LL-L "Phonology" 2003.06.01 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 01.JUN.2003 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: GaidhealdeAlba at aol.com
Subject: The 'R' Sound

Lowlanders,

Does anyone know of the type (or types) of 'r' sound in Old English? Is
it voiced uvular fricative, a tap, or a trill? I've personally always
figured it
to be the former, simply because that's what modern High German has, but
I gather that German has a sort of spectrum of 'r' pronunciations. So
can anyone clear this up for me?

Thanks!

Beannachdan,
Uilleam Stiùbhart

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Phonology

Hallo, a Uilleam!

Apparently, the phonology of Old English varieties has been
reconstructed -- or, better to say, traced back -- rather extensively
and thoroughly.  There are numerous descriptions as well as sound
recordings available affline and online.  (I could rummage around for
some sometime if need be.)

According to all sources I have come across, the /r/ in English was an
apical trill ([r], as in Scots, Afrikaans and Italian).  I understand
that this trill was also still very widely in use in Middle English, and
it is preserved in numerous dialects of England and Scotland even these
days.

The spread of uvual [R] in German and Dutch appears to be fairly
recent.  I am not sure what its original source was, but I suspect
French (via Alemannic in the case of German), probably reinforced by the
French fad of the 18th century.  Rural and (other) non-prestigeous
language varieties tend to retain the apical trill longer.

Note that Danish,  Danish-based Norwegian of the Bergen area, Scanian,
and Scanian-substrate Swedish, too, have the uvular [R].  This is
fascinating considering that Lowlands Saxon (Low German), just south of
Danish, has an apical trill.  Unless the development of uvual [R] in
Southern Scandinavian is coincidental (i.e., without connection to the
aforementioned), we might suspect that Danish (specifically Jutish)
first got it from German, which had established itself in what is now
Northern Germany (parts of which at times were under Danish rule), and
which was (and still is) more prestigeous than Lowlands Saxon.  However,
also note that the apical trill was (and in some cases still is)
predominant in northern dialects of German that were variously
influenced by Lowlands Saxon.  My parents' generation still pronounced
Missingsch (German on LS substrate) with an apical trill, while our
generation began pronouncing it with a uvular /r/.

The uvual [R] has in recent decades made some inroads to Lowlands Saxon
(as well as Sorbian) due to pressures of Standard German phonology.
Many younger people in Germany can no longer pronounce the trill as
proficiency in the minority languages of Germany keeps waning.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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