Changes of Unstressed Vowels in Early Old English

Whereas in stressed position the number of vowels had grown (as compared with the PG system), due to the appearance of new qualitative differences, the number of vowels distinguished in unstressed position had been reduced. In unaccented syllables, especially final, long vowels were shortened, and thus the opposition of vowels – long to short – was neutralised. Cf. OE nama (NE name) to the earlier *namon.

Some short vowels in final unaccented syllables were dropped. After long syllables, that is syllables containing a long vowel, or a short vowel followed by more than one consonant, the vowels [i] and [u] were lost. Cf. the following pairs, which illustrate the retention of [u] and [i] after a short syllable, and their loss after a long one: OE scipu and sceap (NE ships, sheep, pl from *skeapu); OE werian, demon (NE wear, deem; cf. Gt dōmjan).

Old English Vowel System (9th-10th c.)

The vowels shown in parentheses were unstable and soon fused with resembling sounds:

[a, æ, e, i, y, o, u, ie, eo, ea]

[a: æ: e: i: y: o: u: ie: eo: ea:]

The vowels are arranged in two lines in accordance with the chief phonemic opposition: they were contrasted through quantity as long to short and were further distinguished within these sets through qualitative differences as monophthongs and diphthongs, open and close, front and back, labialised and non-labialised. Cf. some minimal pairs showing the phonemic opposition of short and long vowels:

OE dæl – dǽl (NE dale, 'part') is – īs (NE is, ice)_, col – cōl (NE coal, cool).

The following examples confirm the phonemic relevance of some qualitative differences:

OE ræd – rād – rēad (NE 'advice', road, red), sē – sēo 'that' Masc. and Fern. mā – mē (NE more, me)

The OE vowel system displayed an obvious tendency towards a symmetrical, balanced arrangement since almost every long vowel had a corresponding short counterpart. However, it was not quite symmetrical: the existence of the nasalised [ã] in the set of short vowels and the debatable phonemic status of short diphthongs appear to break the balance.

In unstressed syllables we find only five monophthongs, and even these five vowels could not be used for phonemic contrast:

i – ænig (NE any)

e – stāne, Dat. sg of stān as opposed to

a – stāna Gen. pl of the same noun (NE stone)

o – bæron – Past pl Ind (of beran as opposed to bæren. Subj. (NE bear)

u – talu (NE tale), Nom. sg as opposed to tale in other cases

The examples show that [e] was not contrasted to [i], and [o] was not contrasted to [u]. The system of phonemes appearing in unstressed syllables consists of three units: e/i a o/u

Answer the following questions:

1. What were the peculiarities of word stress?

2. What was the general trend in oe stressed vowels change?

3. How was the PG short [a] and the long [a:] changed?

4. What were Proto-Germanic diphthongs? What happened with them in OE?

5. What were assimilative vowel changes?

6. What were the results of breaking and diphthongisation?

7. What was palatal mutation caused by?

8. What parts of speech had suffix -i-?

9. When was the process of palatal mutation in OE completed?

10. How were unstressed vowels changed in OE?

11. What was Old English vowel system?

Practical task

1. Translate the extract from the poem Elene into Ukrainian.

215 Stod seo dygle stow         dryhtne in gemyndum idel ond æmen,         eþelriehte feor, bad bisæce         betran hyrdes. To þon ealdfeondas         ondan noman, swa hi singales         sorge dreogað.

220 Ne motun hi on eorþan         eardes brucan, ne hy lyft swefeð         in leoma ræstum, ac hy hleolease         hama þoliað, in cearum cwiþað,         cwealmes wiscað, willen þæt him dryhten         þurh deaðes cwealm

225 to hyra earfeða         ende geryme. Ne mostun hy Guðlaces         gæste sceþþan, ne þurh sarslege         sawle gedælan wið lichoman,         ac hy ligesearwum ahofun hearmstafas,         hleahtor alegdon,

230 sorge seofedon,         þa hi swiðra oferstag weard on wonge.         Sceoldon wræcmæcgas

ofgiefan gnornende         grene beorgas. Hwæþre hy þa gena,         godes ondsacan, sægdon sarstafum,         swiþe geheton,

235 þæt he deaþa gedal         dreogan sceolde, gif he leng bide         laþran gemotes, hwonne hy mid mengu         maran cwome, þa þe for his life         lyt sorgedon. Guðlac him ongean þingode,         cwæð þæt hy gielpan ne þorftan

240 dædum wið dryhtnes meahtum.         "þeah þe ge me deað gehaten, mec wile wið þam niþum genergan         se þe eowrum nydum wealdeð. An is ælmihtig god,         se mec mæg eaðe gescyldan; he min feorg freoþað.         Ic eow fela wille

soþa gesecgan.         Mæg ic þis setl on eow

245 butan earfeðum         ana geðringan. Ne eam ic swa fealog,         swa ic eow fore stonde, monna weorudes,         ac me mara dæl in godcundum         gæstgerynum wunað ond weaxeð,         se me wraþe healdeð.

250 Ic me anum her         eaðe getimbre hus ond hleonað;         me on heofonum sind lare gelonge.         Mec þæs lyt tweoþ þæt me engel to         ealle gelædeð spowende sped         spreca ond dæda.

255 Gewitað nu, awyrgde,         werigmode, from þissum earde         þe ge her on stondað, fleoð on feorweg.         Ic me frið wille æt gode gegyrnan;         ne sceal min gæst mid eow gedwolan dreogan,         ac mec dryhtnes hond

260 mundað mid mægne.         Her sceal min wesan eorðlic eþel,         nales eower leng." ða wearð breahtm hæfen.         Beorg ymbstodan

hwearfum wræcmæcgas.         Woð up astag,

cearfulra cirm.         Cleopedon monige,

265 feonda foresprecan,         firenum gulpon: "Oft we ofersegon         bi sæm tweonum þeoda þeawas,         þræce modigra, þara þe in gelimpe         life weoldon. No we oferhygdu         anes monnes

270 geond middangeard         maran fundon. ðu þæt gehatest         þæt ðu ham on us gegan wille,         ðe eart godes yrming. Bi hwon scealt þu lifgan,         þeah þu lond age? Ne þec mon hider         mose fedeð;

275 beoð þe hungor ond þurst         hearde gewinnan, gif þu gewitest         swa wilde deor ana from eþele.         Nis þæt onginn wiht! Geswic þisses setles!         Ne mæg þec sellan ræd mon gelæran         þonne þeos mengu eall.

2. Explain the correspondence of vowels in Indo-European and OE language:

Indo-European: frater, octo, medius, ventus

OE: broþor, eahta, middel, wind

3. Explain the formation of diphthongs in the following pairs:

ærm>earm, æld>eald, æhta>eahta, herte>heorte, melcan>meolcan, feh> feoh, hira>hiora, herot>heorot, caru>cearu, saru>searu, gefan>giefan, gæf>geaf, scacan>sceacan, scort>sceor.

4. What influenced changing of the following vowels:

tællian>tellan, ofstian>efstan, domian>deman, fullian>fyllan, cupian>cypan, framian>fremman, namnian>nemnan, hleahian>hliehhan, eleafian>eliefan, afeorian>afierran.

5. Find the varients of the following words: and, ðanc, land, lang, sang, standan, ðanne, strang, wandrian, wlanc.