sound change
Quick Summary
In linguistics, sound change refers to the alteration of a language's sound system over time. This is a fundamental aspect of historical linguistics, which studies how languages evolve. Scholars observed systematic sound correspondences between related languages, leading to the development of the comparative method.
Common types of sound change include:
* Assimilation: One sound becoming similar to a neighboring sound. For example, the pronunciation of "cupboard" where the 'p' is influenced by the 'b'.
* Dissimilation: One sound becoming different from a neighboring sound. An example is the word "pilgrim," derived from Latin peregrinus, where an 'r' became an 'l'.
Not all sound changes can be explained by these contextual influences, such as the Great Vowel Shift in English. Sound changes can be phonetic (affecting pronunciation without changing meaning distinctions) or phonological (altering the sound system and meaning distinctions).
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linguisticsDevelopment of the comparative method…he postulated a cyclical “soundshift” (Lautverschiebung) in the prehistory of Germanic, in which the original “aspirates” became voiced unaspirated stops (bh became b, etc.), the original voiced unaspirated stops became voiceless (b became p, etc.), and the original voiceless (unaspirated) stops became “aspirates” (p became f). Grimm’s term, “aspirate,”…
Read More…he postulated a cyclical “soundshift” (Lautverschiebung) in the prehistory of Germanic, in which the original “aspirates” became voiced unaspirated stops (bh became b, etc.), the original voiced unaspirated stops became voiceless (b became p, etc.), and the original voiceless (unaspirated) stops became “aspirates” (p became f). Grimm’s term, “aspirate,”…
Read More- linguisticsSound change
Since the beginning of the 19th century, when scholars observed that there were a number of systematic correspondences in related words between the sounds of the Germanic languages and the sounds of what were later recognized as other Indo-European languages, particular attention has…
Read MoreSince the beginning of the 19th century, when scholars observed that there were a number of systematic correspondences in related words between the sounds of the Germanic languages and the sounds of what were later recognized as other Indo-European languages, particular attention has…
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- Indo-Iranian languagesDivergent features
…example, Indo-Aryan has an i/ī sound representing a Proto-Indo-European laryngeal sound not only in initial syllables but also, generally, in interior syllables, as in Sanskrit duhitṛ- ‘daughter’ (cf. Greek thugátēr). In Iranian, the original laryngeal is lost in this position, as in Avestan dugədar-, duγδdar-. Similarly, Sanskrit bravīti ‘speaks, says,’…
Read More…example, Indo-Aryan has an i/ī sound representing a Proto-Indo-European laryngeal sound not only in initial syllables but also, generally, in interior syllables, as in Sanskrit duhitṛ- ‘daughter’ (cf. Greek thugátēr). In Iranian, the original laryngeal is lost in this position, as in Avestan dugədar-, duγδdar-. Similarly, Sanskrit bravīti ‘speaks, says,’…
Read More - Iranian languagesDialects
Yaghnābī is still spoken by a small number of people southeast of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It has two main dialects, eastern and western, which differ only slightly. The characteristic difference is between a western t sound and an eastern s sound from an older θ sound…
Read MoreYaghnābī is still spoken by a small number of people southeast of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It has two main dialects, eastern and western, which differ only slightly. The characteristic difference is between a western t sound and an eastern s sound from an older θ sound…
Read More - Iranian languagesThe Iranian protolanguage and its development
, š for the sh sound in ship, ž for the zh sound in azure, č for ch in church, and ǰ for j in jam). The voiced fricatives (i.e., the first three consonants represented in the fourth column—ɣ, β, and ð), which are produced with vibrating vocal cords and…
Read More, š for the sh sound in ship, ž for the zh sound in azure, č for ch in church, and ǰ for j in jam). The voiced fricatives (i.e., the first three consonants represented in the fourth column—ɣ, β, and ð), which are produced with vibrating vocal cords and…
Read More - Iranian languagesPhonology
The most characteristic features of the Iranian phonological system are those that distinguish it from the Indo-Aryan system. These are the development of various fricative sounds (indicated in phonetic symbols as x, f, θ, and later ɤ, β, ð), and of the voiced sibilant…
Read MoreThe most characteristic features of the Iranian phonological system are those that distinguish it from the Indo-Aryan system. These are the development of various fricative sounds (indicated in phonetic symbols as x, f, θ, and later ɤ, β, ð), and of the voiced sibilant…
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