German to old

English vowel
changes
Sagyndykova Elena
ГЛДО-1-21
 The transition from German to Old English involved several vowel
changes, influenced by various linguistic factors such as sound shifts,
borrowing from other languages, and internal developments within
the Germanic language family.
Some of the main
vowel changes
include:
A umlaut (fronting of back vowels): In Germanic
languages, including Old English, the vowel
system underwent a process known as umlaut.
This involved the fronting of back vowels (a, o, u)
under the influence of a following front vowel or
a front vowel in the next syllable.
For example, the Germanic word "man"
underwent umlaut to become "men" in Old
English.
 Breaking
For example
Breaking refers to the process by which the Old English word "stan" (stone)
certain short vowels in Old English developed from the Proto-Germanic
underwent diphthongization (the word "*stainaz."
transition from a single vowel to a
combination of two vowels). This
occurred primarily before certain
consonants, such as /r/, /h/, and /w/.
 Fronting of short vowels:
Some short vowels in Old English
shifted towards a fronted position,
especially before palatal consonants
like /j/ and /ç/.
For example
This resulted in changes such as the
Germanic word "*kuningaz"
becoming "cyning" (king) in Old
English.
oss of certain vowel distinctions:
For example
Old English underwent a reduction in the Proto-Germanic distinction
the number of vowel phonemes between short and long vowels was
compared to Proto-Germanic. largely lost in Old English, resulting
in fewer vowel contrasts..
 Conclusion
Overall, the transition from German to Old English
involved a complex series of vowel changes
influenced by both internal developments within the
Germanic language family and external factors such
as contact with other languages.
These changes contributed to the distinct phonological
system of Old English, which laid the foundation for
the development of Modern English.
 Bibliography
Vowel change in English and German
Miriam Calvo Fernández
2017/2018

Universitet del País Vasko