I've compiled a preliminary list of grammar changes that West Saxon goes through from the Late Old West Saxon Period (our Late Old English Period) through to the modern day. I've listed them in vaguely chronological order, with the rough dates associated with them in brackets. If there are three dates (or in one case two dates and a ?), the first is when the feature is first found in the literature, the second date the time in which the feature has become widespread, and the last date when no pre-change forms are found in the literature. A question mark shows that the change is not complete. For example, the death throws of thou and whom in English would be represented by a ? were I making such a list for English. Where an * is found, that means that some traditional dialects still retain the pre-change form, and the final date applies only to Standard West Saxon. Where only two dates are found, that signifies the emergence of a new feature. The first date marks the feature's first appearance, and the second when the feature becomes common. Rules concerning an * are the same as three date entries.
West Saxon Grammar Changes
[1050-1125-1250]
-ia stem nouns merge with normal -a stem strong nouns
[1050-1125-1200]
i-stem nouns merge with a/o-stem nouns, depending on gender.
[1075-1200-1250]
weak nouns lose the -n endings in the singular
[1100-1150-1225]
neuter weak nouns -> feminine weak nouns
[1100-1250]
scoln/weln/beun futures develop
[1100-1250-1375]
accusative/dative merger in pronouns
[1100-1275-1450]
case marking reduction in strong adjectives to dative, and accusative in masculine
[1100-1300-1500]
feminines gain -s in the genitive singular
[1100-1300-1375]
weak adjective inflections leveled to -n in all genders/numbers/cases
[1125-1175-1250]
u-stem nouns merge with o-stems, except if semantically masculine, in which case they shift to the masculine a-stem declension.
[1125-1200-1250]
feminine o-stem nouns take weak plurals
[1125-1275-1400]
leveling of semantic and grammatical gender, with all feminines in the o-stem, and all masculines in the a-stems, except masculine weak nouns
[1125-1275-1400]
leveling of semantic and grammatical gender, with all feminines in the o-stem, and all masculines in the a-stems, except masculine weak nouns
[1150-1225-1400]
when distinct, the accusative merges with the nominative in nouns, except with feminine -wo stems, where the accusative form replaces the nominative
[1175-1400-1625*]
remaining case distinction lost in strong adjectives in most dialects.
[1200-1275-1425]
stem umlaut in the nominative/accusative plural spreads to the genitive and dative plural.
[1225-1275-1400]
R-stem nouns merge with a/o-stems, depending on gender.
[1250-1400-1575]
dual number shifts to the "intimate" plural
[1250-1350-1400]
neuter common plural becomes -0 in regular strong nouns
[1300-1475-1650*]
weak masculine nouns merge with the o declension (a declension if semantically masculine)
[1300-1650-1775*]
SOV -> SVO underlying syntax
[1325-1375*]
beun forms the neutral future
[1350-1675-1900*]
strong verb with umlauted 2/3 person singular stem vowels
[1425-1675-1800]
merger of the subjunctive and imperative moods
[1450-1600-1725*]
loss of case distinction in articles
[1475-1750-1825]
spread of -re plural form to other "offspring" nouns.
[1550-1600-1675]
grammaticization of the use of inflected prepositions
[1550-1650]
demonstrative / definite article split
[1550-1675-1725]
modern preterite subjunctive in weak verbs
[1600-1750-1825*]
grammaticization of "or-" superlative
[1850-1950-?]
spread of e/a plural strong nouns
Look good? I'll add more as I realize what I've forgotten to include.
The West Saxon Scratchpad (Formerly the West Saxon Thread)
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Herra Ratatoskr
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Last edited by Herra Ratatoskr on Thu Nov 19, 2009 4:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I am Ratatosk, Norse Squirrel of Strife!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
Good stuff 
All very interesting. Mine has been developing in the same way in a couple of cases (merger of i-stems into a-stems, for example) but differently in others. Some thoughts~questions I had on reading your chronology:
For declensions that originally had distinct nom/acc (e.g. masc/fem weak nouns), which form survives as the WS common gender?
Also, what happens to wa-stems? Are they merged into a-stems? If so, do they regularise -w- to all forms or lose it in all forms?
Also, I'm interested in the or- superlative you mention? What is the etymology of this?
All very interesting. Mine has been developing in the same way in a couple of cases (merger of i-stems into a-stems, for example) but differently in others. Some thoughts~questions I had on reading your chronology:For declensions that originally had distinct nom/acc (e.g. masc/fem weak nouns), which form survives as the WS common gender?
Also, what happens to wa-stems? Are they merged into a-stems? If so, do they regularise -w- to all forms or lose it in all forms?
Also, I'm interested in the or- superlative you mention? What is the etymology of this?
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Herra Ratatoskr
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Whoops, looks like I forgot to include a couple things.
First, the or- superlative (which will probably wind up being the er- or eor- superlative, depending on how I decide to develop it) is a worn down form of elre- (el "all" in the genitive plural), which originally was used to mean "X-est of all." See the the adjectival morphology section of the West Saxon Reference Grammar for a discussion of its use. A similar variant can be found in the Middle English/Early Modern English prefix "alder-", which I've found as late as Shakespeare, where Queen Margaret says Henry VI was her "alderliefest (most beloved of all) sovereign."
Second, the wa/wo stems are declined as follows:
As you can see, the w merges with a schwa ending to form a u. I didn't include it because it was a morphological form change, rather than a grammatical use change, if that makes sense. Finally, the weak nouns lose the -n endings in the singular early [1075-1200-1250], and weak masculine nouns start merging with the o declension (a declension if semantically masculine) late in the Middle West Saxon period [1300-1475-1650*] (the conservative western dialects still retain a few common weak masculine nouns). I've updated the grammar change post to reflect these changes. Good catch, thanks!
First, the or- superlative (which will probably wind up being the er- or eor- superlative, depending on how I decide to develop it) is a worn down form of elre- (el "all" in the genitive plural), which originally was used to mean "X-est of all." See the the adjectival morphology section of the West Saxon Reference Grammar for a discussion of its use. A similar variant can be found in the Middle English/Early Modern English prefix "alder-", which I've found as late as Shakespeare, where Queen Margaret says Henry VI was her "alderliefest (most beloved of all) sovereign."
Second, the wa/wo stems are declined as follows:
Code: Select all
Masc Neut Fem
Sing Plur Sing Plur Sing Plur
Com -e -us -e -u -u -un
Gen -us -une -us -une -us -une
Dat -u -un -u -un -u -unI am Ratatosk, Norse Squirrel of Strife!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
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Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
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Herra Ratatoskr
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I've started working on some West Saxon derivational morphology. Expect more to follow relatively shortly.
NOMINAL DERIVATION
-r (m.) The general West Saxon masculine ending, it is cognate with English's "-er" suffix, both coming from the Anglo-Saxon "-ere." While in English, the suffix is limited to forming the masculine nomen agentis, in West Saxon it has expanded to also denote [+nominal, +animate, +masculine]. As such, it can be appended to sexually indeterminate nouns to mark them as explicitly masculine. It can also be used to make masculine, animate substantive adjectives. Thus, for instance, when added to "reid" red, the suffix gives "Reidr" "red man".
-in (f. pluralizes as -nen/-inne/-nen) This suffix functions as the feminine equivalent of -r, though its function as a feminine nomen agentis marker is relatively recent.
-c/kreft (m) study of the suffixed noun. The equivalent of the greco-romance suffix "-(o)logy", which it replaced during a rather nationalistic phase during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, when Wessex first came under direct English rule.
-ling (n, pl. -lingre) denotes the offspring of the suffixed word. ex "Catling" (kitten)
-stre (f.) No longer productive, this suffix is still found in a signifigant number of words signifying the feminine nomen agentis. It was replaced by -in beginning in the mid 19th century.
-scep (m) An abstracting suffix, this denotes rank, office of the suffixed noun, or a position.
-ur (m./f., pluralizes as -ure/-urs/-urn, depending on gender) This suffix denotes the inhabitant of the location to which the suffix is applied. In its base form it can represent either masculine or feminine inhabitants, though for disambiguation purposes the -in suffix may be applied to denote an explicitly female inhabitant. The use of the -r suffix to denote a male inhabitant is all but unheardof. The default plural form is -ure, which means a group of inhabitants of mixed gender, or one in which the gender is not considered important. The -urs plural denotes a group of male inhabitants (i.e. "Aþeinurs" would mean "men of Athens) while the -urn plural denotes a group of female inhabitants. In the genitive and dative plurals, all three forms are identical.
-stou (f) a place where the suffixed word takes place (except if it is a place of business, in which case it takes either -hus or -erei). ex. "Imoutstou" meeting place, assembly room
-hus (n) a place of business related to the suffixed word. ex "Baknhus" bakery
"Beorhus" bar, tavern (lit. "beer house")
-erei (f) same as -hus, but with words that are felt to be more "foreign", or to show contempt for a place that is being snobish. ex. "Caferei" coffeehouse "Bakerei" pretentious, artisan bakery
================
-dom (m) forms words meaning the realm associated with suffixed noun. The realm may be geographic, or more abstract. For instance, the word "cilddom" ["child-dom"] literally means "everything generally associated with being a child"
-hode (f) this suffix forms a noun meaning the state of being the suffixed adjective or noun.
-nese (f) this suffix is used to form highly idealized abstractions of the suffixed adjective.
-[þ]e (f) This is another abstracting suffix, though the result is more "concrete" than those of the -nese abstraction of an adjective. Compare "goudnese" (the idea of being good) with "goute" (an act of virtue). On a morphophonemic note, the þ of the suffix will merge with a preceding d or t to render a t, as seen above in "goute"
-ing (m) This suffix is primarily a patronymic suffix, and is thus found mainly in last names, serving as the West Saxon equivalent of "-son". It is also used in this function in the formation of Dynastic names, being suffixed to the father of the first ruler of the dynasty in question. In the plural can also be attached to family names to form collective nouns meaning "the X family" or even "the X clan". It is also used on occasion to denote something closely associated with the suffixed noun, though this is rather rare.
-(i)tet (f) This suffix functions much the same as -nese, but is only used with words felt to be of foreign origin. It is also found in borrowings such as "Universitet"
-sleing (f) This suffix is used with nouns to signify the killing of the suffixed word. It was introduced in the mid 17th century as a native equivalent of the suffix "-cide." For instance: "Mansleing" (homicide), "Kyngsleing" (regicide).
-slejr (m) This suffix was introduced along with -sleing to replace -cide in the sense of something that kills the suffixed noun. For instance, "planteslejr" (herbicide).
-[þ]r (n) This is an inanimate instrumental/agentive suffix, applied mainly to verbal stems. It follows the same morphophonemic rules as -[þ]e.
-rice (f) Originally meaning roughly the geographic realm of the prefixed word, which can still be seen in some older words (mainly relating to religion) using the suffix, such as "biscoprice" [bishopric], "Preustrice" [parish]. This use was eventually taken over by the "-dom" suffix. In its modern use, which emerged during the mid-to-late 17th century, the suffix now denotes rule by the suffixed word, and is used as a "native" equivalent to the greco-romance suffixes -archy and -cracy. For example, "Kyngrice" (monarchy)
Diminutive Suffixes
-ok (m) a diminutive suffix, with a strong pejorative sense
-kin (n) a diminutive suffix, with a neutral sense
-l,-in (n) diminutive suffixes with ameliorative senses. Use is often a matter of the speaker's own sense of euphony, though -l tends to be used with personal names more.
-ete (f) a diminutive suffix used with nouns thought to be somewhat "foreign". No pejorative/ameliorative sense attached.
Verbal Nouns
-n (n) an abstract verbal noun suffix, denoting the concept of the verb in question. It is etymologically identical to the infinitive suffix. One example; "Huntn" (the idea of hunting)
-ing (f) a concrete/instance verbal noun, denoting a specific occurrence of the verb which is being suffixed. i.e. "Hunting" (a hunt)
NOMINAL DERIVATION
-r (m.) The general West Saxon masculine ending, it is cognate with English's "-er" suffix, both coming from the Anglo-Saxon "-ere." While in English, the suffix is limited to forming the masculine nomen agentis, in West Saxon it has expanded to also denote [+nominal, +animate, +masculine]. As such, it can be appended to sexually indeterminate nouns to mark them as explicitly masculine. It can also be used to make masculine, animate substantive adjectives. Thus, for instance, when added to "reid" red, the suffix gives "Reidr" "red man".
-in (f. pluralizes as -nen/-inne/-nen) This suffix functions as the feminine equivalent of -r, though its function as a feminine nomen agentis marker is relatively recent.
-c/kreft (m) study of the suffixed noun. The equivalent of the greco-romance suffix "-(o)logy", which it replaced during a rather nationalistic phase during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, when Wessex first came under direct English rule.
-ling (n, pl. -lingre) denotes the offspring of the suffixed word. ex "Catling" (kitten)
-stre (f.) No longer productive, this suffix is still found in a signifigant number of words signifying the feminine nomen agentis. It was replaced by -in beginning in the mid 19th century.
-scep (m) An abstracting suffix, this denotes rank, office of the suffixed noun, or a position.
-ur (m./f., pluralizes as -ure/-urs/-urn, depending on gender) This suffix denotes the inhabitant of the location to which the suffix is applied. In its base form it can represent either masculine or feminine inhabitants, though for disambiguation purposes the -in suffix may be applied to denote an explicitly female inhabitant. The use of the -r suffix to denote a male inhabitant is all but unheardof. The default plural form is -ure, which means a group of inhabitants of mixed gender, or one in which the gender is not considered important. The -urs plural denotes a group of male inhabitants (i.e. "Aþeinurs" would mean "men of Athens) while the -urn plural denotes a group of female inhabitants. In the genitive and dative plurals, all three forms are identical.
-stou (f) a place where the suffixed word takes place (except if it is a place of business, in which case it takes either -hus or -erei). ex. "Imoutstou" meeting place, assembly room
-hus (n) a place of business related to the suffixed word. ex "Baknhus" bakery
"Beorhus" bar, tavern (lit. "beer house")
-erei (f) same as -hus, but with words that are felt to be more "foreign", or to show contempt for a place that is being snobish. ex. "Caferei" coffeehouse "Bakerei" pretentious, artisan bakery
================
-dom (m) forms words meaning the realm associated with suffixed noun. The realm may be geographic, or more abstract. For instance, the word "cilddom" ["child-dom"] literally means "everything generally associated with being a child"
-hode (f) this suffix forms a noun meaning the state of being the suffixed adjective or noun.
-nese (f) this suffix is used to form highly idealized abstractions of the suffixed adjective.
-[þ]e (f) This is another abstracting suffix, though the result is more "concrete" than those of the -nese abstraction of an adjective. Compare "goudnese" (the idea of being good) with "goute" (an act of virtue). On a morphophonemic note, the þ of the suffix will merge with a preceding d or t to render a t, as seen above in "goute"
-ing (m) This suffix is primarily a patronymic suffix, and is thus found mainly in last names, serving as the West Saxon equivalent of "-son". It is also used in this function in the formation of Dynastic names, being suffixed to the father of the first ruler of the dynasty in question. In the plural can also be attached to family names to form collective nouns meaning "the X family" or even "the X clan". It is also used on occasion to denote something closely associated with the suffixed noun, though this is rather rare.
-(i)tet (f) This suffix functions much the same as -nese, but is only used with words felt to be of foreign origin. It is also found in borrowings such as "Universitet"
-sleing (f) This suffix is used with nouns to signify the killing of the suffixed word. It was introduced in the mid 17th century as a native equivalent of the suffix "-cide." For instance: "Mansleing" (homicide), "Kyngsleing" (regicide).
-slejr (m) This suffix was introduced along with -sleing to replace -cide in the sense of something that kills the suffixed noun. For instance, "planteslejr" (herbicide).
-[þ]r (n) This is an inanimate instrumental/agentive suffix, applied mainly to verbal stems. It follows the same morphophonemic rules as -[þ]e.
-rice (f) Originally meaning roughly the geographic realm of the prefixed word, which can still be seen in some older words (mainly relating to religion) using the suffix, such as "biscoprice" [bishopric], "Preustrice" [parish]. This use was eventually taken over by the "-dom" suffix. In its modern use, which emerged during the mid-to-late 17th century, the suffix now denotes rule by the suffixed word, and is used as a "native" equivalent to the greco-romance suffixes -archy and -cracy. For example, "Kyngrice" (monarchy)
Diminutive Suffixes
-ok (m) a diminutive suffix, with a strong pejorative sense
-kin (n) a diminutive suffix, with a neutral sense
-l,-in (n) diminutive suffixes with ameliorative senses. Use is often a matter of the speaker's own sense of euphony, though -l tends to be used with personal names more.
-ete (f) a diminutive suffix used with nouns thought to be somewhat "foreign". No pejorative/ameliorative sense attached.
Verbal Nouns
-n (n) an abstract verbal noun suffix, denoting the concept of the verb in question. It is etymologically identical to the infinitive suffix. One example; "Huntn" (the idea of hunting)
-ing (f) a concrete/instance verbal noun, denoting a specific occurrence of the verb which is being suffixed. i.e. "Hunting" (a hunt)
I am Ratatosk, Norse Squirrel of Strife!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
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Herra Ratatoskr
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Added some more nominal derivation. I've also started reworking the syntax rules a bit, and it's starting to get rather complicated (think the bastard love child of English and German, as well as quite a few quirks it manages to develop on its own). I'm starting to worry that West Saxon syntax will wind up being rather intimidating on the incredibly off chance that anyone tries to master it.
I am Ratatosk, Norse Squirrel of Strife!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
Nice derivational morphology there I particularly like the series of semi-distinct diminutives. My only criticism would be that for realism there should probably be a bit more of graeco-/latin origin, and some more fossilised/dead/unproductive suffixes. These might, of course, be the same thing. And equally I realise that your post probably wasn't meant to cover all derivational operations used in the entire lexicon!
As for syntax - well, a good Germanic-y syntax should be rather intimidating, to be frank ^^. OE syntax certainly seems to me to have been wonderfully idiosyncratic and generally odd, and I imagine would be a lot harder to learn if there were native speakers around to say "Um, well, that really isn't the most natural way to say that".
I particularly like the series of semi-distinct diminutives. My only criticism would be that for realism there should probably be a bit more of graeco-/latin origin, and some more fossilised/dead/unproductive suffixes. These might, of course, be the same thing. And equally I realise that your post probably wasn't meant to cover all derivational operations used in the entire lexicon!As for syntax - well, a good Germanic-y syntax should be rather intimidating, to be frank ^^. OE syntax certainly seems to me to have been wonderfully idiosyncratic and generally odd, and I imagine would be a lot harder to learn if there were native speakers around to say "Um, well, that really isn't the most natural way to say that".
Salmoneus wrote:The existence of science has not been homosexually proven.
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Herra Ratatoskr
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Yeah, the West Saxon language has had some pretty intense periods of linguistic purism, most notably the period beginning after the conquest of Wessex by Charles II in 1661 and continuing through well after the establishment of West Saxon "autonomy" (though not sovereignty) in 1688. The anti-English (and anti-word forms similar to those used by the English) stayed strong through about 1720, until memories of "Do deorkn Jere" ("The dark years" of English occupation) had faded some.
In general, the West Saxons are proud of their language, and think it versatile enough to say anything they might need to. They aren't as gung-ho as, say, Icelanders (though some, outside-the-mainstream groups are even more so), but could be compared with the french in terms of appreciation of their language, though West Saxon purism does tend to come and go in waves.
I'm still trying to work a history of West Saxon "openness" to borrowings, and work out what would be borrowed when, but it is proving a touch tougher than I expected. I think that I may have been a bit overzealous in my "purging" of greco-latinisms. I'll probably update the list periodically, as well as add sections on adjectival and verbal derivation (including separable and inseparable prefixes). A conlanger's work is never done it seems.
In general, the West Saxons are proud of their language, and think it versatile enough to say anything they might need to. They aren't as gung-ho as, say, Icelanders (though some, outside-the-mainstream groups are even more so), but could be compared with the french in terms of appreciation of their language, though West Saxon purism does tend to come and go in waves.
I'm still trying to work a history of West Saxon "openness" to borrowings, and work out what would be borrowed when, but it is proving a touch tougher than I expected. I think that I may have been a bit overzealous in my "purging" of greco-latinisms. I'll probably update the list periodically, as well as add sections on adjectival and verbal derivation (including separable and inseparable prefixes). A conlanger's work is never done it seems.
Last edited by Herra Ratatoskr on Fri Dec 11, 2009 12:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
I am Ratatosk, Norse Squirrel of Strife!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
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Herra Ratatoskr
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Diachronic Syntax Notes
As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been doing some syntax work on West Saxon. After looking into Germanic syntax and its variations some, I've rethought the evolution of WS word order, and thought it might interest some of you. I'll be taking the word order from the simple SOV or PIE and Proto-Germanic, all the way through to it current incarnation. If anyone sees any screw-ups in my understanding of Old English Syntax prior to my Alt-History Point of Departure (Hastings in 1066), please feel free to let me know. I'm basing most of my OE understanding on the syntax described in this pdf.
Key to abbreviations used:
Syntax - SOV
Early on, the V2 constraint begins to influence most Germanic languages, and the Anglo-Saxon dialect group is no exception. Early in the AS period, it is a classical CP-V2 language, in that the V2 constraint only applied to independent clauses, while dependent clauses retained their SOV character. In poetry and other stylized writings, the V2 constraint is occasionally ignored, but this is quite marked.
Syntax:
Also during the period, the language begins to show a tendency to invert both nominal and pronominal subject in imperative statements, questions, sentences with negated verbs, and occasionally with the subjunctive mood. This tendency would eventually become mandatory, forming the MoWS "Irrealis Inversion" rule.
Additionally, nominal objects and adverbial constructions are occasionally placed after the main verbal complex at the end of a clause, though this is rather marked and done for emphasis purposes only. This dendancy grows during the period.
Syntax [items in () represents nominal objects/Adverbs moved for emphasis] - SVfOVnf(On/A)
During the MWS, the syntax rules develop even further. First, the placement of nominal objects and adverbs after the non-finite verb cluster becomes more and more common, until by the end of the period it has become generalized. This is the process described in the grammar change rule in my previous post,
By the Early MoWS period, there are no longer any traces of Nominal Objects found between the [FV] and the Vnf. Also, by this time the "Irrealis Inversion" has become fully productive. Under this rule, if a clause is considered "Irrealis", the verb is placed at the very front of the clause, except if the negating particle "ni" or an interrogative word (pronoun or adverb) appears in the sentence, in which case these words appear before the finite verb. The irrealis inversion is triggered when a clause is:
Syntax:
The second modern development can be found in the dialects just west of the main Winchester dialect zone, and the feature has spread as far west as the area surrounding Devon. In this feature, any possible subject or object pronoun which semantically can occur in a clause must, even if its antecedent also appears in the clause. So in these dialects, for instance, the sentence "John gave Mike a ball" would appear as "John he-gave-him-it Mike a ball." While this construction is considered somewhat "clunky" to non-speakers of the dialects it appears in, it is gaining ground, and has been doing so since its appearance in the early 20th century. So, the modern default syntax of West Saxon is as follows:
Syntax:
Any thoughts on it?
Key to abbreviations used:
- S : Subject
V : Verb
O : Object(s)
A : Adverbials
Sp : Pronominal subject
Sn : Nominal subject
Op : Pronominal Object(s)
On : Nominal Object(s)
Vf : Finite verb
Vnf : Non-finite verb cluster
Vs : Semantic verb
[FV] : Finite Verb Formation
[FVir] : Irrealis Finite Verb Formation
Neg : The Negating particle "ni"
Int : Interrogative adverbs/pronouns
Pr : Relative Pronoun
- * 450-900: Anglo-Saxon (AS) period, in which the Anglic and Saxon varieties are dialects of one language.
* 900-1250: The Old West Saxon (OWS) period, in which West Saxon and Old English are first considered separate languages, due to Norse influences. The Old English period in this scheme is roughly 900-1150. The ends of the two periods are marked by the end of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for Old English, and the establishment of the "Winchester Standard" for Old West Saxon. English develops from here on out as it does in our timeline.
* 1250-1650: The Middle West Saxon (MWS) period, which is the period of the use of the "Winchester Standard" in official written work, ending with the Conquest of Wessex by England in 1661 and the subsequent adoption of the spelling reforms of Roþgr Eigording.
* 1650-Present: Modern West Saxon (MoWS) period.
Syntax - SOV
Early on, the V2 constraint begins to influence most Germanic languages, and the Anglo-Saxon dialect group is no exception. Early in the AS period, it is a classical CP-V2 language, in that the V2 constraint only applied to independent clauses, while dependent clauses retained their SOV character. In poetry and other stylized writings, the V2 constraint is occasionally ignored, but this is quite marked.
Syntax:
- Independent Clauses - SVfOV
Dependant Clauses - SOV
Also during the period, the language begins to show a tendency to invert both nominal and pronominal subject in imperative statements, questions, sentences with negated verbs, and occasionally with the subjunctive mood. This tendency would eventually become mandatory, forming the MoWS "Irrealis Inversion" rule.
Additionally, nominal objects and adverbial constructions are occasionally placed after the main verbal complex at the end of a clause, though this is rather marked and done for emphasis purposes only. This dendancy grows during the period.
Syntax [items in () represents nominal objects/Adverbs moved for emphasis] - SVfOVnf(On/A)
During the MWS, the syntax rules develop even further. First, the placement of nominal objects and adverbs after the non-finite verb cluster becomes more and more common, until by the end of the period it has become generalized. This is the process described in the grammar change rule in my previous post,
As only nominal objects are moved past the non-finite verb cluster, pronominal objects are left behind in their original position, between the finite and non-finite verbs. From here on, the finite verb, along with any pronominal subjects or objects, are grouped into a syntactic unit usually just called the Finite Verb Formation, abbreviated [FV]. The [FV] breaks up as follows: {SpVfOp}me, earlier wrote:[1300-1650-1775*]
SOV -> SVO underlying syntax.
By the Early MoWS period, there are no longer any traces of Nominal Objects found between the [FV] and the Vnf. Also, by this time the "Irrealis Inversion" has become fully productive. Under this rule, if a clause is considered "Irrealis", the verb is placed at the very front of the clause, except if the negating particle "ni" or an interrogative word (pronoun or adverb) appears in the sentence, in which case these words appear before the finite verb. The irrealis inversion is triggered when a clause is:
- negated (though only if the entire clause is negated, not if only a noun phrase is negated by "non")
in the subjunctive mood
in the imperative mood (which is technically a subset of the subjunctive mood)
a question
Syntax:
- Realis - Sn[FV]VnfOn
Irrealis - (Neg/Int)[FVir]SnVnfOn
The second modern development can be found in the dialects just west of the main Winchester dialect zone, and the feature has spread as far west as the area surrounding Devon. In this feature, any possible subject or object pronoun which semantically can occur in a clause must, even if its antecedent also appears in the clause. So in these dialects, for instance, the sentence "John gave Mike a ball" would appear as "John he-gave-him-it Mike a ball." While this construction is considered somewhat "clunky" to non-speakers of the dialects it appears in, it is gaining ground, and has been doing so since its appearance in the early 20th century. So, the modern default syntax of West Saxon is as follows:
Syntax:
- Non-Relative Clause:
- Realis - Sn[FV]VnfOn(Vs)
Irrealis - (Neg/Int)[FVir]SnVnfOn(Vs)
- Realis - Pr[FV]SnVnfOnVs
Irrealis - Pr(Neg/Int)[FVir]SnVnfOnVs
- Realis - Sn[FV]VnfOn(Vs)
Any thoughts on it?
I am Ratatosk, Norse Squirrel of Strife!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
Very interesting stuff - a nicely believably messy development of V2 . I like your movement of full noun objects to final position in the clause.
Might the leapfrogging of the verb and nominal object in dependent clauses be a bit too fast for the timeframe? It seems like the language goes OV -> VO -> OV in dependent clauses in the space of 1000 years. Or is it that OV order in dependent clauses actually remains quite frequent throughout the timeframe, it's just a succession of reinterpretations and shifts in exact frequency? But either way, to be honest, I really know nothing about speeds of syntactic change, so it's no more than a vague impression
.
I began to write that another criticism I had was of the idea that OE was in the process of changing from CV2 to IV2 - but then I realised that you'd written OWS not OE, and that OWS refers to a point effectively after the point of departure for this althistory - is that right?
Edit: Though I now see that the symmetricity of OE/ME V2 is also the subject of the paper you linked to, so perhaps I spoke too soon.
. I like your movement of full noun objects to final position in the clause.Might the leapfrogging of the verb and nominal object in dependent clauses be a bit too fast for the timeframe? It seems like the language goes OV -> VO -> OV in dependent clauses in the space of 1000 years. Or is it that OV order in dependent clauses actually remains quite frequent throughout the timeframe, it's just a succession of reinterpretations and shifts in exact frequency? But either way, to be honest, I really know nothing about speeds of syntactic change, so it's no more than a vague impression
.I began to write that another criticism I had was of the idea that OE was in the process of changing from CV2 to IV2 - but then I realised that you'd written OWS not OE, and that OWS refers to a point effectively after the point of departure for this althistory - is that right?
Edit: Though I now see that the symmetricity of OE/ME V2 is also the subject of the paper you linked to, so perhaps I spoke too soon.
Salmoneus wrote:The existence of science has not been homosexually proven.
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Herra Ratatoskr
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Pronoun Revision:
I've been planning out a post on West Saxon simple clause syntax, but thought that before that, I should post an updated version of West Saxon's personal pronoun system, compared to what's up currently on the West Saxon Reference Grammar. This is because WS personal pronouns are often used in examples of syntax, and have changed quite a bit since the WSRG was first put up.
First the distinction between the accusative and dative cases has been completely lost, as is common to most other West Germanic languages. This was rather a hard decision to make, but ultimately I'm happy with it. A couple dialects still keep up the acc/dat distinction. It also gave me quite a bit of fodder for dialectical differences.
The distinction between emphatic and non-emphatic pronouns has remained. The non-emphatic pronouns are enclitic, and are bound to the finite verb of the clause they appear in. Emphatic pronouns are fully stressed, and are treated as nouns, rather than pronouns, for the purposes of syntax.
The emphatic pronouns are as follows:
The enclitic, non-emphatic pronoun forms are as follows:
Most forms can be easily equated to their emphatic correspondants, but the Nominative Masculine Singluar "a" deserves a quick note. The original form, "e" was ultimately displaced by "a" during the early modern period (though it was still found sporadically in writings in the Winchester dialect as late as the early 1900s). The form itself is a derivation from the Kentish dialect of West Saxon, where the emphatic form "Ha" also exists.
The instances with two forms separated by a slash show that the pronoun has two forms, depending on the phonetic characteristics of the following word, the rules for which are as follows:
The "reduced" forms of the nominative, which appear when the verb starts with a vowel or (now) sometimes j-, has also been maintained, though to not so great an extent. Here's what the reduced forms are, along with any special notes on usage:
When both a direct and indirect object pronoun appear after a verb, it is very common for the two pronouns to cluster together into a single form. These clusters are given below. They are traditionally grouped by the indirect object pronoun, as syntactically it comes first.
Clusters with the 1S IO Pronoun "me"
I've been planning out a post on West Saxon simple clause syntax, but thought that before that, I should post an updated version of West Saxon's personal pronoun system, compared to what's up currently on the West Saxon Reference Grammar. This is because WS personal pronouns are often used in examples of syntax, and have changed quite a bit since the WSRG was first put up.
First the distinction between the accusative and dative cases has been completely lost, as is common to most other West Germanic languages. This was rather a hard decision to make, but ultimately I'm happy with it. A couple dialects still keep up the acc/dat distinction. It also gave me quite a bit of fodder for dialectical differences
. The distinction between emphatic and non-emphatic pronouns has remained. The non-emphatic pronouns are enclitic, and are bound to the finite verb of the clause they appear in. Emphatic pronouns are fully stressed, and are treated as nouns, rather than pronouns, for the purposes of syntax.
The emphatic pronouns are as follows:
Code: Select all
+--+-----+-----+-----++-----+-----+-----+
| |Nom-S|Obl-S|Gen-S||Nom-P|Obl-P|Gen-P|
+--+-----+-----+-----++-----+-----+-----+
|1 |ec |mej | min ||wej |us |ur |
+--+-----+-----+-----++-----+-----+-----+
|2 |þu |þej | þin ||jej |jow |jor |
+--+-----+-----+-----++-----+-----+-----+
|3M|hej |him | hes || | | |
+--+-----+-----+-----++ | | |
|3F|hey |her | her ||hy |heom |hor |
+--+-----+-----+-----++ | | |
|3N|het |het | hes || | | |
+--+-----+-----+-----++-----+-----+-----+Code: Select all
+--+-----+-----+------++-----+-----+-----+
| |Nom-S|Obl-S|Gen-S ||Nom-P|Obl-P|Gen-P|
+--+-----+-----+------++-----+-----+-----+
|1 |ic/i |me |min/mi||we |us |ur |
+--+-----+-----+------++-----+-----+-----+
|2 |du |de |din/mi||je |jo |jur |
+--+-----+-----+------++-----+-----+-----+
|3M|a |im |is || | | |
+--+-----+-----+------++ | | |
|3F|eo |ir |ir ||y |ym |hor |
+--+-----+-----+------++ | | |
|3N|it |it |is || | | |
+--+-----+-----+------++-----+-----+-----+The instances with two forms separated by a slash show that the pronoun has two forms, depending on the phonetic characteristics of the following word, the rules for which are as follows:
- ic -> i when followed by the consonants (k,g,S,tS,j,w)
min/din -> mi/di when followed by a consonant
The "reduced" forms of the nominative, which appear when the verb starts with a vowel or (now) sometimes j-, has also been maintained, though to not so great an extent. Here's what the reduced forms are, along with any special notes on usage:
- ic -> c' before vowels and j
du -> d' before vowels and with j- is realized as [dz]
it -> t' before vowels and with j- is realized as [ts]
we -> w' before vowels only
je -> j' before vowels only
When both a direct and indirect object pronoun appear after a verb, it is very common for the two pronouns to cluster together into a single form. These clusters are given below. They are traditionally grouped by the indirect object pronoun, as syntactically it comes first.
Clusters with the 1S IO Pronoun "me"
- me'd -> me de
m'im -> me im
m'ir -> me ir
m'it -> me it
m'us -> me us
m'jo -> me jo (pronounced [m_jO] in more careful speech, and [JO] in more rapid speech)
m'ym -> me ym
m'el -> me sel
- de'm -> de me
d'im -> de im
d'ir -> de ir
d'it -> de it
d'us -> de us
d'jo -> de jo (pronounced [dzO])
d'ym -> de ym
d'el -> de sel
- im'e -> im me
- r'im -> ir im
r'ir -> ir ir
r'it -> ir it
r'us -> ir us
r'o -> ir jo
r'ym -> ir ym
r'el -> ir sel
- i'de -> it de
t'im -> it im
t'ir -> it ir
t'it -> it it
t'us -> it us
t'jo -> it jo (pronounced [tsO])
t'ym -> it ym
t'el -> it sel
- u'me -> us me
u'de -> us de
s'im -> us im
s'ir -> us ir
s'it -> us it
s'jo -> us jo (pronounced [SO])
s'ym -> us ym
u'sel -> us sel
- jo'm -> jo me
j'im -> jo im
j'ir -> jo ir
j'it -> jo it
j'us -> jo us
j'ym -> jo ym
jo'l -> jo sel
- y'me -> ym me
y'de -> ym de
ym'o -> ym jo
y'sel -> ym sel
- sel'm -> sel me
sel'd -> sel de
sel's -> sel us
se'jo -> sel jo
I am Ratatosk, Norse Squirrel of Strife!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
Just a quick note: I wanted to say that I have been increasingly impressed with what I've seen of West Saxon, and wanted to note especially the info on WS syntax and word order above -- I found it both interesting and easy to follow, and a useful reminder to me of just how simplistic my own ruminations on syntax still are. 
(The finite verb formations and clitic pronouns remind me a bit of French, oddly enough.)
Keep up the good work; I hope that you continue to post upcoming developments, and provide some samples as well.
p@,
Glenn
(The finite verb formations and clitic pronouns remind me a bit of French, oddly enough.)Keep up the good work; I hope that you continue to post upcoming developments, and provide some samples as well.
p@,
Glenn
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Herra Ratatoskr
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Thank you very much Glenn, I'm touched, truly. The language is in a bit of a significant overhaul right now. I kind of went through a stage of "Graahh! Everything about West Saxon suxorz! It needs to be more conventional, yet more quirky!!! I must fix it!!!" and took a hatchet to it all. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Too much is down right maddening .
I am currently working through, separating out the good changes from the bad ones. I'm happy to say that it is still in one piece, and many features are still retained from the original version. The actual phoneme inventory isn't going to change all that much (the only addition will be the diphthongs [ea] and [oA]), but the distribution will be changed around quite a bit. The West Saxon Bounce is also being reworked, becoming a vowel length/accentual feature, and the three length system is also being redone. And the long vowel breaking is also being reworked and scaled back.
Hopefully I'll have something to post on it soon.
PS -the clitic pronouns, while inspired by weak pronouns in Dutch and Frisian, are also strongly influenced by the french clitic pronoun system. The idea of making the pronouns mandatory in all instances ultimately dates back to my first reading of the "Street French" factoid from Zompist's "Facts from my Bookshelf Page". In a sense, that part of the grammar is actually 3 years older than the language itself!
.I am currently working through, separating out the good changes from the bad ones. I'm happy to say that it is still in one piece, and many features are still retained from the original version. The actual phoneme inventory isn't going to change all that much (the only addition will be the diphthongs [ea] and [oA]), but the distribution will be changed around quite a bit. The West Saxon Bounce is also being reworked, becoming a vowel length/accentual feature, and the three length system is also being redone. And the long vowel breaking is also being reworked and scaled back.
Hopefully I'll have something to post on it soon.
PS -the clitic pronouns, while inspired by weak pronouns in Dutch and Frisian, are also strongly influenced by the french clitic pronoun system. The idea of making the pronouns mandatory in all instances ultimately dates back to my first reading of the "Street French" factoid from Zompist's "Facts from my Bookshelf Page". In a sense, that part of the grammar is actually 3 years older than the language itself!
I am Ratatosk, Norse Squirrel of Strife!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
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Niedokonany
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Class! I also think that some actual examples of the grammatical structures would be nice when you have the sound changes redone.
The tinkering with V2 syntax reminds me of my recent work regarding Rugian; someday I'll have to post something about it here, so far I've only posted a bit in Polish on the pl conlanger forum.
One question: you've mentioned the subject of imperative clauses: does the language keep the subject overt in such clauses as 'Leave me alone!'? Or were you just talking about 1st and 3rd persons?
The tinkering with V2 syntax reminds me of my recent work regarding Rugian; someday I'll have to post something about it here, so far I've only posted a bit in Polish on the pl conlanger forum.
One question: you've mentioned the subject of imperative clauses: does the language keep the subject overt in such clauses as 'Leave me alone!'? Or were you just talking about 1st and 3rd persons?
uciekajcie od światów konających
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Herra Ratatoskr
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Update: I've got myself some more involved web hosting, and have made a provisional update of the grammar site's look. I haven't begun transferring over content, but I've got a look worked out. You can see the homepage (with the grammar's TOC) at http://westsaxon.ratatosksden.com/grammar/. Let me know what you think!
@Piotr : Yes, the pronouns are only normally included for 1st/3rd person imperatives. 2nd person is normally dropped, but can be added for emphasis. I'd love to provide some examples, and probably will do so eventually, but it's like pulling teeth for me to come up with sentences that don't make me cringe for some reason. Does anyone know a good way of coming up with decent sample sentences for illustrating grammar points?
@Piotr : Yes, the pronouns are only normally included for 1st/3rd person imperatives. 2nd person is normally dropped, but can be added for emphasis. I'd love to provide some examples, and probably will do so eventually, but it's like pulling teeth for me to come up with sentences that don't make me cringe for some reason. Does anyone know a good way of coming up with decent sample sentences for illustrating grammar points?
I am Ratatosk, Norse Squirrel of Strife!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
Looks good!WMiller wrote:Update: I've got myself some more involved web hosting, and have made a provisional update of the grammar site's look. I haven't begun transferring over content, but I've got a look worked out. You can see the homepage (with the grammar's TOC) at http://westsaxon.ratatosksden.com/grammar/. Let me know what you think!
I find these Graded Sentences for Analysis quite useful to build on. Many of them are highly culture-specific, but you can always change the content words, and the problem shouldn't be as severe for you anyway because West Saxon is set on a parallel earth, allowing you to pretend you're translating from the original author.Does anyone know a good way of coming up with decent sample sentences for illustrating grammar points?
Blog: audmanh.wordpress.com
Conlangs: Ronc Tyu | Buruya Nzaysa | Doayâu | Tmaśareʔ
Conlangs: Ronc Tyu | Buruya Nzaysa | Doayâu | Tmaśareʔ
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Herra Ratatoskr
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Guess what's back!
Back again!
West Saxon's back!
Tell a friend!
Once again, I work my thread necromancer powers to bring this thing back from prunage oblivion. I've finally worked out some new diachronics to my liking (including a wholly revised take on the "West Saxon Bounce" that I finally like) and am posting the first part herein. I've decided to write it up as more than just a series of rules, but actually try and give each change a name and a bit of a write up, as well as the standard X/Y/_Z format. Hopefully when all is said and done, this will wind up in the appendix of the West Saxon Reference Grammar. Let me know what you think!
Note: this post just has Old West Saxon to Middle West Saxon changes. I'll post Middle to Modern and Modern to Today later, when I get a chance to type them up.
1 Old West Saxon Period (900-1250) Sound Changes
The Old West Saxon period's traditional demarcation from the Anglo-Saxon period (450-900) is based primarily on socio-historical factors - the influx of Old Norse speakers into Anglo-Saxon territory, rather than strictly linguistic ones. Therefore, while the end of the Anglo-Saxon period is usually considered the spliting point between the Anglic and Saxon branches of Insular Ingvaeonic, some early sound changes experienced by Old West Saxon are also shared by the Midland dialects of Old English, which would go on to become the foundation of Modern English.
1.1 Length Alteration Before Consonant Clusters
Anglo-Saxon tonic and post-tonic vowel (and diphthong) length is modified under two circumstances. First, short vowels are lengthened when followed by a two consonant cluster consisting of a liquid or nasal (l,r,m,n,ŋ) plus a homorganic voiced stop, as well as by the cluster /rl/. This lengthening was blocked when the cluster was followed by another consonant. Additionally, Anglo-Saxon long vowels (regardless of stress level) were also shortened when followed by a cluster of three (or more) consonants.
V'/V:/_L(V,#) {tonic, post-tonic}
V:/V'/_CCC
1.2 Trisyllabic Laxing
Long vowels (and diphthongs) are shortened when they are followed by two additional syllables within the same word This applies primarily to prefixes, as well as some inflected forms of bisyllabic roots. In the case of length variations caused by inflected forms, analogy generally levels all forms to either a long, or short vowel, though it is difficult to determine what rules (if any) govern what form a word might take.
V:/V'/_...V...V
1.3 "M" Neutralization
In inflectional and pretonic syllables, coda /m/ is neutralized to /n/. This change seems to have taken some time to complete, as scribal evidence shows that the change (in inflectional syllables at least) began rather early, but forms with <m> appear until the early 12th century. This may, however, simply be a product of scribal training and tradition, and not be representative of the spoken language.
m/n/_. {pre-tonic, inflectional}
1.4 "M" Assimilation
In a similar process to 1.3, /m/ would also shift to /n/ when adjacent to /s/, except when part of an initial /sm/ cluster.
m/n/_s
m/n/s_ <except initially>
1.5 Long "A" Retraction
When non-enclitic, the long vowel /aː/ is retracted to a long low back vowel, generally considered to be /ɔː/. This phoneme would, during the Middle West Saxon Period, typically be written using the diagraph <oa>
aː/ɔː/_ {non-enclitic}
1.6 Initial Fricative Voicing
The fricatives /f/, /θ/, /s/, and /ʃ/ voiced to /v/, /ð/, /z/, and /ʒ/ when initial, except if followed imediately by a voiceless consonant. Note: this change is allophonic at this point, as voicing contrast does not exist for fricatives at this point in the language, but it is important to note now, as a voicing contrast between /f/ and /v/ will develop later in the language.
(f,θ,s,ʃ)/(v,ð,z,ʒ)/#_[+Voiced]
1.7 Diphthong Smoothing
The original Anglo-Saxon dipthongs ea[æa]/eo[eʊ]/ie[iʏ] are reduced to the monophthongs æ/ø/y. Length is retained, so [æːa], [eːʊ], and [iːʏ] yield [æː], [øː], and [yː] respectively.
(æa, eʊ, iʏ)/(æ, ø, y)/_
1.8 Nasal+Stop Cluster Simplification
In pretonic syllables, a nasal plus a voiced homorganic stop cluster simplify by dropping the stop.
(mb,nd,ŋg)/(m,n,ŋ)/_ {pretonic}
1.9 "X" Semi-Vocalization
Intervocally, the velar fricative /x/ would soften to an approximant, depending on the quality of the preceding vowel. If preceded by a back vowel, /x/ would become /w/. If preceded by a front vowel, however, /x/ became /j/.
x/(j,w)/([V+Front],[V+Back])_V
1.10 Nasal "E" Raising
In non-tonic syllables (including inflectional syllables) a short e will raise to i when followed by a nasal. This is most noticably seen in the preterite plural verbal inflection, where this rule maintained the morphological distinction between the the indicative (ModWS -dn < OWS -don) and subjunctive (ModWS -din < OWS -den) endings.
ĕ/ĭ/_[C+nasal] {non-tonic}
1.11 Inflectional Vowel Reduction
By the middle of the OWS period, the inflectional vowels (excluding i) had reduced to schwa, typically written <e>. It is likely (due to scribal evidence) that /o/ and /a/ were the first to merge, probably to [ʌ] or something similar. Soon after, /u/ merged with the resulting [ʌ]. /e/ was probably last to merge with [ʌ], and by this time the vowel had probably centered to [ə]. Interestingly, not all dialects underwent this change completely. The westernmost dialects of the cornish peninsula maintain to this day a distinction between the reflexes of OWS a/u/o, traditionally written <a> and pronounced [ʌ], and the reflexes of OWS i/e, written <i> and pronounced [ɨ]. With this distinction intact, these dialects were able to retain much more of the Old West Saxon inflectional system than other dialects for much later than other dialects.
(a,e,o,u)/ə/_ {inflectional}
1.12 "W" Alteration
The rounded front vowels /y/ and /ø/, as well as /æ/, are all modified when they are preceded by /w/. /y/ dissimilates, losing its roundedness, becoming /i/. /ø/ on the other hand undergoes assimilation, retracting to /u/ (in some dialects /o/). /æ/ also retracts, becoming /a/.
(y,ø,æ)/(i,o,a)/w_
1.13 "X" + Sonorant Simplification
The Anglo-Saxon consonant clusters of the velar fricative /x/ plus the sonorants /ɹ/, /l/, /w/, and /n/ simplified. Preceding /n/, /x/ was lost in all contexts. Before /ɹ/, /l/, and /w/, /x/ is lost word internally, but causes devoicing to /ɹ̥/, /l̥/, and /ʍ/ initially. Additionally, the clusters of /ɹx/ and /lx/ simplify and devoice to /ɹ̥/ and /l̥/ as well.
x(w,l,ɹ)/(ʍ,ɹ̥,l̥)/#_
x//_(w,l,ɹ,n)/_
(ɹ,l)x/(ɹ̥,l̥)/_
1.14 "Æ" Raising
Towards the end of the OWS period, the vowel /æ/ is raised to /ɛ/. The letter <æ> would continue to be used to write /ɛ/ during the MWS Period, while the diagraph <ea> would be used for /ɛː/.
æ/ɛ/_
1.15 "T" Production
This change actually encompases several different changes which occured at roughly the same time, and all resulted in a change of a consonant to /t/. Its predominant effect was seen in the verbal inflections. The first change involved word final clusters of a dental stop plus the dental fricative /θ/ simplifying to just /t/. The second change involved /d/ devoicing when followed by the cluster /st/. The final change involved the dental fricative /θ/ hardening to /t/ when word final and preceded by a consonant.
(t,d)θ/t/_#
d/t/_st
θ/t/C_#
1.16 "y/ø" Breaking
Also towards the end of the period, the front rounded vowels y/ø would diphthongize when stressed, breaking into [ju] and [jo] respectively.
(y,ø)/(ju,jo)/#_ {tonic}
1.17 "V" Semi-Vocalization.
The voiced allophone of /f/ softened to /w/ under two circumstances. The first of these involves /f/ found after a vowel, and followed by a simple short back vowel, which is in turn followed by a consonant. In this case, the /f/ and the following vowel merge into /w/ (in some dialects, this did not occur if the following vowel was /a/). In the second case, if /f/ is preceded by a vowel and followed by a voiced consonant, then the /f/ becomes /w/.
f(a,o,u)/w/V_C
f/w/V_[C+Voiced]
1.18 "SN/SR" Metathesis
The consonant clusters /sn/ and /sr/ undergoes metathesis to /ns/ and /rs/ when found intervocally. This rule remains effective through most of the MiWS Period.
(sn,sɹ)/(ns,ɹs)/V_V
1.19 Vowel Shortening
Long OWS vowels would shorten under a number of circumstances. The most common of these is when long vowels is followed by two consonants, unless those two are one of the lengthening clusters described in 1.1. Vowels would also shorten if they were post-tonic and preceded by a long vowel. Finally, vowels would shorten if they were pretonic, and followed by a long tonic vowel. Note: The long open-mid back vowel /ɔː/, when shortened, merged with the open closed short vowel /o/.
V:/V'/_CC <except where CC=L>
V:/V'/V:..._ {post-tonic}
V:/V'/_...[V:+tonic] {pre-tonic}
Back again!
West Saxon's back!
Tell a friend!
Once again, I work my thread necromancer powers to bring this thing back from prunage oblivion. I've finally worked out some new diachronics to my liking (including a wholly revised take on the "West Saxon Bounce" that I finally like) and am posting the first part herein. I've decided to write it up as more than just a series of rules, but actually try and give each change a name and a bit of a write up, as well as the standard X/Y/_Z format. Hopefully when all is said and done, this will wind up in the appendix of the West Saxon Reference Grammar. Let me know what you think!
Note: this post just has Old West Saxon to Middle West Saxon changes. I'll post Middle to Modern and Modern to Today later, when I get a chance to type them up.
1 Old West Saxon Period (900-1250) Sound Changes
The Old West Saxon period's traditional demarcation from the Anglo-Saxon period (450-900) is based primarily on socio-historical factors - the influx of Old Norse speakers into Anglo-Saxon territory, rather than strictly linguistic ones. Therefore, while the end of the Anglo-Saxon period is usually considered the spliting point between the Anglic and Saxon branches of Insular Ingvaeonic, some early sound changes experienced by Old West Saxon are also shared by the Midland dialects of Old English, which would go on to become the foundation of Modern English.
1.1 Length Alteration Before Consonant Clusters
Anglo-Saxon tonic and post-tonic vowel (and diphthong) length is modified under two circumstances. First, short vowels are lengthened when followed by a two consonant cluster consisting of a liquid or nasal (l,r,m,n,ŋ) plus a homorganic voiced stop, as well as by the cluster /rl/. This lengthening was blocked when the cluster was followed by another consonant. Additionally, Anglo-Saxon long vowels (regardless of stress level) were also shortened when followed by a cluster of three (or more) consonants.
V'/V:/_L(V,#) {tonic, post-tonic}
V:/V'/_CCC
1.2 Trisyllabic Laxing
Long vowels (and diphthongs) are shortened when they are followed by two additional syllables within the same word This applies primarily to prefixes, as well as some inflected forms of bisyllabic roots. In the case of length variations caused by inflected forms, analogy generally levels all forms to either a long, or short vowel, though it is difficult to determine what rules (if any) govern what form a word might take.
V:/V'/_...V...V
1.3 "M" Neutralization
In inflectional and pretonic syllables, coda /m/ is neutralized to /n/. This change seems to have taken some time to complete, as scribal evidence shows that the change (in inflectional syllables at least) began rather early, but forms with <m> appear until the early 12th century. This may, however, simply be a product of scribal training and tradition, and not be representative of the spoken language.
m/n/_. {pre-tonic, inflectional}
1.4 "M" Assimilation
In a similar process to 1.3, /m/ would also shift to /n/ when adjacent to /s/, except when part of an initial /sm/ cluster.
m/n/_s
m/n/s_ <except initially>
1.5 Long "A" Retraction
When non-enclitic, the long vowel /aː/ is retracted to a long low back vowel, generally considered to be /ɔː/. This phoneme would, during the Middle West Saxon Period, typically be written using the diagraph <oa>
aː/ɔː/_ {non-enclitic}
1.6 Initial Fricative Voicing
The fricatives /f/, /θ/, /s/, and /ʃ/ voiced to /v/, /ð/, /z/, and /ʒ/ when initial, except if followed imediately by a voiceless consonant. Note: this change is allophonic at this point, as voicing contrast does not exist for fricatives at this point in the language, but it is important to note now, as a voicing contrast between /f/ and /v/ will develop later in the language.
(f,θ,s,ʃ)/(v,ð,z,ʒ)/#_[+Voiced]
1.7 Diphthong Smoothing
The original Anglo-Saxon dipthongs ea[æa]/eo[eʊ]/ie[iʏ] are reduced to the monophthongs æ/ø/y. Length is retained, so [æːa], [eːʊ], and [iːʏ] yield [æː], [øː], and [yː] respectively.
(æa, eʊ, iʏ)/(æ, ø, y)/_
1.8 Nasal+Stop Cluster Simplification
In pretonic syllables, a nasal plus a voiced homorganic stop cluster simplify by dropping the stop.
(mb,nd,ŋg)/(m,n,ŋ)/_ {pretonic}
1.9 "X" Semi-Vocalization
Intervocally, the velar fricative /x/ would soften to an approximant, depending on the quality of the preceding vowel. If preceded by a back vowel, /x/ would become /w/. If preceded by a front vowel, however, /x/ became /j/.
x/(j,w)/([V+Front],[V+Back])_V
1.10 Nasal "E" Raising
In non-tonic syllables (including inflectional syllables) a short e will raise to i when followed by a nasal. This is most noticably seen in the preterite plural verbal inflection, where this rule maintained the morphological distinction between the the indicative (ModWS -dn < OWS -don) and subjunctive (ModWS -din < OWS -den) endings.
ĕ/ĭ/_[C+nasal] {non-tonic}
1.11 Inflectional Vowel Reduction
By the middle of the OWS period, the inflectional vowels (excluding i) had reduced to schwa, typically written <e>. It is likely (due to scribal evidence) that /o/ and /a/ were the first to merge, probably to [ʌ] or something similar. Soon after, /u/ merged with the resulting [ʌ]. /e/ was probably last to merge with [ʌ], and by this time the vowel had probably centered to [ə]. Interestingly, not all dialects underwent this change completely. The westernmost dialects of the cornish peninsula maintain to this day a distinction between the reflexes of OWS a/u/o, traditionally written <a> and pronounced [ʌ], and the reflexes of OWS i/e, written <i> and pronounced [ɨ]. With this distinction intact, these dialects were able to retain much more of the Old West Saxon inflectional system than other dialects for much later than other dialects.
(a,e,o,u)/ə/_ {inflectional}
1.12 "W" Alteration
The rounded front vowels /y/ and /ø/, as well as /æ/, are all modified when they are preceded by /w/. /y/ dissimilates, losing its roundedness, becoming /i/. /ø/ on the other hand undergoes assimilation, retracting to /u/ (in some dialects /o/). /æ/ also retracts, becoming /a/.
(y,ø,æ)/(i,o,a)/w_
1.13 "X" + Sonorant Simplification
The Anglo-Saxon consonant clusters of the velar fricative /x/ plus the sonorants /ɹ/, /l/, /w/, and /n/ simplified. Preceding /n/, /x/ was lost in all contexts. Before /ɹ/, /l/, and /w/, /x/ is lost word internally, but causes devoicing to /ɹ̥/, /l̥/, and /ʍ/ initially. Additionally, the clusters of /ɹx/ and /lx/ simplify and devoice to /ɹ̥/ and /l̥/ as well.
x(w,l,ɹ)/(ʍ,ɹ̥,l̥)/#_
x//_(w,l,ɹ,n)/_
(ɹ,l)x/(ɹ̥,l̥)/_
1.14 "Æ" Raising
Towards the end of the OWS period, the vowel /æ/ is raised to /ɛ/. The letter <æ> would continue to be used to write /ɛ/ during the MWS Period, while the diagraph <ea> would be used for /ɛː/.
æ/ɛ/_
1.15 "T" Production
This change actually encompases several different changes which occured at roughly the same time, and all resulted in a change of a consonant to /t/. Its predominant effect was seen in the verbal inflections. The first change involved word final clusters of a dental stop plus the dental fricative /θ/ simplifying to just /t/. The second change involved /d/ devoicing when followed by the cluster /st/. The final change involved the dental fricative /θ/ hardening to /t/ when word final and preceded by a consonant.
(t,d)θ/t/_#
d/t/_st
θ/t/C_#
1.16 "y/ø" Breaking
Also towards the end of the period, the front rounded vowels y/ø would diphthongize when stressed, breaking into [ju] and [jo] respectively.
(y,ø)/(ju,jo)/#_ {tonic}
1.17 "V" Semi-Vocalization.
The voiced allophone of /f/ softened to /w/ under two circumstances. The first of these involves /f/ found after a vowel, and followed by a simple short back vowel, which is in turn followed by a consonant. In this case, the /f/ and the following vowel merge into /w/ (in some dialects, this did not occur if the following vowel was /a/). In the second case, if /f/ is preceded by a vowel and followed by a voiced consonant, then the /f/ becomes /w/.
f(a,o,u)/w/V_C
f/w/V_[C+Voiced]
1.18 "SN/SR" Metathesis
The consonant clusters /sn/ and /sr/ undergoes metathesis to /ns/ and /rs/ when found intervocally. This rule remains effective through most of the MiWS Period.
(sn,sɹ)/(ns,ɹs)/V_V
1.19 Vowel Shortening
Long OWS vowels would shorten under a number of circumstances. The most common of these is when long vowels is followed by two consonants, unless those two are one of the lengthening clusters described in 1.1. Vowels would also shorten if they were post-tonic and preceded by a long vowel. Finally, vowels would shorten if they were pretonic, and followed by a long tonic vowel. Note: The long open-mid back vowel /ɔː/, when shortened, merged with the open closed short vowel /o/.
V:/V'/_CC <except where CC=L>
V:/V'/V:..._ {post-tonic}
V:/V'/_...[V:+tonic] {pre-tonic}
Last edited by Herra Ratatoskr on Wed May 12, 2010 9:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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I'd hoped to have the full Middle West Saxon Period Changes done tonight, but it's 2 in the morning, I'm tired, and I've only go the vowel changes typed up, so here they are. Please excuse any typos, and I'm rather bleary eyed. The consonant changes will be edited in sometime tomorrow (I hope). Enjoy (and comment?)!
*Consonantal changes and numbering added.
2 Middle West Saxon Period (1250-1650)
2.1 Semivowel Shortening
The semivocalization of Old West Saxon /x/ created a number of new diphthongs of the "vowel+j/w" variety. Soon after their creation, the initial elements of these diphthongs, when long, shortened. Additionally, the open mid vowels merged with the closed mid vowels, and rounded front vowels caused rounding of the following glides.
i:/i'/_j
u:/u'/_w
(e,ɛ)/e'/_j
(o,ɔ)/o'/_w
(y,ø)j/(y,ø)'ɥ/_
2.2 Vowel Lengthening
Simple short vowels undergo lengthening when they are part of a tonic or post-tonic syllable which is adjacent to a single voiced consonant. This lengthening does not come into effect for post-tonic vowels which are in a word with another long vowel (including long tonic vowels generated by this rule). This demonstrates a tendency for West Saxon words to resist having more than one long vowel in a word stem. Trisyllabic laxing (1.2) is still productive at this point, and will also undo lengthening.
V'/V:/_[C+Voiced](#,V) {tonic, post-tonic}
2.3 Voiceless Liquid Developments
The voiceless liquids /ʍ/, /ɹ̥/, and /l̥/ (from Anglo-Saxon velar-liquid clusters) undergo a number of developments at this time. First, the voiceless /ʍ/ becomes /w/ when between voiced sounds, and /f/ otherwise. This leads to a phonetic distinction between /f/ and /v/ word initially. /ɹ̥/ and /l̥/ both revoice to /ɹ/ and /l/ respectively, except when word initial. /l̥/ also undergoes, at some point, a shift to /ɬ/ (probably under influence from Welsh).
ʍ/w/[+Voiced]_[+Voiced]
ʍ/f/_
(l̥,ɹ̥)/(l,ɹ)/_ <except>
l̥/ɬ/_
2.4 Inflectional Sonorant Vocalization
The inflectional schwa of early MWS would, under certain conditions, merge with an adjacent sonorant. When the schwa was preceded by a nasal, liquid, or semivowel, which was in turn preceded by a consonant, the schwa and preceding sonorant would merge into a syllabic consonant or simple vowel. When the schwa stood before a nasal or liquid coda, the two would also merge into a syllabic consonant. If both situations were possible - e.g. in the sequence "-twəl" - the preceding consonant would vocalize, but not the following. Therefore, the aforemention cluster would yield "-tʊl", rather than "-twl̩"
(j,w,ɹ,l,m,n)ə/(ɪ,ʊ,ɹ̩,l̩,m̩,n̩)/C_ {inflectional}
ə(ɹ,l,n)/(ɹ̩,l̩,n̩)/_. {inflectional}
2.5 Open Inflectional Syllable Lengthening
One of the most intriguing (and impactful) developments of the MWS Period is the phenomenon of word final inflectional vowel lenghtening in open syllables. The most widely accepted explanation is that the lengthening is actually a case of length equalization, between "light" inflectional syllables (those with no coda), and "heavy" ones (those with a coda). It is argued that the vowels of heavy inflectional syllables underwent shortening (and eventually apocope in many cases), while the vowels of light inflectional syllables experienced lengthening to compensate for the absence of a coda. This lengthening should be understood to be only in terms relative to the closed inflectional vowels, and were probably not as long as the long vowels of the stems. Dating this rule is difficult, as the development was never shown orthographically, being mainly allophonic. The only real evidence, from a few comments about the "strange rhythm" of the West Saxon language, points to the change having occured before the end of the 14th century.
V/V:/_# {inflectional}
2.6 Pretonic & Enclitic Initial Developments
In pretonic syllables, word initial /h/ is lost. Additionally, in enclitic syllables word initial /ð/ is hardened to /d/ this leads to a morphological distinction between the demonstrative adjectives/pronouns and relative pronouns, which have pretonic stress, and the definite articles, which have enclitic stress.
h//#_ {pretonic}
ð/d/#_ {enclitic}
2.7 Short High Vowel Lowering
The three high vowels , [y], and were lowered in tonic and post-tonic syllables when short, except when followed by a nasal consonant.
(i,y,u)/(e,ø,o)/_[C-Nasal] {tonic, post-tonic}
2.8 Pre-Velar Breaking
In tonic and post-tonic syllables the short, non-high vowels all underwent diphthongization when followed by the velar fricative plus another consonant. The unrounded front vowels both merged and recieved a /j/ offglide, while the rounded front vowel recieved a /ɥ/ and the back mid vowels a /w/. The presumed offglide for /a/ (if it even existed) is debated, as it quickly merged with /a/, lengthening it. This lengthening is blocked by trisyllabic laxing and the presence of a preceding long vowel.
(ĕ,ɛ̆)/ej/_hC {tonic, post-tonic}
ø̆/øɥ/_hC {tonic, post-tonic}
ŏ/ow/_hC {tonic, post-tonic}
ă/aː/_hC {tonic, post-tonic}
2.9 Enclitic Final "C" Dropping
Word finally, the affricate /tʃ/ is dropped if the following word begins with a dorsal consonant (k,g,w,j,h) or an affricate.
tʃ//_#[C+Dorsal] {enclitic}
tʃ//_#(tʃ,dʒ) {enclitic}
2.10 "T/D" Labiovelarization
The clusters /tw/ and /dw/ undergo labiovelarization to /kw/ and /gw/ respectively.
(tw,dw)/(kw,gw)/_
2.11 Geminate Simplification
Geminate consonant clusters simplify to single consonants.
C:/C/_
2.12 Inflectional Apocope
When preceding a lengthened inflectional vowel, a schwa will drop if followed by a single consonant, unless an illegal consonant cluster wil occur. This mainly affects the genitive plural ending and the inflected infinitive ending (both "-ene" > "-ne").
ə//_Cəː {inflectional}
2.13 Post-tonic Non-High Sonorant Vocalization
In closed, post-tonic syllables, short non-high vowels will merge with a following liquid or nasal, creating a syllabic consonant, if preceded by a consonant.
[V-High]'(ɹ,l,m,n,ŋ)/(ɹ̩,l̩,m̩,n̩,ŋ̩)/C_. {post-tonic}
2.14 "T" Loss
Between /s/, /t/ is lost.
t//s_s
2.15 "L" Dropping
When found between a front vowel and the affricates [tʃ] or [dʒ], l is dropped in non-tonic syllables.
l//[V+Front]_(tʃ,dʒ) {non-tonic}
2.16 Pretonic Vowel Reduction
The vowels of pretonic syllables underwent a series of reductions. First, any short pretonic vowel preceded by a consonant and followed by a liquid merged with the liquid to form a syllabic consonant. This is similar to the sonorant vocalization of 2.11, though all short vowels merged, not just non-high ones. Next, the short mid vowels merged with the nearest adjacent non-mid vowel. Next the long vowels of the pretonic syllables lost their length, and the close-mid and open-mid vowels merged into a single mid-height vowel set. Finally, unless an illegal consonant cluster would be created, word final simple pretonic vowels are dropped. About the same time, the pretonic prefix /je-/ is reduced to /i-/ before consonants, and /j-/ before vowels.
V'(ɹ,l,m,n,ŋ)/(ɹ̩,l̩,m̩,n̩,ŋ̩)/C_ {pretonic}
(e,ɛ,ø,o)'/(i,a,y,u)'/_ {pretonic}
V:/V'/_ {pretonic}
(ɛ,ɔ)/(e,o)/_ {pretonic}
V//_# {pretonic}
je/(i,j)/#_(C,V) {pretonic}
2.17 "L" Semivocalization
In pretonic syllables, /l/ following a non-front vowel and followed by a voiced consonant undergoes semivocalization to /w/.
l/w/[V-Front]_[C+Voiced] {pretonic}
2.18 Syllabic Devocalization
All syllabic consonants lose their syllabic quality if followed by a vowel.
(ɹ̩,l̩,m̩,n̩,ŋ̩)/(ɹ,l,m,n,ŋ)/_V
2.19 "W" Diphthong Shift
When followed by either /ĭ/ or /ĕ/, tonic and post-tonic /w/ vocalizes to /u/ when preceded by a consonant. This /u/ subsequently undergoes height harmonization with /ĕ/ to /o/. The following /ĭ/ or /ĕ/ both then reduce to /j/ leaving the falling diphthongs /uj/ and /oj/.
w(ĭ,ĕ)/(uj,oj)/C_ {tonic, post-tonic}
2.20 Pretonic "AW" Simplification
In pretonic syllables, the diphthong /aw/ simplifies to /o/.
aw/o/_ {pretonic}
2.21 "W" Hardening
When part of the clusters /zwV/, /#wlV/, and /#wɹV/, /w/ undergoes hardening to the voiced fricative /v/
w/v/(z_V,#_(l,ɹ))
2.22 Middle West Saxon Long Vowel Breaking
This was the first step in the eventual loss of phonemic vowel length by the end of MWS Period. All tonic long vowels diphthongized when part of a closed syllable (unless the coda was a rhotic). Additionally, long tonic vowels would diphthongize if followed by a voiceless consonant. While most West Saxon dialects would undergo this shift, the subsequent development of these diphthongs differed from region to region, and are a main distinction between the dialects.
(iː,eː,ɛː,yː,øː,uː,oː,ɔː,aː)/(ij,ej,ɛa,yɥ,øɥ,uw,ow,ɔa,aə)/_([C-Rhotic].,[C-Voice]) {tonic}
2.23 Enclitic Apocope
Word final schwa, /ɹ/, and /n/ are dropped from words with enclitic stress. A schwa plus /ɹ/ or /n/ only loses the schwa.
(ə,ɹ,n)//_# {enclitic}
2.24 Non-Mid Diphthong Simplification
In the Witncestr dialect, the non-mid diphthongs /ij/, /yɥ/, /uw/, and /aə/ simplify to the long vowels /iː/, /yː/, /uː/, and /aː/. These include the products of breaking, as well as earlier instances of /ij/ and /uw/. This merger also applies across syllable boundaries, causing the resulting /iː/ and /uː/to sometimes appear in hiatus with other vowels.
(ij,yɥ,uw,aə)/(iː,yː,uː,aː)/_
2.25 Remaining Vowel Length Loss
The distinction between long and short vowels is lost. At first, it is believed the length is dropped and simplified to a probably pre-existing and coexisting distinction of tense vs. lax. This is then reworked, with all (non-inflectional) vowels becoming tense when word final or when followed by a voiced consonant or another vowel. Vowels become lax in all other situations. Vowels also become somewhat rhoticized before /r/, and this rhoticization soon becomes laxness in the Witncestr dialect. With this, all original traces of vowel length are wiped out. Inflectional long vowels are not affected by these changes.
(V:,V')/([V+Tense],[V+Lax])/_ {tonic, post-tonic}
V/[V+Tense]/_(#,[C+Voice],V) {tonic, post-tonic}
V/[V+Lax]/_(r,[C-Voice]) {tonic, post-tonic}
2.26 "GW" Rounding
The unrounded front vowels and diphthongs, and /a/, absorb the labial element of a preceding voiced labiovelar /gw/ and undergo rounding, leaving a rounded vowel and a simple /g/. In some dialects the same occurs with the voiceless labiovelar /kw/.
w(i,e,ej,ɛa,a)/(y,ø,øɥ,ɔa,o)/g_
2.27 First Schwa Dropping
When not immediately preceded by a tonic syllable, a schwa will drop when between two consonants, except if an illegal consonant cluster would be created.
ə//[-tonic]...C_C {inflectional}
2.28 Open Inflectional Lengthening
Long inflectional vowels lose their length in all regards, and the vowels of the preceding syllable undergo compensatory lengthening. This length has no influence on the quality of the lengthened vowel. This lengthening remains productive through to the present day (though slightly modified).
V...(iː,uː,əː)/Vː...(i,u,ə)/_#
2.29 "GW" Simplification
Surviving instances of the voiced labiovelar /gw/ simplify to pure velar /g/
w//g_
*Consonantal changes and numbering added.
2 Middle West Saxon Period (1250-1650)
2.1 Semivowel Shortening
The semivocalization of Old West Saxon /x/ created a number of new diphthongs of the "vowel+j/w" variety. Soon after their creation, the initial elements of these diphthongs, when long, shortened. Additionally, the open mid vowels merged with the closed mid vowels, and rounded front vowels caused rounding of the following glides.
i:/i'/_j
u:/u'/_w
(e,ɛ)/e'/_j
(o,ɔ)/o'/_w
(y,ø)j/(y,ø)'ɥ/_
2.2 Vowel Lengthening
Simple short vowels undergo lengthening when they are part of a tonic or post-tonic syllable which is adjacent to a single voiced consonant. This lengthening does not come into effect for post-tonic vowels which are in a word with another long vowel (including long tonic vowels generated by this rule). This demonstrates a tendency for West Saxon words to resist having more than one long vowel in a word stem. Trisyllabic laxing (1.2) is still productive at this point, and will also undo lengthening.
V'/V:/_[C+Voiced](#,V) {tonic, post-tonic}
2.3 Voiceless Liquid Developments
The voiceless liquids /ʍ/, /ɹ̥/, and /l̥/ (from Anglo-Saxon velar-liquid clusters) undergo a number of developments at this time. First, the voiceless /ʍ/ becomes /w/ when between voiced sounds, and /f/ otherwise. This leads to a phonetic distinction between /f/ and /v/ word initially. /ɹ̥/ and /l̥/ both revoice to /ɹ/ and /l/ respectively, except when word initial. /l̥/ also undergoes, at some point, a shift to /ɬ/ (probably under influence from Welsh).
ʍ/w/[+Voiced]_[+Voiced]
ʍ/f/_
(l̥,ɹ̥)/(l,ɹ)/_ <except>
l̥/ɬ/_
2.4 Inflectional Sonorant Vocalization
The inflectional schwa of early MWS would, under certain conditions, merge with an adjacent sonorant. When the schwa was preceded by a nasal, liquid, or semivowel, which was in turn preceded by a consonant, the schwa and preceding sonorant would merge into a syllabic consonant or simple vowel. When the schwa stood before a nasal or liquid coda, the two would also merge into a syllabic consonant. If both situations were possible - e.g. in the sequence "-twəl" - the preceding consonant would vocalize, but not the following. Therefore, the aforemention cluster would yield "-tʊl", rather than "-twl̩"
(j,w,ɹ,l,m,n)ə/(ɪ,ʊ,ɹ̩,l̩,m̩,n̩)/C_ {inflectional}
ə(ɹ,l,n)/(ɹ̩,l̩,n̩)/_. {inflectional}
2.5 Open Inflectional Syllable Lengthening
One of the most intriguing (and impactful) developments of the MWS Period is the phenomenon of word final inflectional vowel lenghtening in open syllables. The most widely accepted explanation is that the lengthening is actually a case of length equalization, between "light" inflectional syllables (those with no coda), and "heavy" ones (those with a coda). It is argued that the vowels of heavy inflectional syllables underwent shortening (and eventually apocope in many cases), while the vowels of light inflectional syllables experienced lengthening to compensate for the absence of a coda. This lengthening should be understood to be only in terms relative to the closed inflectional vowels, and were probably not as long as the long vowels of the stems. Dating this rule is difficult, as the development was never shown orthographically, being mainly allophonic. The only real evidence, from a few comments about the "strange rhythm" of the West Saxon language, points to the change having occured before the end of the 14th century.
V/V:/_# {inflectional}
2.6 Pretonic & Enclitic Initial Developments
In pretonic syllables, word initial /h/ is lost. Additionally, in enclitic syllables word initial /ð/ is hardened to /d/ this leads to a morphological distinction between the demonstrative adjectives/pronouns and relative pronouns, which have pretonic stress, and the definite articles, which have enclitic stress.
h//#_ {pretonic}
ð/d/#_ {enclitic}
2.7 Short High Vowel Lowering
The three high vowels , [y], and were lowered in tonic and post-tonic syllables when short, except when followed by a nasal consonant.
(i,y,u)/(e,ø,o)/_[C-Nasal] {tonic, post-tonic}
2.8 Pre-Velar Breaking
In tonic and post-tonic syllables the short, non-high vowels all underwent diphthongization when followed by the velar fricative plus another consonant. The unrounded front vowels both merged and recieved a /j/ offglide, while the rounded front vowel recieved a /ɥ/ and the back mid vowels a /w/. The presumed offglide for /a/ (if it even existed) is debated, as it quickly merged with /a/, lengthening it. This lengthening is blocked by trisyllabic laxing and the presence of a preceding long vowel.
(ĕ,ɛ̆)/ej/_hC {tonic, post-tonic}
ø̆/øɥ/_hC {tonic, post-tonic}
ŏ/ow/_hC {tonic, post-tonic}
ă/aː/_hC {tonic, post-tonic}
2.9 Enclitic Final "C" Dropping
Word finally, the affricate /tʃ/ is dropped if the following word begins with a dorsal consonant (k,g,w,j,h) or an affricate.
tʃ//_#[C+Dorsal] {enclitic}
tʃ//_#(tʃ,dʒ) {enclitic}
2.10 "T/D" Labiovelarization
The clusters /tw/ and /dw/ undergo labiovelarization to /kw/ and /gw/ respectively.
(tw,dw)/(kw,gw)/_
2.11 Geminate Simplification
Geminate consonant clusters simplify to single consonants.
C:/C/_
2.12 Inflectional Apocope
When preceding a lengthened inflectional vowel, a schwa will drop if followed by a single consonant, unless an illegal consonant cluster wil occur. This mainly affects the genitive plural ending and the inflected infinitive ending (both "-ene" > "-ne").
ə//_Cəː {inflectional}
2.13 Post-tonic Non-High Sonorant Vocalization
In closed, post-tonic syllables, short non-high vowels will merge with a following liquid or nasal, creating a syllabic consonant, if preceded by a consonant.
[V-High]'(ɹ,l,m,n,ŋ)/(ɹ̩,l̩,m̩,n̩,ŋ̩)/C_. {post-tonic}
2.14 "T" Loss
Between /s/, /t/ is lost.
t//s_s
2.15 "L" Dropping
When found between a front vowel and the affricates [tʃ] or [dʒ], l is dropped in non-tonic syllables.
l//[V+Front]_(tʃ,dʒ) {non-tonic}
2.16 Pretonic Vowel Reduction
The vowels of pretonic syllables underwent a series of reductions. First, any short pretonic vowel preceded by a consonant and followed by a liquid merged with the liquid to form a syllabic consonant. This is similar to the sonorant vocalization of 2.11, though all short vowels merged, not just non-high ones. Next, the short mid vowels merged with the nearest adjacent non-mid vowel. Next the long vowels of the pretonic syllables lost their length, and the close-mid and open-mid vowels merged into a single mid-height vowel set. Finally, unless an illegal consonant cluster would be created, word final simple pretonic vowels are dropped. About the same time, the pretonic prefix /je-/ is reduced to /i-/ before consonants, and /j-/ before vowels.
V'(ɹ,l,m,n,ŋ)/(ɹ̩,l̩,m̩,n̩,ŋ̩)/C_ {pretonic}
(e,ɛ,ø,o)'/(i,a,y,u)'/_ {pretonic}
V:/V'/_ {pretonic}
(ɛ,ɔ)/(e,o)/_ {pretonic}
V//_# {pretonic}
je/(i,j)/#_(C,V) {pretonic}
2.17 "L" Semivocalization
In pretonic syllables, /l/ following a non-front vowel and followed by a voiced consonant undergoes semivocalization to /w/.
l/w/[V-Front]_[C+Voiced] {pretonic}
2.18 Syllabic Devocalization
All syllabic consonants lose their syllabic quality if followed by a vowel.
(ɹ̩,l̩,m̩,n̩,ŋ̩)/(ɹ,l,m,n,ŋ)/_V
2.19 "W" Diphthong Shift
When followed by either /ĭ/ or /ĕ/, tonic and post-tonic /w/ vocalizes to /u/ when preceded by a consonant. This /u/ subsequently undergoes height harmonization with /ĕ/ to /o/. The following /ĭ/ or /ĕ/ both then reduce to /j/ leaving the falling diphthongs /uj/ and /oj/.
w(ĭ,ĕ)/(uj,oj)/C_ {tonic, post-tonic}
2.20 Pretonic "AW" Simplification
In pretonic syllables, the diphthong /aw/ simplifies to /o/.
aw/o/_ {pretonic}
2.21 "W" Hardening
When part of the clusters /zwV/, /#wlV/, and /#wɹV/, /w/ undergoes hardening to the voiced fricative /v/
w/v/(z_V,#_(l,ɹ))
2.22 Middle West Saxon Long Vowel Breaking
This was the first step in the eventual loss of phonemic vowel length by the end of MWS Period. All tonic long vowels diphthongized when part of a closed syllable (unless the coda was a rhotic). Additionally, long tonic vowels would diphthongize if followed by a voiceless consonant. While most West Saxon dialects would undergo this shift, the subsequent development of these diphthongs differed from region to region, and are a main distinction between the dialects.
(iː,eː,ɛː,yː,øː,uː,oː,ɔː,aː)/(ij,ej,ɛa,yɥ,øɥ,uw,ow,ɔa,aə)/_([C-Rhotic].,[C-Voice]) {tonic}
2.23 Enclitic Apocope
Word final schwa, /ɹ/, and /n/ are dropped from words with enclitic stress. A schwa plus /ɹ/ or /n/ only loses the schwa.
(ə,ɹ,n)//_# {enclitic}
2.24 Non-Mid Diphthong Simplification
In the Witncestr dialect, the non-mid diphthongs /ij/, /yɥ/, /uw/, and /aə/ simplify to the long vowels /iː/, /yː/, /uː/, and /aː/. These include the products of breaking, as well as earlier instances of /ij/ and /uw/. This merger also applies across syllable boundaries, causing the resulting /iː/ and /uː/to sometimes appear in hiatus with other vowels.
(ij,yɥ,uw,aə)/(iː,yː,uː,aː)/_
2.25 Remaining Vowel Length Loss
The distinction between long and short vowels is lost. At first, it is believed the length is dropped and simplified to a probably pre-existing and coexisting distinction of tense vs. lax. This is then reworked, with all (non-inflectional) vowels becoming tense when word final or when followed by a voiced consonant or another vowel. Vowels become lax in all other situations. Vowels also become somewhat rhoticized before /r/, and this rhoticization soon becomes laxness in the Witncestr dialect. With this, all original traces of vowel length are wiped out. Inflectional long vowels are not affected by these changes.
(V:,V')/([V+Tense],[V+Lax])/_ {tonic, post-tonic}
V/[V+Tense]/_(#,[C+Voice],V) {tonic, post-tonic}
V/[V+Lax]/_(r,[C-Voice]) {tonic, post-tonic}
2.26 "GW" Rounding
The unrounded front vowels and diphthongs, and /a/, absorb the labial element of a preceding voiced labiovelar /gw/ and undergo rounding, leaving a rounded vowel and a simple /g/. In some dialects the same occurs with the voiceless labiovelar /kw/.
w(i,e,ej,ɛa,a)/(y,ø,øɥ,ɔa,o)/g_
2.27 First Schwa Dropping
When not immediately preceded by a tonic syllable, a schwa will drop when between two consonants, except if an illegal consonant cluster would be created.
ə//[-tonic]...C_C {inflectional}
2.28 Open Inflectional Lengthening
Long inflectional vowels lose their length in all regards, and the vowels of the preceding syllable undergo compensatory lengthening. This length has no influence on the quality of the lengthened vowel. This lengthening remains productive through to the present day (though slightly modified).
V...(iː,uː,əː)/Vː...(i,u,ə)/_#
2.29 "GW" Simplification
Surviving instances of the voiced labiovelar /gw/ simplify to pure velar /g/
w//g_
Last edited by Herra Ratatoskr on Wed May 12, 2010 8:42 am, edited 9 times in total.
I am Ratatosk, Norse Squirrel of Strife!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
-
rotting bones
- Avisaru
- Posts: 409
- Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 12:25 pm
I plan to learn this once you're done fleshing out a decent lexicon and grammar with syntax and usage.
If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things you cannot learn any other way. - Mark Twain
In reality, our greatest blessings come to us by way of madness, which indeed is a divine gift. - Socrates
In reality, our greatest blessings come to us by way of madness, which indeed is a divine gift. - Socrates
-
Herra Ratatoskr
- Avisaru
- Posts: 308
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 5:26 pm
- Location: Missouri (loves company!)
I'm flattered 
! Thanks rotting ham. The Middle West Saxon Period changes are updated, and hopefully the Modern Period Changes will be up at a reasonable time.
! Thanks rotting ham. The Middle West Saxon Period changes are updated, and hopefully the Modern Period Changes will be up at a reasonable time.I am Ratatosk, Norse Squirrel of Strife!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
-
Herra Ratatoskr
- Avisaru
- Posts: 308
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 5:26 pm
- Location: Missouri (loves company!)
I forgot to include a couple sound changes into the Middle Period List, and have now added them. I've also typed up the Modern Period changes.
3 Modern West Saxon Period Changes
3.1 Velar Nasal Assimilation
Word initially, the velar stop plus nasal combinations /kn/ and /gn/ both simplify to the velar nasal /ŋ/.
(kn,gn)/ŋ/#_
3.2 Dipthong Merger
In the Witncestr dialect, the diphthongs /ow/, /ej/ and /uj/ merge with the diphthongs /aw/, /aj/ and /oj/ respectively.
(ow,ej,uj)/(aw,aj,oj)/_
3.3 Syllabic Nasal Neutralization
All syllabic nasals neutralize to /n̩/ unless followed by a stop, in which case they retain the point of articulation of the following stop. The nasals which are so neutralized then become velar if preceded by a velar consonant, labial if preceded by a labial consonant, and labiodental if preceded by a labiodental consonant.
(m̩,n̩,ŋ̩)/n̩/_ <except if followed by a stop>
n̩/ŋ̩/[C+velar]_
n̩/m̩/[C+labial]_
n̩/ɱ̩/[C+Labiodental]_
3.4 "RH" Voicing
The voiceless rhotic /ɹ̥/ merges with the voiced rhotic /ɹ/.
ɹ̥/ɹ/_
3.5 "J" Sharpening
Word initially, /j/ hardens to a palatalized voiced palatal stop. It is thought that this is due to assimilation with a glottal stop which also appears before word initial vowels and /w/. In some dialects, word initial /w/ also undergoes sharpening to /gʷ/.
j/ɟʲ/#_
3.6 Nasal-Stop Assimilation
Voiceless stops following a nasal undergo voicing, and voiced stops following a nasal are absorbed by it, creating long nasal consonants.
(mp,mb,nt,nd,ŋk,ŋg)/(mb,mː,nd,nː,ŋg,ŋː)/_
3.7 Prenasal Glottalization
Voiceless stops before a syllabic nasal become the glottal stop. The nasal retains the point of articulation of the original preceding stop.
(p,t,k)/ʔ/_(m̩,n̩,ŋ̩)
3.8 "R" Lengthening
When followed by a coronal consonant, /ɹ/ drops and becomes vocalic length. These new long vowels retain the laxness imparted by the lost /ɹ/. If the word in question already contains a long vowel (due to schwa lengthening), then the /ɹ/ is lost without causing lengthening, but the laxness of the vowel is retained. This includes if the affected vowel is the one lengthened by schwa lengthening.
Vɹ/V:[+Lax]/_[C+Coronal] <except if schwa lengthening already applies to the word>
Vɹ/V[+Lax]/_[C+Coronal] <if schwa lengthening applies>
3.9 "W" Rounding
When following a simple unrounded front vowel, /w/ causes rounding of the preceding vowel. Additionally, if /w/ is followed by a word boundary or another consonant, it is absorbed by the preceding vowel
(i,e)w/(y,ø)/_(C,#)
(i,e)/(y,ø)/_w
3.10 "R" Uvularization
The rhotic /ɹ/ becomes the uvular approximant /ʁ̞/, except if following a front vowel (including diphthongs with a j/ɥ offglide), in which case it remains /ɹ/.
ɹ/ʁ̞/[-Front]_
3.11 Long Vowel Stress Attraction
Word stress, normally on the first syllable of the root, migrates to a long vowel whenever it is present.
V:/[V:+Tonic]/_
3.12 Fricative Hardening
Non-silabant fricatives /f/, /θ/, and /x/ undergo hardening to their respective stops /p/, /t/, and /k/ if preceded by a silabant, or followed by another fricative.
(f,θ,x)/(p,t,k)/(s,ʃ)_
(f,θ,x)/(p,t,k)/_[V+Fricative]
3.13 Palatalization
The velar stops become palatal stops when preceding a front vowel or diphthong.
(k,g)/(c,ɟ)/_[V+Front]
3.14 "SC" Rounding
The fricative /ʃ/ (actually pronounced [ʃʷ]) causes rounding of following simple unrounded front vowels.
(i,e,)/(y,ø)/ʃ_
3.15 Affricate Smoothing
The affricates /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ reduce to simply fricatives when the coda of a syllable.
(tʃ,dʒ)/(ʃ,ʒ)/_.
3.16 "SCS" Assimilation
The (somewhat rare) phoneme cluster /ʃ.s/ undergoes assimilation to /ʃ.ʃ/
ʃ.s/ʃ.ʃ/_
3.17 Second Schwa Dropping
A schwa between consonants will drop, unless doing so would cause a change in voicing of the previous consonant, or create an illegal consonant cluster. This change is still somewhat sporadic in spoken West Saxon.
ə//C_C <unless causing an illegal cluster or a change in voicing of C1>
3 Modern West Saxon Period Changes
3.1 Velar Nasal Assimilation
Word initially, the velar stop plus nasal combinations /kn/ and /gn/ both simplify to the velar nasal /ŋ/.
(kn,gn)/ŋ/#_
3.2 Dipthong Merger
In the Witncestr dialect, the diphthongs /ow/, /ej/ and /uj/ merge with the diphthongs /aw/, /aj/ and /oj/ respectively.
(ow,ej,uj)/(aw,aj,oj)/_
3.3 Syllabic Nasal Neutralization
All syllabic nasals neutralize to /n̩/ unless followed by a stop, in which case they retain the point of articulation of the following stop. The nasals which are so neutralized then become velar if preceded by a velar consonant, labial if preceded by a labial consonant, and labiodental if preceded by a labiodental consonant.
(m̩,n̩,ŋ̩)/n̩/_ <except if followed by a stop>
n̩/ŋ̩/[C+velar]_
n̩/m̩/[C+labial]_
n̩/ɱ̩/[C+Labiodental]_
3.4 "RH" Voicing
The voiceless rhotic /ɹ̥/ merges with the voiced rhotic /ɹ/.
ɹ̥/ɹ/_
3.5 "J" Sharpening
Word initially, /j/ hardens to a palatalized voiced palatal stop. It is thought that this is due to assimilation with a glottal stop which also appears before word initial vowels and /w/. In some dialects, word initial /w/ also undergoes sharpening to /gʷ/.
j/ɟʲ/#_
3.6 Nasal-Stop Assimilation
Voiceless stops following a nasal undergo voicing, and voiced stops following a nasal are absorbed by it, creating long nasal consonants.
(mp,mb,nt,nd,ŋk,ŋg)/(mb,mː,nd,nː,ŋg,ŋː)/_
3.7 Prenasal Glottalization
Voiceless stops before a syllabic nasal become the glottal stop. The nasal retains the point of articulation of the original preceding stop.
(p,t,k)/ʔ/_(m̩,n̩,ŋ̩)
3.8 "R" Lengthening
When followed by a coronal consonant, /ɹ/ drops and becomes vocalic length. These new long vowels retain the laxness imparted by the lost /ɹ/. If the word in question already contains a long vowel (due to schwa lengthening), then the /ɹ/ is lost without causing lengthening, but the laxness of the vowel is retained. This includes if the affected vowel is the one lengthened by schwa lengthening.
Vɹ/V:[+Lax]/_[C+Coronal] <except if schwa lengthening already applies to the word>
Vɹ/V[+Lax]/_[C+Coronal] <if schwa lengthening applies>
3.9 "W" Rounding
When following a simple unrounded front vowel, /w/ causes rounding of the preceding vowel. Additionally, if /w/ is followed by a word boundary or another consonant, it is absorbed by the preceding vowel
(i,e)w/(y,ø)/_(C,#)
(i,e)/(y,ø)/_w
3.10 "R" Uvularization
The rhotic /ɹ/ becomes the uvular approximant /ʁ̞/, except if following a front vowel (including diphthongs with a j/ɥ offglide), in which case it remains /ɹ/.
ɹ/ʁ̞/[-Front]_
3.11 Long Vowel Stress Attraction
Word stress, normally on the first syllable of the root, migrates to a long vowel whenever it is present.
V:/[V:+Tonic]/_
3.12 Fricative Hardening
Non-silabant fricatives /f/, /θ/, and /x/ undergo hardening to their respective stops /p/, /t/, and /k/ if preceded by a silabant, or followed by another fricative.
(f,θ,x)/(p,t,k)/(s,ʃ)_
(f,θ,x)/(p,t,k)/_[V+Fricative]
3.13 Palatalization
The velar stops become palatal stops when preceding a front vowel or diphthong.
(k,g)/(c,ɟ)/_[V+Front]
3.14 "SC" Rounding
The fricative /ʃ/ (actually pronounced [ʃʷ]) causes rounding of following simple unrounded front vowels.
(i,e,)/(y,ø)/ʃ_
3.15 Affricate Smoothing
The affricates /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ reduce to simply fricatives when the coda of a syllable.
(tʃ,dʒ)/(ʃ,ʒ)/_.
3.16 "SCS" Assimilation
The (somewhat rare) phoneme cluster /ʃ.s/ undergoes assimilation to /ʃ.ʃ/
ʃ.s/ʃ.ʃ/_
3.17 Second Schwa Dropping
A schwa between consonants will drop, unless doing so would cause a change in voicing of the previous consonant, or create an illegal consonant cluster. This change is still somewhat sporadic in spoken West Saxon.
ə//C_C <unless causing an illegal cluster or a change in voicing of C1>
I am Ratatosk, Norse Squirrel of Strife!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
-
rotting bones
- Avisaru
- Posts: 409
- Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 12:25 pm
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Herra Ratatoskr
- Avisaru
- Posts: 308
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 5:26 pm
- Location: Missouri (loves company!)
Here's a link to the WIP nominal morphology page. I'm still writing up the material, but most of it is there, and I think the design is about right. What do you all think of it?
I am Ratatosk, Norse Squirrel of Strife!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
There are 10 types of people in this world:
-Those who understand binary
-Those who don't
Mater tua circeta ibat et pater tuus sambucorum olficiebat!
-
rotting bones
- Avisaru
- Posts: 409
- Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 12:25 pm
But please try not to take forever. I've always wanted a complete language that sounds like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPhFBE4UGvArotting ham wrote:Take your time with the grammar.
If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things you cannot learn any other way. - Mark Twain
In reality, our greatest blessings come to us by way of madness, which indeed is a divine gift. - Socrates
In reality, our greatest blessings come to us by way of madness, which indeed is a divine gift. - Socrates