Consider the word _fjörðr which shows the following inflection(!):

NOM.  fjörðr  < *ferþuz
ACC.  fjörð   < *ferþu
DAT.  firði   < *ferþei
GEN.  fjarðar < *ferþár

 >Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

I know what breaking is, but I'm not sure what you are getting at.


/BP 8^)>
--
B.Philip Jonsson mailto:bpX@netg.se (delete X)
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