[gothic-l] problems with evolution of Gothic vowel system

[jdm314 at AOL.COM]

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Vito (Wiktorius? Weidja?) wrote:

<< 1)  First off, I'd be interested in knowing a little more about the fact 
that I had read on Wulfila's invention of the dieresis. Who was it that said 
that? Do you know anything more about this? >>

See my last post.


<< 2)  Would there be anyone willing to put on the list the evolution of the 
vowel system IE < *germ. < goth.  ? >>

Yes.


Why are you looking at me? Get David Salo to do it. He knows everything! ;)
    Actually, the general rules are quite simple. Basically

PGmc      Gothic
a           a
e           i
i           i
o           u
u           u
a:          a(:)
e:          e:
i:          ei
o:          o:
u:          u(:)
ai          a'i
au          a'u
eu          iu

Um, someone make emendments and/or ammendments


<<3)  I'm particularly having problems understanding the evolution of the 
word 
for pastor or shepherd:

          *germ. herdijaz < goth. haìrdeis

I understand the <ei> represents a /i:/, but I just don't know how the 
radical <e> became <aì> >>


Frankisks replied:

<< It's very simple: <ai> represents, in Wulfila's spelling, a short, 

open [e] sound. >>


This is true, but note that protogermanic e normally becomes i in gothic, 
which I'm assuming is what Vito was getting at. However, before r, h, or hw 
short i and o become ai' and au' instead of i and u. Note that r doesn't 
exactly form a natural class with h and hw, which has lead some people to 
suggest that the r might have been particularly throaty as in, say, modern 
high german. This is a cool theory, but hardly conclusive.


-IUSTEINUS

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