After sk’ k’
[e ] → [ei], [æ ] → [ea]
e. g. OHG scal → WS sceal
2. After j
[æ: ] → [ea:], [e] → [ie]
e. g. OHG jār → WS ʒear
What is Palatal Mutation?
The Old English tendency to positional vowel change is most apparent in the process termed “mutation”. It is the Change of one vowel to another through the influence of a vowel in the succeeding syllable.In Early OE, mutation affected numerous vowels and brought about profound changes in the system and use of vowels.
I-mutation is a change of a root vowel caused by [i], or [j] of the succeeding syllable.
Articulating the root vowel the organs of speech are getting ready to pronounce the succeeding vowel, that is [i], or [j]. They change their position and approach articulation of [i]. As a result the root vowel changes its quality.
[a] > [e] *manniz > menn (men); namnian > nemnan (take);
[a:] > [æ:] * ānig > æ̃nig (any);
[o] > [e] *ofstian > efstan (to hurry);
[o:] > [e:] *fōtis > fēt *gōsis > gēs *tōþis > tēþ;
[u] > [y:] *fullian > fyllan;
[u:] > [y:] *mūsis > mỹs
As shown by the examples the sound [i] that caused mutation was eventually lost. It was preserved only in the word æ̃nig.
I-mutation was taking place supposedly in the 6th - 7th centuries. By the time of the earliest OE records it had been completed. However the evidence of this phenomenon can be widely observed in the language of today. Such evidence is displayed in different kinds of sound interchanges.
singular - plural interchanges: man - men, tooth - teeth, mouse - mice;
noun - verb interchanges: food - feed, blood - bleed, song - sing.
adjective - verb interchanges: full - fill;
interchanges within the opposition positive - comparative/superlative degree of adjectives, old - elder - the eldest.
Lengthening of Vowels
Short vowels [u] and [i] were lengthened when followed by the sound clusters -ld, -nd, -mb.
findan > fīndan;
climban > clīmban;
bundan > būndan.
This change did not occur when the sound cluster ld, nd, or mb was followed by another consonant, like in the word cildru (NE children).
The singular form of this word cild preserved , however, the conditions for lengthening cild > cīld. Thus, thanks to this phenomenon the opposition cīld - cildru developed a quantitative vowel interchange [i:] - [i]. In later years with the development of long vowels into diphthongs and particularly with the development of [i:] into [ai], the OE quantitative vowel interchange [i:] - [i] developed into the NE qualitative interchange [ai] - [i], child - children.
22.Consonant changes in oe. Oe alphabets.
OE Consonant Changes
HARDENING
O Ice rauðr
OE rēad
Mod E red
RHOTACISM
Gt huzd
OE hord
NE hoard
Voicing or devoicing
Gt hlaifs-OE hlafas-NE loaves
Gt wulfos-OE wulfas [v]–
NE wolves
Assimilative Vowel Changes
Breaking
Produced a new set of vowels
in OE [ea], [eo], [ea:], [eo:]
Before l+l or l+ other consonants
[æ ] → [ea]
e.g. North ald → WS eald
2. h, h+other consonants
[æ: ] → [ea:]
e. g. OHG nāh → NE near
3. r + other consonants
[e] → [oe]
e. g. OHG herza → WS heorte
Diphthongisation