Joseph Wright - Old High German Grammar

; OHG. irdin (earthen), beside

mitSr, Goth, midjis

Lat. medius.

j,

i,

OS., Goth.

older *esti, cp. Gk.

*stiigan,

erda

OHG.,

fdetr (feet\

from

Nom.

pi.

OE.

fet,

older fost,

*fotiz, older *fotez, cp. Gr.

Tro'Ses,

Lat .pedes. The Nom. pi. OHG. fuozi, OS. foti, Gothic fotjus were new formations; OHG. iz, imper. 2. sg. (eat\ from *iti, cp. Lat. ede. 17. i, followed by a or o, in the next syllable, became e when not protected by an intervening i or j, as OHG., OS., OE. wer, O. Icel. verr (man), cp. Lat. vir. In historic times, however, this law has an exceedingly great number of

exceptions owing to the separate languages having levelled out in various directions, cp. e.g. OHG. quec, beside OE.

OLD HIGH GERMAN PRIMER.

10 cwic, O.

kvikr

Icel.

same word as Lat. OE. libban, O. Icel.

the

(quick, alive),

OHG.

vivos (vivus);

leben, beside

lifa (to live), etc.

u, followed

18.

became

by an a or o

next

in the

syllable,

except when protected by a following nasal + con-

o,

sonant or an intervening

i

(j),

on the one hand,

cp.,

OHG.

giholfan, OS. giholpan, OE. geholpen, Gothic hulpans 13, note 3), the p.p. of helfan {to help), beside OHG. (

gibuntan, OS. gibundan, OE. gebunden, O. Icel. bundenn, Gothic bundans, the p.p. of bintan (to bind) and, on the ;

OHG.

other hand,

got,

OS,,

OE. god

original neuter form *ghutom, beside cp. further

OHG.

from an

(God),

OHG.

gutin (goddess) ; hucken, OS. huggian, Gothic hugjan

(to think).

Every prim. Germ, o

was of

in accented syllables

this

origin.

u became u

under the same circumstances as those by became a and I, as pret. sing, OHG, duhta, OS. thuhta, OE. Jmhta, Gothic Jmhta, OHG. inf. dunken

which a and

i

(to seem), related to

19.

O. Lat. tongere

The diphthong eu became an

syllable contained

i

(j),

cp,

(to

know).

iu,

16,

when

following syllable contained an a or o, cp. differences

rested,

ciest), beside infin.

e.g.

OHG.

pres,

the following

and eo when the

2,

3.

On

18. sg.

these

kiusit (OE.

keosan (kiosan), OE. ceosan

(to

choose);

leoht (lioht) (light), beside liuhten, from *liuhtjan light) ; teof (tiof) (deep), beside tiufl (depth), etc.

From what that

the

following

has been said in

Germ,

prim.

shape before

parent language

;

15-19

vowel-system the

dissolution

it

will

be

had assumed of the

(to

seen the

Germanic

GRAMMAR. Short vowels

The

a,

e,

Long

a,

SB, e,

Diphthongs

ai,

au,

1 1

u u

i,

o,

I,

6,

iu,

eo.

further development of these sounds in

OHG.

will

be

briefly discussed in the following chapter.

CHAPTER THE OHG. DEVELOPMENT

III.

OF THE GENERAL GERMANIC

VOWEL-SYSTEM.

A.

THE SHOBT VOWELS OF ACCENTED SYLLABLES. Before entering upon the history of the various shall here define and illustrate umlaut (mutation),

20.

vowels a

we

phenomenon By Umlaut

of frequent occurrence in OHG. meant the modification of an accented

is

vowel through the influence of an

i

in

(j)

the following

syllable.

The

only vowel which underwent this modification in

OHG. (goes),

beside

was

a,

which became e

(

Examples:

6).

ferit

faran; Nom. pi. kelbir (calves], gesti (guests), Nom. sg. kalb, gast; brennen (Gothic brannjan)

inf.

burn) ; heri (Gothic beside lang (long), etc.

(to

harjis)

(army)

;

lengi (length),

a. 21.

OHG., OS.

Germanic a as

gast,

band,

OHG.,

generally remained OS., OE., Goth, faran

Goth, gasts

pret. i. 3. sing, of

(guest)',

OHG.

bintan

(to bind).

unchanged (to

bant,

go}; OS.,

in

OHG., Goth,

OLD HIGH GERMAN PRIMER.

$2

a became e when followed by an i (j) in the next examples see 20. This i-umlaut of a did not,

22.

syllable, for

however, take place in the following cases 1. Before ht, hs, or consonant + w, as

mahti; wahsan (to grow), from *scatwjan (to shade).

pres. 3. sg.

:

maht

(power),

pi.

wahsit; bi-scatwen

2. In Upper German before 1 + consonant, before hh, ch (= Germanic k), and often before r + consonant, as UG. haltit beside UFr. heltit (holds) UG. sachit besides UFr. ;

sehhit (he quarrels)

jan

warmen

;

warm). In words ending

wermen, from

beside

*

warm-

(to

3.

in -nissi, -nissa, or -llh, as firstant-

nissi (unders landing], kraftlih (strong).

e. 23.

tinguish

Germanic e (usually written e in order to disfrom the e which arose from the i-umlaut of a)

it

appears in

OHG.

as

e appears also as

i

phonetic reasons, cp.

pecus

(cattle)

;

sibun

i

under the conditions given in 16. forms without any apparently

in a few e.g.

fihu, but also fehu, beside Lat.

(seven) beside Lat.

septem, and a few

became i in OHG. before chew), bliuuan (to strike).

e also

others

kiuuan

(to

The

pres. indie,

helfan

(to

help),

probably due

to

i.

a

(to

levelling

(=ww),

as

gibu, beside the

infin.

bear),

geban

were

out

with the

sg. hilfu, biru,

beran

w

(to give), 2.

and

3.

sg.

hilfis, hilfit, etc.

In fel,

all

OE.

neman

other cases old e was regularly retained in

OHG.,

as

Lat. pellis (skin), reht (right), Lat. rectus; (to take), related to Gr. fell,

GRAMMAR.

13

i.

24. Germanic

OE., Goth, witan fisk,

OE.

OS.,

remained in OHG., as wizzan, OS., know), cp. Lat. videre, Gk. Ifclv ; OHG. O. Icel. fiskr, Goth, fisks (fish\ cp. Lat. i

(to

fisc,

piscis.

On

forms

like

skef beside skif

U, 25.

The

1 7.

O.

interchange between u, o described

obtained also in the

*wurkjan)

(ship), see

OHG.

development

work), beside pret.

(to

beside p.p. gibotan,

biotan

inf.

cp.

;

worhta

;

in

18

wurken

(from

pret. pi.

wolla

offer)',

(to

butun, (wool),

beside wrillin (wollen), etc.

B.

THE LONG VOWELS OP ACCENTED SYLLABLES. a. 26.

The

remained in

which arose from a according to

a,

OHG.

dahta; hahan

(to

cp.

;

hang)

denken beside

(to

pret.

15,

beside

think)

hiangum,

pi.

pret. p.p.

gihangan. 88.

27. (to

sleep)

as ;

became a

OHG.

OE. baeron (we

lazan, bore)',

OHG.

OHG.

in

OE.

Isatan

OHG.

slafan,

(to let)

;

OE. sleepan

OHG.

barun,

sa^un, OE. sseton (we

sat),

etc.

e.

28. e became developed to ie during the OHG. period through the intermediate stages ea, ia. ie (Otfrid ia, but beside this also ie) is the OHG. normal form from about the

OLD HIGH GERMAN PRIMER.

14

middle of the ninth century.

All

four

occur at

stages

different period, as e.g. her, hear, hiar, hier (here]

reat,

riat,

riet,

pret.

ret,

;

verb ratan

of the redupl.

sg.

(to

advise). 1.

29. I remained in

bitan, O.

Icel. bita,

swin, O.

Icel.

(pertaining

to

OHG.,

as

Goth, beitan

svin, Goth,

OHG.

(to bite)

;

swein (pig\

bi^an, OS.,

OHG.,

OS.,

cp. Lat.

OE. OE.

su-inu-s

a pig).

6.

6 became developed to uo in stem syllables during

30. the

OHG.

period through the intermediate stages oa, ua.

The

Otfrid regularly has ua, but Tatian uo.

stage oa does

not occur in Upper Franconian monuments. Examples OHG. fuo3, OS., OE. fot, O.Icel. fotr, Goth, fotus (foot), :

cp.Gk. Doric TTCOS; OHG. fuor, OS., OE., O. of faran (to go).

Icel.,

Goth, for,

pret. 3. sg.

U. 31.

u remained

(house),

Goth, hus

O.

Icel.

OHG., as OHG., OS., OE., O. Icel. hus OHG., OS., OE., gudhus (temple) rum, Goth, rums (room), related to Lat. ru-s (Gen. in

in

ru-ris) (open country)

C.

;

;

for

duhta, see

18.

THE DIPHTHONGS OF ACCENTED SYLLABLES. ai. 32.

became developed mero, Goth, maiza

ai

OHG.

to e before r, (old) h,

and w,

(greater] ; eht, Goth, aihts Goth, sdiwis, Gen. sg. of seo (sea) ; and (possession) ; sewes, Goth, wai, J?di (woe), (they). finally, we, de,

as

GRAMMAR. In other cases ai became cp. Gr. cuSa

ei,

as weiz, Goth,

stein, Goth, stains

;

15

(stone)

;

wait (/ know),

steig, Goth, staig

(he ascended), pret. sg. of stigan.

au. 33.

before

au became 6 through dental consonants (d,

all

Examples

tod, Goth,

:

daujms

the

intermediate

t, 3, s,

(death)

n, r, 1) ;

rot,

stage

and

ao

(old) h.

Goth. rauj>s

goz, Goth, gaut, pret. 1.3. sg. of gio^an (to pour) ; (red) Goth, kaus, pret. i. 3. sg. of kiosan (to choose) ; Ion, Goth, kos, laun (reivard); horen, Goth, hausjan (to hear)', kol, Lat. ;

caulis (stalk) ; hoh, Goth, hauhs (high). Before other consonants and finally au became ou in the course of the ninth century ; as ouga, Goth, augo (eye) ;

houbit, Goth, haubif) (head)] loug, Goth, laug, pret. sg. of liogan (to lie); tou Gen. touwes (dew), LG.

I. 3.

dau

(dew).

eu. eu passed through eo into io (Otfrid mostly under the same conditions as those by in Franconian ia) which u became o ( 18, 25). This transition of original eu to eo, io took place in Upper German only when the diphthong was followed by a dental consonant or Germanic h. 34. Original

It

appears as iu in

syllable contained

UG. and Franconian when

an

i

(j) (

16, 2) or

u; and

the following also in

UG.

Fr. and before labials and gutturals (except h). Examples UG. beotan, biotan (to offer), beside pres. indie, i. 3. sg. biutu, biutit Fr. and UG. leoht, lioht (light) beside liuhten :

;

from *liuhtjan

(to

light);

Fr. leob, liob

(dear); Fr. leogan, liogan beside

beside

UG. liugan

UG.

liup

(to lie), etc.

OLD HIGH GERMAN PRIMER.

16

CHAPTER

IV.

THE OHG. DEVELOPMENT VOWELS

A. 35.

IN

OF THE PRIMITIVE GERMANIC UNACCENTED SYLLABLES.

THE VOWELS OF FINAL SYLLABLES. Final

i.

long vowels,

Germanic, became shortened

German

inherited

already

from primitive primitive

High

:

>

biru (I bear) from *bero from dago. day) -I> -i, as riri from *rizi, imperf. -6

in

-u, as

;

Instr. sg.

tagu (by

subj. 3. sg. of

risan

(tofalt).

After the completion of this process, then operated the law of to which final short vowels, or syncope, according short vowels followed by a single consonant, disappeared in 2.

the final syllable of disyllabic words (with the accent on the x first syllable was long first ; they likewise syllable), when the

disappeared in trisyllabic and polysyllabic forms

when

the

The regular operation of penult had the secondary accent. this law was often disturbed by new formations made by levelling.

The

regular forms were

e. g.

Nom.

sg.

wolf from *wul-

Ace. sg. wolf from *wulfan ; irdin (earthly) from *ir)nnaz; then after the analogy of these were made faz (wolf)

;

like Nom., Ace. sg. tag (day), weg (way). Regular forms were also weiz (he knows) from *waiti, older *waite Gr. oiSe 1st (is) from *isti, older *esti=Gr. IWt;

forms

=

A

;

1 syllable is said to be long, if it contains a long vowel, or diphthong, or a short vowel followed by two consonants.

GRAMMAR.

17

Nom. sg. gast (guest), from *gastiz=Lat. wolf from *wulfi, older *wulfe=Gr. XiW ; from *kausi; bant (he bound) from *bandi; Lat. mari-a; wini (friend} from *winiz;

=

meri

(he chose) (sea), cp.

=

tod (death) Goth, nodus; fihu, fehu

Goth, daubus; fluot (flood) Goth, faihu, Lat. pecus (cattle)

=

Voc.

hostis;

kos

sunu

;

=

(son)

=

Goth,

situ (custom) Goth, sidus ; biru (/ dear). Then after the analogy of these forms were made forms like was

sunus (he

Gr.

;

was) for *wasi (f)cpf

;

nim

;

bir, imper. 2. sg. (bear) for *biri, cp.

(take) for

j/e'^e;

=

*nimi, older *nemi (neme)

stat (place) for *stati;

sun

(son) beside

sunu

Gr.

hilfu

;

(/ help) for *hilf, etc. Later than the shortening mentioned under i., oc3. curred the shortening which was experienced in polysyllabic

words by the long vowel, after which an -n or -z had been dropped, and by the -g and -6 from older -ai and -au, which were either already final in prim. Germanic, or had become so after the loss of

from older

High German. Gen.

pi.

-z,

as well as

by the

-I

which had arisen

This shortening also took place in prim.

-iji.

Examples

:

tago (of days) from dagon

;

Nom.

sg.

hano

(cock)

from *xanon Nom. sg. managi, menigi (multitude) from Goth, ahtau will (thou wilt) *managm ahto (eight) from *wiliz gesti (guests) from gasllz, older *gastijiz, cp. ;

=

;

;

;

Gr.

Tro'Xei?

blindai OIKOI

(at

imper. (days)

;

from

*7rdXfj

Loc.

home)

2. sg.

;

blinte,

Nom. pi.

masc. (&tind)

=

(save)

= Goth,

;

= Golh.

(used as Dat.) tage from *dagai, cp. Gr. suno (of the son) Goth, sunaus neri,

sg.

from *nazi, older *naziji; Nom.

;

pi.

taga

dagos, older dagoz.

NOTE. Forms like hoM (height] had their -I from the oblique cases. The regular Nom. form of geba (gift} would be *gebu or *gibu; C

1

OLD HIGH GERMAN PRIMER.

8

geba

The Nom. pi. geba arose from the form taga (days] is still unexplained however, questionable whether the form taga did really exist in is

properly the Ace. form.

Ace. form *a;e^6nz. it

is,

The Nom.

pi.

;

OHG. 36. If a nasal or a liquid, preceded by a mute consonant, to stand finally after the loss of a, it became vocalic

came

(sonantal) and then generated a new a befdre it, as Nom., Ace. eban (even) from *ebn, older *e bnaz, etsnan; Nom., Ace. fogal (bird, fowl) from *fogl, older *fuglaz, *fuglan ;

;

Nom., Ace. acchar a,

thus generated,

cases also, at

first after

long syllables as well

B.

(acre, field)

etc.

*akran;

The

from *akr, older *akraz,

;

became

transferred to the oblique

short syllables, and then later after

e. g.

wrmtare.

fogales,

THE VOWELS IN OTHEK THAN FINAL SYLLABLES.

37.

Here can merely be

phenomena

stated

for the rest the student

;

more important

the

must be referred to the

various articles on the subject in Paul-Braune's Beitrage zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur, and in

Braune's Althochdeutsche Grammatik, Halle, 1886. 38. verbs,

The

syllables, as

i

in the preterite

and past

participle of

was regularly syncopated branta (I burnt), p.p. gibranter

Class

p.p. gihorter; beside nerita

(/ saved),

;

p.p. gineriter; etc.

39. Medial vowels were often assimilated to as keisar (emperor\ Gen. keiseres

;

weak

long stem horta (I heard),

after

I,

wuntoron

final (to

vowels,

wonder).

GRAMMAR. beside

noun wuntar; sibun

19

(seven) inflected

form sibini;

etc.

40. In

all

High German

between medial rh and

dialects a

vowel was developed

Ih, as also before

W

in

com-

the

The vowel thus developed rw, Iw, and sw. appeared mostly as a or o, but it not unfrequently regulated binations

itself after the

quality of a neighbouring vowel, cp.

Examples: beraht

(c!ear)

= Goih.

36.

bairhts; furhten

(to

be

afraid), beside pret. forhta, forahta; wurken (to work), beside pret. worhta, worahta; felhan beside felahan (to hide)]

bifiluhu (/ hide), bifilihit (he hides) ; garo (ready), inflected form garwer beside garawer; melo (meal, flour), Gen.

melwes, beside melawes beside zesawa.

;

Dat.

melewe

CHAPTER THE

FIRST

SOUND-SHIFTING,

;

zeswa

(right hand)

V.

VERNER'S

CONSONANT CHANGES WHICH TOOK PLACE GERMANIC LANGUAGE.

LAW, AND OTHER IN THE PRIMITIVE

The first sound-shifting refers to the changes which Indo-Germanic tenues, mediae, and mediae aspiratae underwent in the period of the Germanic primitive community, i. e. before the Germanic parent language became 41.

the

differentiated

into

the

separate

Germanic

languages:

Gothic, O. Norse, O. English, O. Frisian, O. Saxon

Low

German), O.

Low

(

= O.

Franconian (O. Dutch), and O.

High German. 42.

The Indo-Germanic,

lowing system of consonants

parent language had the

:

c 2

fol-

20

OLD HIGH GERMAN PRIMER. LABIAL. DENTAL. PALATAL. GUTTURAL,

%

q &

GRAMMAR.

21

(7 turn), Goth, wairjmn, OE. weorfan (to tecome); frater, Goth, brojmr, OE. brotfor, OS. broftar, O.

broker

Lat. Icel.

(brother).

k>x- Lat. canis, Gr. OE. hund (hound, dog]

;

KVUV,

OHG.

Goth, hunds,

Lat. pecus, Goth, faihu,

hunt,

OHG.

OE. feoh {fee, money). Lat. capio (I take], Goth. hafjan, OE. hebban, heffen (to raise] ; Lat. vincere (to conquer], Goth,

fehu, fihu

(cattle),

q > X (Xw)

OHG.

weihan (to fight); Lat. quis, Goth, hwas, OE. hwa, OHG. hwer (wer) (who ?) Lat. sequi (to follow], Goth, saihwan ;

(to see).

NOTE.

i.

The

Indg. tenues in the combination s

+ tenuis remained

unshifted. st

Lat.

Lat. est, Gk. Ian, Goth.,

:

vestigium

(foot-step\

OHG.

ist (is)

;

Gk.

Goth, steigan, OE., OS.,

trrct'xcy

(/ go\

OHS. stigan

(to

ascend}, sp Lat. spuere, OE., OHG. spiwan (to vomit}. sk Gk. otto (shadow], Goth, skeinan, OE., OHG. scinan (to shine). sq Gk. QVO-GKOOS (sacrificing priest), OHG. scouw6n(/ look, mew). :

:

:

2.

The

pt

> ft

t also

Gk.

:

remained unshifted in the Indg. combinations pt, kt, qt. /cAeTTTT^y, Goth, hliftus (thief), cp. English shop-lifter

;

Lat. neptis (grand-daughter, niece), OE., OHG. nift (niece). kt xt : Gk. QK-rfa, Lat. octo, Goth, ahtau, OE. eahta, OHG., OS.

>

ahto qt

(eight).

>

xt

:

Gen. sing. Gk. VVKTOS, Lat. noctis,

Nom. Goth, nahts,

OE. neaht, OHG. naht 44. t,

k,

k

The

Indg. mediae b. d, g, g

became

the tenues p,

(kw).

b>p.

Lat.

lubricus for *slubricus

(slippery),

Goth,

sliupan, OE. slupan (to slip); Lithuanian dubus (deep), Goth, diups, OE. deop (deep). d>t. Lat. ducere (to lead), Goth, tiuhan, OE. teon (to draw) Lat. videre (to see), Goth., OE., OS. witan (to knoiv\ ;

OLD HIGH GERMAN PRI&ER.

22

g>k. cngo

Lat.

(knee)

Gr.

genu, Lat.

;

ego,

Goth.,

yo'w,

Gr.

eyw,

OHG.

kniu, OE.

Goth, ik, OS. ik,

OE.

ic (/).

g>k OHG. OE.

(kw). Lat. gelu (frost), Goth, kalds, OE. ceald, kalt (cold) ; Lat. augere, Goth, aukan (to increase),

eacen

part. adj.

Lat. vivos, Gr.

OHG.

quec

(great).

jSior,

(quick)

Goth, qius (stem qiwa-), OE. cwic, Gr. epf/3os, Goth, riqis (stem ;

alive]

riqiza-), (darkness).

45.

The

Indg. tenues aspiratae seem to have become Germanic, and thus to have fallen

voiceless spirants in prim.

together with the voiceless spirants which arose from Indg. tenues ; their occurrence, however, in prim. Indg. was so rare that they

of

all

may be

neglected here.

The

Indg. mediae aspiratae became probably first the voiced spirants b, d, g, g(w). For the further

46.

48-50.

development of these sounds see

The

remaining Indg. consonants suffered no further material changes which need be mentioned here. 47.

Summing up

system

following

language

the

results

for the

arrive

prim.

at

the

Germanic

:

T

LABIAL Explosives

:

Spirants: { (

Nasals

43-46 we

of

of consonants

voiceless

p

voiceless

f

voiced.

:

"b

m

Liquids'.

Semi-vowels'.

-

PALATAL AND INTER- T^ DENTAI" GUTTURAL. DENTAL. t

k

z

g

*

J

a

n 1,

w

r j (palat.)

GRAMMAR. d

23

and b, d, g medially after became the voiced explosives b, corresponding nasals, in both Gothic, O. Norse, and West Germanic ( 2) 48.

15,

initially,

their d,

g

:

Goth, bairan, O.

b.

(to bear), Skr.

Icel.

bera, OE., OS.,

OHG.

beran

bharami, Gr.

$