Review: Germanic is one of the Indo-European family of languages

Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE

1. The First Germanic Consonant Shift2. Vowel gradation3. Nominal reduction to a 4-case system4. Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system5. Innovation: weak & strong declensions of

adjectives6. Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix7. Stress fixed on the root8. A common distinctive vocabulary

Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE

1. The First Germanic Consonant Shift

See 2nd-week material:• Indo-European stops at

http://www.hi.is/~peturk/KENNSLA/11/TOPICS/02IEstops.html

• The Neo-Grammarians at http://www.hi.is/~peturk/KENNSLA/11/SLIDES/02aNeogrammarians.ppt

First Germanic Consonant Shift-summary

Indo-European Germanic

First series p t k kw f þ h hw

Second series b d g gw p t k kw

Third series bh dh gh ghw

b d g gw

Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE

1. The First Germanic Consonant Shift2. Vowel gradation3. Nominal reduction to a 4-case system4. Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system5. Innovation: weak & strong declensions of

adjectives6. Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix7. Stress fixed on the root8. A common distinctive vocabulary

2 Vowel gradation• ablaut, hljóðskiptaröð: a set of internal vowel

changes expressing different morphological functions.

• In IE:e-grade or full gradeo-gradezero grade.

• Remains today:Mostly strong verbs:ride rode riddensing sang sungfreeze froze frozenfly flew flown

Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE

1. The First Germanic Consonant Shift2. Vowel gradation3. Nominal reduction to a 4-case system4. Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system5. Innovation: weak & strong declensions of

adjectives6. Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix7. Stress fixed on the root8. A common distinctive vocabulary

4 Nominal reduction to a 4-case system

• IE had eight cases– nom voc acc gen

dat instr abl loc• 3 numbers

singular dual plural• 3 genders

masculine, feminine neuter

• Germanic 4 cases– nom acc gen dat

• Retained 3 numbers in pronouns

• 3 gendersmasculine, feminine

neuter

Indo-European Germanic

IE nominal cases

• nominative• vocative • accusative • genitive • dative• instrumental• ablative• locative

Germanic nominal cases

• nominative• vocative • accusative • genitive • dative• instrumental• ablative• locative

Germanic nominal cases

• nominative• nefnifall

• accusative• þolfall

• genitive• eignarfall

• dative• þágufall

se dæg cymð – sá dagur kemur that day will come

ic geman þone dæg - ég man þann dagI remember that day

se nama þæs dæges– dagsins nafnthe name of the day – the day’s name

on þæm dæge – á þeim degion that day

Seo læfdige geaf þære cwene þæs cyninges hring

Frúin gaf drottningunni hring konungsins

The lady gave the queen the king’s ring

NOMINATIVEsubject

DATIVEindirect object given to whom?

GENITIVEpossession

ACCUSATIVEdirect object

what was given

Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE

1. The First Germanic Consonant Shift2. Vowel gradation3. Nominal reduction to a 4-case system4. Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system5. Innovation: weak & strong declensions of

adjectives6. Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix7. Stress fixed on the root8. A common distinctive vocabulary

4 Verbs: 2 tenses only

• Presentnon-time specified

• Pasttime orientated

it rains, old women are wise

it rained, Mary knew the answer

Other tenses are periphrastic:

it has rained, is raining, will rain, has been raining, etc

Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE

1. The First Germanic Consonant Shift2. Vowel gradation3. Nominal reduction to a 4-case system4. Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system5. Innovation: weak & strong declensions of

adjectives6. Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix7. Stress fixed on the root8. A common distinctive vocabulary

5 Innovation: weak & strong declensions of adjectives

• ein guter Mann – der gute Mann• góður maður – góði maðurinn• án gód man – se góda man

See more on: http://www.hi.is/~peturk/KENNSLA/11/TOPICS/04WeakStrongAdj.htm

Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE

1. The First Germanic Consonant Shift2. Vowel gradation3. Nominal reduction to a 4-case system4. Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system5. Innovation: weak & strong declensions of

adjectives6. Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix7. Stress fixed on the root8. A common distinctive vocabulary

6 Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix

• "weak" = regular verbs (bake baked)• "strong" = irregular verbs (sing sang sung)• development of a weak class of verbs with

dental suffix (d/t) in past tense• hear heard, bake baked• heyra heyrði, baka bakaði

Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE

1. The First Germanic Consonant Shift2. Vowel gradation3. Nominal reduction to a 4-case system4. Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system5. Innovation: weak & strong declensions of

adjectives6. Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix7. Stress fixed on the root8. A common distinctive vocabulary

7 Stress fixed on the root

• pitar• bhratar

• fæder• bróðor

weakening of endings:

hringas > ringes > rings >

lufian > lufien > luvie >luve >

we lufodon > we lufeden

> we luvede >

SINGULAR IE Gmc Go Ice OE ModE

nominative dhogos ðagas gads dagr dæg day

accusative dhoghom ðagan dag dag dæg day

genitive dhogheso ðagesa dagis dags dæges day’s

dative dhogoai ðagai daga degi dæge day

PLURAL

nominative dhogoes ðagoz dagos dagar dagas days

accusative dhogoms ðaganz dagans daga dagas days

genitive dhogeom ðagon dage daga daga days

dative dhoghomos ðagomoz dagam dögum dagum days

Vowel weakening – furtherTable base on Strang, p. 415

Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE

1. The First Germanic Consonant Shift2. Vowel gradation3. Nominal reduction to a 4-case system4. Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system5. Innovation: weak & strong declensions of

adjectives6. Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix7. Stress fixed on the root8. A common distinctive vocabulary

8 A common distinctive vocabulary

brák- > OE bróc, plural bréc > breeches Ice. brók

busk- > bush

dreug- > drýge > dry, droughttap- > top, tap, tip (typpi)

wepnam > wæpen, vopn, weapon

Examples of words only found in Germanic:

Found in Germanic and Celtic: