Processes

Part 1

ProcessesHistorical processes which have left their mark on the languages

• Complete

• Incomplete

ProcessesHistorical processes which have left their mark on the languages

• Complete– Consonant Singling: ladder latter written

running follow– Initial kn and gn: know, knee, gnat

ProcessesHistorical processes which have left their mark on the languages

• Complete• Incomplete

– FOOT-STRUT Split :butch, put, much, stuff, love, countrycushion, discussion

– BATH-TRAP Split:bath, mathpass, mass

“Incomplete” but FINISHED!

WellsChapter 3

Middle English

Wells 3.2 British prestige innovations

Wells 3.3 Some American innvoations

Wells 3.4 Later British innvoations

1400

1600"The Great

Divide"

Wells 3.1 Residualisms

Wells 1.3. Residualisms

• residue: remains, leavings, leyfar, eftirstöðvar

• processes which are completed in most dialects, but have not have occurred in all

Wells: Residualisms

• Great Vowel Shift

• NG Coalescence

• Velar Fricative

• Long Mid Mergers

• Fleece Merger

3.1.1.Great Vowel Shift

tide

sweet

clean

name

house

moon

stone

tíd

swét

clæn

nama

hús

móna

stán

´

tide

sweet

clean

name

house

moon

stone

tide

sweet

clean

name

house

moon

stone

Effects of GVS

1. Spelling: relation of “long” and “short” vowelsbit – bite, rat – rate, pen – green, rod – rode, cut - cute

2. Some words waver: privacy, patriot, lever3. Morphology: divine, divinity, serene, serenity

profane, profanity, nation national• Trisyllabic Shortening:stressed long vowel→ short /_CVCV

4. Various other relationships such as • bite-bitten, divide-division, keep-kept

5. Dialectally: difference between GVS North and South

Great Vowel Shift:South

Great Vowel Shift:North

also called “G Deletion”

• Not in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool

• Hypercorrections: loss in finger, longer

• Generalised NG coalescence in parts of Scotland and Ulster

• Variably generalised in certain words elsewhere: English, language etc

Orangutan?

• right eight brought daughter through

< riht eahta broht dohtor þurh

• borough Edinburh, cough rough laugh

• Sometimes causes lengthening

• Some retension in Traditional-dialect; but the local accent with the standard form usually exists.

http://www.hi.is/~peturk/KENNSLA/87/VARS/LongMidMergers.html

tide

sweet

clean

name

tide

sweetclean

name

Click for Processes Part 2