Sievers Eduard. Grammar of Old English

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THE

VOWELS.

times.

Nevertheless,

is here

assigned

to a

place

im-

mediately

after the

i-umlaut,

since

nature

to the latter.

The

i-umlaut.

88. The

cause of i-umlaut

which

origi-

nally

followed the stressed

syllable,

being

matter

of indifference whether the

already

existed

Indo-

European,

or whether it was transformed in

the

Ger-

manic

period

from

older

(45.

7).

the

language

underwent further

development,

the

sounds

which

produced

umlaut

either

grew

unrecognizable,

weakening

(44),

were

entirely

lost

(177).

Hence

the causes

this

umlaut

can,

the

majority

cases,

only

be determined

comparison

with

the

cognate

languages,

which,

the

preservation

of the

i, j,

repre-

sent

an older

stage

than

OE.

89.

The older

short a

had,

before the

appearance

i-umlaut,

been divided

into se and

(49

ff.

;

65).

For

this

reason

becomes

necessary

treat

of its umlaut

under

two somewhat different heads.

The

i-umlaut of

the short

ae,

well as

of the

older,

unchanged

he,rigan,

glorify,

ne,rigan, save,

he,re,

army,

te.llan, count, se,ttan, set,

w^ccan, awaken,

le.cgan,

lay,

Goth,

liazjan,

nasjan, harjis, satjan,

wakjan,

lagj

an,

etc.

NOTE 1. Before st

and

ft,

se> is

frequently

found

for e:

thus,

uni-

formly

in liirt't

a n

confine,

faestan,

fasten,

maestan,

fatten,

lila-st

an,

load,

beside

gere_stan,

rest;

and

quite

regularly

sttepe,

step,

staep-

pan, walk,

(ge)daeftan,

make

ready,

haele,

man,

gemaecca,

comrade,

saecc,

strife,

Itecceuii,

seize, smaeccean,

taste. This

also occurs

sporadically

in othpr words :

saeogan, sat/,

beside

slogan

;

wraecp(e)a,

exile,

beside

wrce(e)a;

and

ael-,

el-,

kindred

with

Goth,

aljis,

other,

e.g.

aelffeodig,

e_lffeodig, foreign.

PHONOLOGY.

A similar

also occurs

regularly

as the umlaut

of the

before

nasals,

which,

as we have

seen,

inter-

changes

with

(65)

fr^mman,

frame,

me,n(n),

men,

son*!;; M.

send,

str^ngra,

stronger,

dr^ncan,

drench,

from

the stems

frQm,

forwards,

m<jn,

man, string,

strong,

drone, drank,

etc.

NOTE

Certain

texts

occasionally

have SB

for this

sa-ndun,

<Y;i'ii<-;i n

aengel,

ina-ii,

friemman,

etc.

This ae is constant

aernan,

run,

Iwmun,

burn

(causative)

Goth,

rannjau, brannjan

(79.

note

179).

90.

The

i-umlaut of OE.

(from

ai and

and

57)

hdl,

whole,

h;Ha n.

heal

;

la>,

lore, Iseraii,

teach

;

dn,

one,

sfeuig,

any

; djfel,

deal,

hsfel,

omen

(i-stems).

also

gdn,

go,

2d and 3d

sing,

gtfest,

gjfear

(430)

;

lafewan,

betray,

Goth.

le"wjan.

91.

Tlie i-umlaut of WS.

Germ.

(Goth.)

(57.

2),

likewise

Isfece, leech,

Goth,

l^keis

;

<l;

deed,

Goth.

d4)?s

(i-stem)

;

msfere,

famous

(jo-stem).

NOTE. Goth,

m&keis,

sword,

always

mfece

WS.,

although

the

OS.

form is maki. For

other

6's

which

are

only apparently

identical

with

Goth,

fe,

see

68.

note 1.

No instances

of the

i-umlaut of

Germ.

(Goth.)

OE. e

(58)

are

known

to exist.

92. A

true

OE.

i-umlaut of

does

not

exist,

every

Germ,

when

followed

had

already

become

(45.

2).

The

interchange

and

groups

etaii,

itest,

iteft

(Goth, itan, itis,

iti]?): helpaii,

hilpest,

li i 1

!<>

;

OE.

regn,

rain,

rignan,

nan,

rain

(for

rign-

jan),

etc.,

belongs

to a

period

antecedent to

that of OE.

93.

The

i-umlaut of o

morgen

and

m^rgen,

morrow

;

dohtor,

dat.

sing,

d^liter,

daughter

;

$fes,

eaves,

beside

yfes

(OHG.

obasa,

Goth,

ubizwa) ;

^fstan,

hasten

;

oxa,

nom.

ace.

THE VOWELS.

plur.

$xen (277.

note

;

so likewise

$le,

oil,

from

Lat.

oleum;

c$l(l)eudre,

Lat.

coriandrum.

usually

gold,

gylden,

golden;

hold,

gracious,

hyldo,

grace

;

forht,

timid,

yrhtu,

fear

;

gnorn

(jt-stem)

and

gnyrn

(i-stem),

grief,

etc.

likewise

foreign

words like

cycene, kitchen,

mynet,

coin, mynster,

minster,

from Lat.

coqiiina,

moneta,

monasterium

(70);

and

mynecen(u),

nun,

from

muiiuc,

monk,

Lat. moiiachus.

NOTE. This

is not the direct

umlaut of OE.

but of an ante-

cedent u which

(45.

existed

already

in Prim. Germ,

place

before

following

;

cf.,

for

example,

OS.

gold, guldin

; hold,

huldl,

etc.

In the

examples

under

where we

have the true

umlaut

the o

was

transferred,

before the occurrence

of the

i-umlaut,

from

the cases where the latter is absent to those where

it was

subsequently

found. Where this

explanation

does not

hold,

the

as in the case of

^le, belongs

to a

foreign

word.

94. The

i-umlaut of

6 :

older 6

(60)

dom,

doom,

de"man,

deem;

bdc,

book,

be"c

plur.

; solitc,

sought,

se'can

inf.

; g!6d,

gleed,

spe"d,

speed

(i-stems)

;

before nasals

from

West

Germ,

ti,

Germ.

(see

68.

note

;

6 from

older

on,

(66)

gds,

goose, plur.

ge"s ;

sdfte,

softly,

adv., sfte,

adj.;

fdn,

catch, fe"hst,

f^ho",

2d and 3d

sing.

; <5ht,

persecution,

^litaii,

persecute.

NOTE.

the oldest

texts de

found,

though

but

very

seldom,

place

dbffel,

feffel,

Cura

Past.

;

doe,

ib. 8.

for the

regular

d6.

95.

The i-umlaut of u

wulle, wool,

wyllen,

woollen;

gesund,

sound, gesynto,

soundness;

liungor,

hunger,

hyngran,

hunger;

burg,

city, byr(i)g

(284),

etc.;

and

foreign

words

cymen, cumin, pyle,

pillow,

pytt,

pit,

ynce,

inch,

from

Lat.

cunriimm,

pulvinum,

puteus,

uncia.

PHONOLOGY.

NOTE 1. The

instances

from u are

very

numerous,

but

only

few

pairs

words

with u

and

can be

adduced,

since Prim.

Germ, u

scarcely

ever

occurred

except

before

nasal

consonant

and

before

(45.

3),

and therefore

must of

necessity

have

undergone

umlaut in

almost

every

instance.

NOTE

2. For EWS.

ymb, ymbe,

LWS.

frequently

has

emb,

embe.

96. The

i-umlaut

older

ti :

brtican, use,

brycflF

sing.

;

ttin,

hedge,

<>nt.

VMM

open;

br^d,

bride

(i-stem)

;

and

in.

foreign

words like

strata, ostrich, plyme,

plum,

from Lat.

struthio, prunea.

from

(185.

Ms,

ready,

fysan,

hasten

;

ctiar,

known,

c^ffan,

make

known;

^9",

wave

(j-stem),

etc.

Diphthongs.

97.

the older

texts the i-umlaut of

and e*a is

usually

and

ie,

and

afterward

the sound

designated

unstable

(22)

;

the

latter is often

represented by

(as

well

ie)*,

and in a still later

period

usually

the tenth and

eleventh centuries

the

pre-

dominates,

except

cases where there

seems to have

been an

actual

change

the

pure

i-sound

(31.

note).

The

sound

occasionally represented

by simple

e, 6,

which

may

perhaps

regarded

as reductions

ie,

to a

monophthong.

NOTE. In

general,

this

may

regarded

as dialectic

[e.g.

they

do not

occur in

^Elfric's

Homilies,

except

the

word

gesthus

(75.

note

2)], though

adopted

certain

copyists

of the Cura

Past.

98.

Examples

of ea :

broken

(79

ff.)

carm,

poor,

iermSTu,

misery,

terming,

wretch;

eald,

old,

ieldra

comp.,

ieldesta

superl.,

ieldu,

age;

weallan,

boil,

wielff 3d

sing.,

wielin,

THE VOWELS.

surge

(i-stem);

Wealh,

Welshman, vrielisc,

foreign (218);

weaxan,

grow,

wiex*T

sing,

(so

likewise

sliehflF,

SFwiekflF,

from

slan,

smite,

flFw^an,

wash)

;

hliehhan,

laugh

(Goth,

hlahjaii) ; slieht,

battle

(i-stem).

after

palatals

(74

if.)

scieppan,

create

(Goth,

ska

jaii)

;

ciefes,

concubine

(OHG.

kebisa)

;

giest,

guest

(i-stem).

The

later forms of

these

words are

irmffu, inning-,

ildra,

ildesta,

ildu,

wiiar,

\vilm.

wilisc, wixiiJF,

slihff,

3Fwih<y,

hlihhan,

sliht,

scippan,

cifes,

gist

;

still

later are

yrmfru, yldra, wylm, wylisc, hlyhhan,

slyht,

scyppan,

cyfes, gyst,

etc. More

rarely

occur forms

eldra,

welm, wergan,

etc.

NOTE.

iniht,

might,

and

niht,

night (284),

the 1 is

tolerably

stable

(cf.

31.

note).

the

unstressed

-scipe,

-ship (263),

beside

rare

-sciepe,

the 1 is

probably

West

Germ.,

may

inferred

from

the

corresponding

OS.

forms

-skipi.

99.

Examples

e"a

liah,

high,

hfehra

comp.,

hfehst

superl.

; lie'awan,

hew,

hew2F

sing.

; n3at,

animal,

nfeten dimin.

;

b^acen,

beacon, bfecnan,

beckon; gel^afa,

belief,

gelfef

an,

believe

;

hieran,

hear

;

nfed,

need

;

lieg,

flame

(i-stems),

etc.;

afterward

hfbra,

lifhst,

niten,

bfcnan,

gelifan,

hiran.

nid,

Ifg,

and

h^hra,

bst,

n^ten,

gelifan,

li^ran, n^d ;

rarely

hhra,

n^ten,

gel*''

fan.

h<ran,

etc.

NOTE. Before c

and

the

is but seldom

written

(31. note).

For

this

there sometimes occurs the

combination

Igg

(24. note).

100. The

i-umlaut

and 60 is

exactly

the same

as that of

and

e"a,

being

represented by

ie, i, y,

and

ie,

;

is,

however,

to be

observed

that

the

umlaut

of e"o

comparatively infrequent

texts which have

dialectic

coloring

(as

Anglian,

159.

4).

52 PHONOLOGY.

Examples

of eo:

feorr,

far,

afierran,

remove;

weorpan, throw,

wierpcJ

sing.

;

weorff, ivortli, subst.,

wierare,

adj.;

weorc, work,

wiercan,

toil;

ierre,

anger,

angry,

hierde,

herdsman

(jo-stems)

;

fierst,

time

(i-stem,

with

metathesis,

179)

;

afterward

afirran, wirpST,

wirffe,

\vircan,

irre, hirde,

first,

and

afyrran, wyrpaf, wyrffe,

wyrcan, fyrst;

dialectic

wercan,

etc.

(cf.

also

giocffa,

giecfra,

gicflFa,

pruriyo

;

gycenis,

do.

;

OS.

jukido,

and

74).

NOTE 1.

Before

consonant

the variant

rarely

met with :

leoht,

light,

liehtan,

lihtan,

lighten

;

wriexlan,

wrixlan,

exchange

;

also

lixan, illuminate,

for

leohsjan,

with

early shortening

the

(Goth.

*lluhsjan).

But note the

exceptions

wiht

and

\vyht,

thing

(i-stem),

rili

tan and

ryhtan,

direct

(101),

probably

on account

the w

and

gesiehS

gesihff, gesyhft,

countenance,

because in

this

word Ii and

were

not

originally conjoined

(suffix

-9,

from

-i)>a,

255.

3).

From

geong,

young (74),

is formed

the

comp.

glngra,

superl. gin-

gest,

not

giengra,

gyngra,

etc.,

presumably

account of the initial

and in a

similar manner

are formed

giccan, itch,

giccig,

putrid

(Goth,

"jukkjan).

Beside

EWS.

gind,

there is a

rare

gieiid;

but

geond,

without

umlaut,

is common

(74;

338.

note

5).

Examples

of o :

cosan, choose,

cfesflT 3d

sing.

;

hr^owan, rue,

hrfewQ

sing.;

loht,

light,

Ifehtan,

illuminate;

gestr&m,

possession,

strfenan,

obtain;

tr^ow,

faith,

getriewe,

faithful

;

ftlestre,

gloomy

;

later

cfsS

lihtan,

strfnan,

getriwe, arfstre,

and

cjstf,

lihtan,

strfnan,

getriwe,

ST^stre

;

but

dialectic

stronan,

getr^owe,

iff^ostre,

etc.

NOTE

2. In

certain

cases

the

unumlauted

forms are doubtless

due

analogy: thus,

storan from

analogy

with

stor,

rudder

;

streonan

with

gestreou,

possession

;

treowan

with

treow,

faith,

etc.

THE

VOWELS. 53

The Palatal

Umlaut.

101.

The

palatal

umlaut

only

secondary

impor-

tance

WS.,

but its

sphere

extended

the

other

dialects

(l6l).

Its

chief

influence in

WS.

con-

sists

the

conversion into

of the

eo,

which

was

caused

the

breaking

of e

before

originally gut-

tural

-f-

consonant

(83),

this ie

afterwards

passing

into

and

(cf.

22;

100).

Thus the older

reoht,

right,

cneoht,

servant,

seox, six,

wreoxl,

change,

become

rielit, cnieht,

siex, wriexl,

and

finally

riht,

cniht,

six, wrixl,

ryht, syx,

but

hardly

cnyht,

wryxl).

In a

similar

manner

ea, e"a,

are

converted into

e, e",

before

h, x, g,

and

the

phenomena

being

rare

occurrence

until

LWS.

Examples

the latter

change

are:

before

wexan,

grow;

STweh,

wash,

imp.;

geareht,

thought;

ehteofta,

eighth;

hlehter,

laughter;

lehtrian,

accuse

;

genehhe,

sufficient

;

sell,

saw

;

sleh,

slew;

exl,

shoulder;

fex,

hair;

flex,

flax;

sex,

knife;

wex, wax,

subst.

; teli,

drew

;

tf6h,

though

;

nh,

nigh

;

nelista

(iie'xsta),

next;

helista,

highest.

before

e"ge,

eye;

bg,

ring.

before

ce"c,

cheek;

be"cn,

beacon;

gele"c, locked;

e"can,

besides.

Less

clear,

though

probably

due to

palatal

influence,

are

the forms

mihte,

could

(earlier mealite),

and

miht,

might,

mihtig,

mighty,

nilit.

night,

compared

with

xneaht,

meahtig,

neaht

(31.

note

;

98. note

;

also,

100.

note

1).

NOTE

For

other

similar

effects of

g, c,

cf.

106-109.

NOTE 2.

Upon

change

from

guttural

palatal

may perhaps

depend

the variation

the

vowel

seolf,

sielf, sylf,

self,

self

(81).

PHONOLOGY.

102. LWS.

frequently

converts

ea,

e"a into

after

the

palatals

sc :

celf,

calf

;

cerf,

slice

; gef.

gave

;

get,

got

;

get,

gate

;

ge"t,

poured

;

ce"s,

c^ose

;

sct,

sA0

;

ge>,

ymr

;

ong^n,

against

;

sce"p,

sA<?ejo

;

gesce"d,

discre-

tion, etc.,

for

cealf,

cearf

(79

ff.),

geaf,

geat

(75.

l),

ge"at,

cas,

scat

(63),

g6ar, onge'an, scap, gesce"ad

(75. 2).

NOTE.

This

umlaut

seldom occurs in an

open syllable

before

guttural

vowel,

as in

gtan

for

geaton

(75.

2).

Usually

the ea in

this

position

remains :

thus,

although

LWS. has

ger,

seep,

the

gen.

dat.

plur.

still

geara,

-um, sceapa,

-um.

The

and

o-umlaut.

103.

Before

following

original

o a

West

Germ.

may

changed

OE. to

ea,

eo,

;

but

the

influence of

this

umlaut

limited,

especially

West

Saxon.

Again,

the

effect

of the

is more ex-

tended

than

that of

the

for

which reason

consider

the

two

separately.

The

u and o

which have

given

rise

to umlaut have not

always

retained their

original

form

throughout

historic

times

: u

has

frequently

passed

into

particularly

derivative

suffixes,

while older

has

uniformly

become

older 6

being represented

now

and now

(more

rarely

u or

i).

As a

rule,

and

o-umlant

penetrate

only through

single

consonant.

Individual

exceptions

this rule are

noted below.

The

u-umlaut.

104.

Besides

being

produced

the

u of

the u-stems

(270

ff.),

the u

the

nom.

sing.

fern, and

the

nom.

ace.

plur.

short-stemmed

neuters

(252;

238),

and the

w of

the

suffixes

-wo,

-wd,,

the

u-umlaut

may

also be

occasioned

the

suffixes

-oc,

-od, -ot,

-o9",

-or,

-ol, -on,

-um,

standing

for

older

-uc,

-ud,

-ut,

etc.

(the

latter

THE

VOWELS.

endings, though

for

the most

part prehistoric,

being

occasionally

found

the

manuscripts).

105.

a to

ea.

This umlaut is

very

rare in WS.

prose.

The

only

word in

which

regularly

occurs is

perhaps

ealu

(but

gen.

dat.

also aloft beside

ealoft,

cf. 281.

;

the usual forms

are

such

basu,

brown;

calu,

callow;

cam,

care;

darocT,

arrow;

hafuc, -oc, hawk,

etc. Where

inflectional

endings might

seem

require

it,

there is

evidence

its

occurrence

;

without

exception

have

bladu,

gladu,

wadu,

baffu, paffu,

staff

fatu,

hwatu, scrafu, trafu,

salu,

walu,

dat.

plur.

bladum,

etc.,

from

blsed, blade,

glaed,

glad,

etc. Neither is ea

ever found

before

palatals

;

hence

magu,

hagu, lagu,

nacod,

racu, sacu, ftracu,

wacu,

wracu,

and

never

*meagu,

etc.

NOTE 1. In forms like

fealu,

fallow,

bealu, evil,

beside

fulu,

balu,

well

bearu,

grove,

neani,

distress,

seam,

armor,

the

not

the result of

u-umlaut,

but is

transferred

from

the

dissyllabic

cases,

gen.

fealwes, bearwes,

which exhibit

breaking

(79)

;

forms

ceafu,

geatu

(beside

gatu,

240.

note

1),

follow the

sing,

ceaf,

geat

(75.

;

for

sceadu, shadow,

gesceapu,

destiny,

see 76.

NOTE

On the other

hand,

the

poetical

texts contain

numerous

examples

as the result of u-umlaut :

cearu,

care

;

eafoff,

strength

;

heaffu-,

battle;

beadu,

gen.

beadwe

(259),

battle;

eafora,

posterity

;

heafola,

head

; heafoc,

hawk;

dearoff,

arrow

;

wearoff, shore;

eatol,

terrible,

beside

afora,

hafola,

hafoc,

etc. Even

the

inflectional u

occasionally produces

ea,

heafu, treafu,

from

haef, ocean,

trsef,

tent.

It is not

improbable

that all these

ea's

are

simply

carried over

from

Anglian originals

(cf.

App./; 160).

106.

tolerably frequent,

and

may

assumed as a normal

change:

heoru, sword;

weorod,

people;

weorold,

world;

heorot, hart;

sweoloft,

flame

;

geoloca,

yolk

; eofor, boar;

eofot,

guilt

;

geofon,

ocean;

beofon,

heaven;

seofon, seven;

meodu,

mead;

meo-

dume,

moderate;

meotod,

Grod

;

yet

sometimes

PHONOLOGY.

retained,

especially

before

dentals:

medti, medume,

nietod,

werod,

hefon,

etc.

u-umlaut

regularly

wanting

before

the

palatals

brego,

ruler;

regol,

rule; recone,

quickly

(yet

occasionally

reogol,

and once

breogo,

Andr.

305).

likewise

avoided

words

which an

inflec-

tional

is attached:

speru,

gebedu,

gemetu, gesetu,

gebrecu,

from

spere,

spear;

gebed,

prayer;

gemet,

measure;

geset,

dwelling

;

gebrec,

crash;

yet

such

words

have

now

and then

umlaut,

geseotu,

gewiofu

(from

gewef,

web),

but

chiefly

poetry.

NOTE. Here

belongs

also the

stereotyped

form

feola, much,

fre-

quently

feala

(with

unexplained

ea),

but also

fela,

the

latter

being

the

most

usual form. The variable vowel of the stem

must be

explained

the

original

variation of

the

vowel in the inflectional

syllable,

cf.

Goth,

filu,

filaus,

etc.

107.

common

older

"WS.

siolufr,

siolfur,

silver

(Goth,

silubr)

;

mioluc,

milk

(Goth.

iniluks)

;

wioloc,

whelk;

sioloc,

silk;

sionoar,

synod;

swiotol,

manifest

;

siodu,

custom

;

frioffu,

peace

;

then

in inflected

words

clif,

cliofu,

-urn,

cliff

;

bliKJ

blio3>u(m),

declivity

;

lim,

liomu(m),

limb

;

also before

two

consonants,

as in

siondun,

are;

ffiossum,

this.

Only

before

gutturals

the

very

rare

siogor,

victory

;

-tiogofra,

-tieth

(in arrftiogoSfa,

thirtieth,

etc.)

; swiocol,

deceptive.

also

occurs as an

equivalent

io,

persisting

some words

down

to the

LWS.

period:

seolfor,

meolc, seolc,

freo?Fu,

bleoffu,

etc.

In such cases

ie also

occurs,

particularly

before two

consonants,

siendun,

(Tic-sum,

subsequently

replaced

the

i, y,

into

which

the

develops:

siudun,

<7issuni,

silofr,

wiloc,

along

with

syndun,

aryssum,

sylofr, wyloc,

etc.

Before

pala-