LL-L: "Historical phonology" LOWLANDS-L, 23.OCT.2000 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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  L O W L A N D S - L * 23.OCT.2000 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
  Posting Address: <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>
  Web Site: <http://www.geocities.com/sassisch/rhahn/lowlands/>
  User's Manual: <http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8c/userindex.html>
  Archive: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html>
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  A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
  LS=Low Saxon (Low German), S=Scots, Sh=Shetlandic, Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
  =======================================================================

From: Jorge Potter [jorgepot at caribe.net]
Subject: ¿Umlaut?

Dear Ron,

Thanks for the key to the symbols people are using. I'm not sure what
category
my present missive should fall under, but if you want to use it, please
assign
it to the correct one.

As an amateur I have been impressed by the vowel variations in all the
Lowlands languages and dialects, although I have always been told that
vowels
"don't matter much." But the most striking for me is the variation between
vowels that sound more or less like Spanish "e" and more or less like
Spanish
"o." Here are a few between English and Dutch:

English                          Dutch

ear                                 oor
east                                oost
ewe                                ooi
eye                                 oog
goat                                geit
more                               meer
oath                                 eed
one                                  een
toe                                   teen

Could these differences be related somehow to umlaut? Also on that line are

differences like Eng "mark" = Du "merk."

Had I included a NHG column, it would have been solidly with the Dutch,
whereas perhaps LS and other Lowlands languages might have been closer to
English? Any thoughts?

Cordially,

Jorge Potter

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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Historical phonology

Dear Jorge, Lowlanders,

I believe that, if actual umlauting took place, it must have done so at a
very early stage, before
these languages were written.  I doubt that it is, though.  I rather
believe that these are cases of
mere shifts (e.g., Germanic *_aust(r)o-_ > Old Norse _aust_, Old English
_êast_, Old Saxon _ôst_,
Old (High) German _ôst_ 'east').

Germanic*-O.Engl.-Mod.Engl.-Scots**-W.Fries.-O.Sax.-L.Sax.***-Dutch-German

auson - êare - /?iir/ (ear) - /?îr/ (ear) - ear - ôra - /?our/ - oor -
/?oor/ (Ohr)
aust(r)o - êast - /?iist/ (east) - /?eest/ (aist) - east - ôst - /?oost/ -
oost - /?o(o)st/ (Ost)
awi - êowu - /juu/ (ewe) - /juw/ (yowe) -? - ewwi - /?eiv(e)/**** - ooi -
--
augon - êage - /?ai/ (eye) - /?ii/ (ee) - /?eag/ (each) - ôga - /?oug(e)/ -
oog - /?aug@/ (Auge)
gaitas - gât - /gout/ (goat) - /geet/ (gait) - geit - gêt - /geit/ - geit -
/gais/ (Geiß)
maizon - mâra - /mor/ (more) - /meer/ (mair) - mear - mêro - /meir/ - meer
- /meer/ (mehr)
aithaz - âth - /?ouT/ (oath) - /?eeT/ (aith) - ? - êth - /?eid/ - eed -
/?aid/ (Eid)
ainaz - ân - /wAn/ (one) - /?een/~/jin/ (ain~yin) - ien - ên - /?ein/ - een
- /?ain/ (ein)
taih(w)ôn - tâ - /tou/ (toe) - /tei/ (tae) - tean - ? -
/tein/~/töün/~/toun/ - teen - /ceeh@/ (Zehe)

* Reconstructed
** Tentative phonemic representation
*** Low Saxon only phonemically because of flaws in the orthographies
**** but /ei-lam ~ /oi-lam/ ~ /au-lam/ 'female lamb'

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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