III. Phonetic Changes. Consonants.
1. Development of [h]
We must distinguish two variants of the development of [h]:
(1) – before "t", (2) – in final position.
(1) [h] before "t" is lost, and the preceding short vowel is lengthened. For example: light [liht → li: t]; bright [briht → bri: t]; night [niht →ni: t]; brought [brouht → bro: t]; fought [fouht → fo: t]; caught [kauht → ko: t].
(2) [h] final mostly changes into [f], as in rough, enough, cough, laugh, tough, slough, trough also in draught;. The word dwergh came to be spelt dwarf. In all other cases the spelling remained unchanged, so that the digraph gh came to denote the consonant [f].
In a few words final [h] was lost, as in bough, dough, though, through.
On the other hand, the word laughter is pronounced with [f] which is probably due to influence of the word laugh.
2. Loss of [l] before [k,m,f,v]
[l] was lost before [k] and the labial consonants [m,f,v]. Thus the words talk, walk, chalk, yolk, folk, palm, calm, calf (plural calves), half (plural halves) came to be pronounced [to: k; wo: k; t∫o: k; jouk; fouk; pa: m; ka: m; ka: ; ka: vz; ha: f; ha: vz].
However [l] before [v] was preserved in words of Latin origin, as in dissolve, resolve, valve.
[l] was also lost before [d] in should and would, which were usually unstressed.
At the time when [l] was in the process of dropping and a word could be pronounced both witn [l] and without it, an [l] appeared in words which didn't have it in ME. This often happened in words of French origin; introduction of [l] might be supported by influence of the Latin prototype of the word and by imitation of French latinizing spelling of the 14th and 15th centuries. Here belong the words fault (ME faute ← Old French faute ← Latin falta from fallo 'deceive'), falcon (ME faucoun ← Old Fr.faucon ←Lat. falco), realm (ME reaume ← Lat. regalimen). It may be assumed that the letter first appeared as an etymologizing spelling, and then, under influence of various factors, the sound [l] appeared in these words.
3. [j] Merged with Preceding Consonant.
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The last essential phonetic change in the sphere of consonants was merger of [j] with the preceding consonant. This happened after a stressed vowel. The change affected the clusters [sj, zj, tj, dj], and a few others.
The change [sj →ƒ ∫] occurred, for example, in the following words: Asia ['eiƒ∫ə], Russia ['r٨∫ə], pension ['pen∫ən], session ['se∫ən], digression [dai'gre∫ən], ancient ['ein∫ənt], social ['sou∫əl], musician [mju: 'zi∫ən], politician [poli'ti∫ən], vicious ['vi∫əs], ocean ['ou∫ən], conscious [kən∫əs], species ['spi: ∫i: z].
In many words the spelling is -ti- . This spelling, borrowed from French, denoted in French the cluster [sj] and was taken over into English. After the change [sj → ∫] it came to denote the consonant [∫]: nation ['nei∫ən], revolution [,revə'lu:∫ən], population [,pəpju'lei∫ən] and many more words in –tion: ratio ['rei∫iou],patient ['pei∫ənt], militia [mi'li∫ə], partial [pa: ∫əl], initiative [I'ni∫iətiv].
When the cluster [sj] preceded the stressed vowel, it usually remained unchanged: suit [sju: t], assume [ə'sju: m],. However, in two words [sj] preceding the stressed vowel chaged into [∫]: sure [∫uə] (with its derivatives) and sugar ['∫ugə].
→ Before a stressed vowel this change only occurred in the words luxurionus [l٨ g'zjuəriəs].Usually [zj] is preserved in such conditions: resume [ri'zju: m], presume [pri'zju: m].
[tj] becomes [t∫] in a number of words: question [kwest∫ƒən], righteous [rait∫ƒəs], digestion [dai'dzestƒ∫ən].
The group [tju] yielded [tju → t∫ə]: nature ['nei tƒ∫ə], culture ['k٨ l tƒ∫ə], and many other words in –ture: fortune ['fə: tƒ∫ən], century ['sen tƒ∫əri], compare also mutual ['mju: tƒ∫uəl].
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In a few words two pronunciations may be heard: [t∫] as a result of phonetic development, and [tj], influenced by the spelling: virtue ['və: t∫u:] and ['və: tju:], statue ['stæt∫u:] and ['stætju], actual ['ækt∫uəl] and ['æktjuəl]. Before a stressed vowel [tj] is preserved: tune [tju: n], student [stju: dənt]. The change [dj→d3] is parallel to [tj →t∫], but it is only found in a few words: soldier ['sould3ə], verdure ['və: d3ə]. In many cases [dj] is preserved: tedious ['ti: djəs], educate ['edjukeit].The pronunciation [d3] in these words is non-literary. In Northern dialects the [h] before "t" has been preserved to our days.
Seminar 5. Evolution of the Phonetic System in the New English Period.
1. Spreading of London dialect in the 15th century.
2 .Phonetic Changes. Vowels (Changes).
· Great Vowel Shift
· Influence of -“r”
· Special cases [u:],[I:],[ :];
3. Phonetic Changes.Consonants.
· Development of [h].
· Loss of [L] before [k,m,f,v].
· [J] Merged with Preceding Consonant.
Lecture 6.
THE NOUN. THE EVOLUTION OF ITS MORPHOLOGICAL SYSTEM IN THE OLD ENGLISH, MIDDLE ENGLISH AND NEW ENGLISH PERIODS.
Contents:
I. Old English Period. Nouns.
1. Preliminary remarks.
2. The Categories of OE nouns.
3. The Category of Declension.
4. The System of cases in OE period.
II. The most important changes in the system of nouns in ME period.
III. Case system in New English period.
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