Inhistorical linguistics, theHigh German consonant shift orsecond Germanic consonant shift is a phonological development (sound change) that took place in the southern parts of theWest Germanicdialect continuum. The shift is used to distinguishHigh German from other continental West Germanic languages, namelyLow Franconian (including standardDutch) andLow German, which experienced no shift. The shift resulted in theaffrication orspirantization of the West Germanic voiceless stop consonants/t/,/p/, and/k/, depending on position in a word. A related change, thedevoicing of the voiced stopped consonants/d/,/b/ and/ɡ/, was less widespread, and only the devoicing of/d/ is found in most dialects.
There is no consensus on when the High German consonant shift occurred; it probably began between the 3rd and 5th centuries and was complete before the first written examples inOld High German, the earliest recorded stage of High German, were produced in the 8th century. There is also no consensus on where or how the shift proceeded.
The degree of shift varies within High German. Dialects that experienced the most shift are referred to asUpper German, whereas those that only experienced some are referred to asCentral German. Different dialects within Upper and Central German also received different levels of shift.West Central German, for example, exhibits what is known as theRhenish fan, a gradual reduction of which consonants are shifted, as one moves north.
In most accounts, the High German consonant shift consists of two related changes:
theProto-West Germanic voiceless stop consonants/t/,/p/, and/k/spirantize to/s/,/f/,/x/, or elseaffricate to/ts/,/pf/,/kx/, depending on their position in the word (Tenuesverschiebung).[1] No shift takes place after a fricative (/sp/,/xt/,/st/,/ft/, etc. all remain unchanged) or in the combination/tr/ (/pr/ and/kr/ are still affected);[2]
the pre-Old High German voiced stop consonants/d/,/b/, and/ɡ/ (fromProto-West Germanic/ð/,/β/, and/ɣ/)devoice to the voiceless stop consonants/t/,/p/, and/k/ (Medienverschiebung).[1]
All High German dialects have experienced at least part of the shift of voiceless stops to fricatives/affricates.[3][4] The shift of voiceless stops to fricatives/affricates has traditionally been used to distinguish different German dialects:Upper German dialects experienced the greatest degree of shift, whereasCentral German dialects only experienced a partial shift (other West Germanic languages experienced no shift).[5] Only southern dialects experience the shift of voiced to voiceless stops: the shift of/d/ to/t/ is found in Upper German and in some Central German dialects, while the shift of/b/ to/p/ and/ɡ/ to/k/ is only found consistently in (Old) Bavarian.[6][a]
Modern standard German is based mostly on East Central German dialects and thus features many but not all of the shifted forms.[2] In particular, of theMedienverschiebung consonants, only the shift of/d/ to/t/ is found in almost all instances in the modern standard.[8] The shift results in characteristic differences between modern standard German and other Germanic languages, such as:[9]
GermanWasser vs. Englishwater, Dutchwater, Swedishvatten (German/s/ vs. other Germanic/t/)
GermanZunge vs. Englishtongue, Dutchtong, Swedishtunga (German/ts/ vs. other Germanic/t/)
GermanSchiff vs. Englishship, Dutchschip, Swedishskepp (German/f/ vs. other Germanic/p/)
GermanApfel vs. Englishapple, Dutchappel, Swedishäpple (German/pf/ vs. other Germanic/p/)
Germangleich vs. Englishlike, Dutchgelijk, Swedishlik (German/x/ vs. other Germanic/k/)
GermanTochter vs. Englishdaughter, Dutchdochter, Swedishdotter (German/t/ vs. other Germanic/d/)
Excluding loanwords from Low German and foreign borrowings (e.g.Park from Frenchparc, a doublet of GermanPferch, both from Latinparricus), Modern Standard German has retained unshifted/ptk/ only after a fricative (e.g.Stein, Englishstone) or in the combination/tr/ (e.g.treu, Englishtrue).[10]
Another change, the shift of /þ/ (/θ/) to/d/, is sometimes seen as related to the High German consonant shift.[1] However, it also comes to encompass the other continental West Germanic languages.[4] The relation of this change to the second consonant shift, as well as that of another change, that of initial/x/ to/h/, is disputed.[11] Braune and Reiffenstein discount a connection entirely.[12]
The result of the shift of the voiceless stops/ptk/ depends on their position in the word. The degree to which the stops are shifted also shows considerable variation betweenUpper German andCentral German dialects.[1][13] In particular, the shift of/p/ and/k/ in initial position is subject to dialectal variation.[14]
/t/ shifts
to/t͡s/ initially, in geminates, and after another consonant:[b]
Old Saxontehan : OHGzehan (Englishten, modern Germanzehn)
Old Saxonherta : OHGherza (Englishheart, modern GermanHerz)
Old Saxonsettian : OHGsezzen (Englishset, modern Germansetzen)
to⟨ȥȥ⟩ after a vowel, simplifying to⟨ȥ⟩ at the end of a word,[11] as well as frequently after a long vowel:[15][c]
Old Saxonetan : OHGezzan (Englisheat, modern Germanessen)
Old Saxonbîtan : OHGbîzan (Englishbite, modern Germanbeißen)
Old Saxonût : OHGûz (Englishout, modern Germanaus)
Both of these shifts affect/t/ in all High German dialects.[16] However, the Central German Middle Franconian dialects show unshifted final/t/ for neuter pronouns (that,thit,it,wat,allet).[17][18] Beginning in the 13th century, the fricative /ȥ/ merges with/s/ in most German dialects.[19]
/p/ shifts
to/p͡f/ initially, in geminates, and after another consonant:[d]
Old Saxonpiper : OHGpfeffar (Englishpepper, modern GermanPfeffer)
Old Saxonhelpan : OHGhelphan/helfan (Englishhelp, modern Germanhelfen)[e]
Old Saxonskeppian : OHGskephen (Englishscoop, modern Germanschöpfen)
to/ff/ after a vowel, simplifying to/f/ at the end of a word,[11] as well as often after a long vowel:[21][f]
Old Saxonpiper :pfeffar (Englishpepper, modern GermanPfeffer
Old Saxongrîpan : OHGgrîf(f)an (Englishgripe, modern Germangreifen)
Old Saxonskip : OHGscif (Englishship, modern GermanSchiff)
In Central German Middle and most Rhine Franconian dialects, the shift only takes place after a vowel:[22]
Different outcomes of/p/, according toSalmons 2018, p. 123
Old Saxon
(most) Franconian
Rest of OHG
pad
pad
pfad
appel
appel
apful
kamp
kamp
kampf
helpan
helpan/helpfan
helpfan/helfan
opan
of(f)an
of(f)an
up
ûf
ûf
Additionally, some Middle Franconian dialects retain final/p/ in the prepositionup.[18]
/k/ shifts
to/k͡x/ initially, in geminates, and after another consonant:[g]
Old Saxonkorn : Upper OHGchorn (Englishcorn, modern GermanKorn)
Old Saxonwerk : Upper OHGwerch (Englishwork, modern GermanWerk)
Old Saxonwekkian : OHGwecchan (Englishawake, modern Germanwecken
to/xx/ after a vowel, simplifying to/x/ at the end of a word,[11] as well as often after a long vowel:[15][h]
Old Saxonbrekan : OHGbrehhan (Englishbreak, modern Germanbrechen)
Old Saxonjuk : OHGjoh (Englishyoke, modern GermanJoch)
All dialects shift/k/ to/xx/ after a vowel; only the Upper German Alemannic and Bavarian shift it in other positions:[22]
Different outcomes of/k/, according toSalmons 2018, p. 123
Old Saxon
Central OHG
Far southern OHG
kind
kind
chind
stark
stark
starch
makon
mahhon
mahhon
ik
ih
ih
/ptk/ remained unshifted in all dialects when following the fricative consonants/s/,/f/, and/x/ (examples: OHGspinnan Engl. 'spin', OHGstein Engl. 'stone, OHGnaht Engl. 'night'). In addition,/t/ remained unshifted in the combination/tr/ (examples: OHGtretan Engl. 'tread', OHGbittar Engl. 'bitter' [from West Germanic*bitra]).[23][24]
In the so-calledMedienverschiebung, the voiced consonsants/dbɡ/devoice to/tpk/.[i] Like the shift to the voiceless stops, the shift to the voiced stops varies by dialect and to some degree by position in the word.[1] In those Upper German dialects that shifted all three stops, there was likely no longer any distinction between voiced and voiceless consonants.[27]
Old Saxonblōd : Upper OHGpluat (Englishblood, modern GermanBlut)
Old Saxonsibbia : OHGsippa (Englishsib, modern GermanSippe)
This change is found most consistently in Bavarian, where it takes place in all positions.[30] In Alemannic, it is consistently found word finally and word initially, but b often occurs word-internally.[28][30]/bb/ shifts to/pp/ in all dialects except in (Central German) Ripuarian.[26]
Old Saxongeban : Upper OHGkeban/kepan (Englishgive, modern Germangeben)
Old Saxonhruggi : OHGrucki (Englishridge, modern GermanRücken)
The change is found in Bavarian and Alemannic, most consistently word-initially, and in Bavarian also word-internally and finally.[30]/ɡɡ/ shifts to/kk/ in all dialects except in (Central German) Ripuarian.[26]
The effects of theMedienverschiebung are most visible in the shift of/d/ to/t/; this is the change with the widest spread and the only one that was not partially reversed in the Old High German period.[n] On the other hand, while early Bavarian and Alemannic both show a shift of/gb/ to/kp/, by the 9th century in Alemannic reverts to writing⟨ɡ⟩ and⟨b⟩ except for the geminated stops/kk/ and/pp/, and in the 10th century, Bavarian also begins to write⟨ɡ⟩ and⟨b⟩ more often.[24] By the Middle High German period, Bavarian consistently writes⟨p⟩ for single/b/ only in word-initial position - the state preserved in modern southern Bavarian dialects.[32][26][o]
^ The precise value of this sound is unknown, but it was distinct from the sound written⟨s⟩ (Braune & Reiffenstein 2004, pp. 167–168). Although often written as⟨ʒ⟩ or⟨ȥ⟩ in modern grammars and textbooks, in original Old High German and Middle High German texts, it was usually written⟨z⟩ and thus not distinguished from the affricate/ts/ (Braune & Reiffenstein 2004, p. 15)(Paul, Wiehl & Grosse 1998, p. 31).
^abcdef The pre-Old High German phonemes/dbɡ/ are the results of an earlier shift of West Germanic/ðβɣ/ in all positions (Fulk 2018, p. 134).
There is no agreement about the time period in which the High German consonantal shift took place.[34] Its completion is usually dated to just before the earliest attestations of Old High German (8th century CE).[22] The change affects geminate consonants in a different manner than simple consonants, indicating thatWest Germanic gemination predated it; the gemination is usually dated to the 5th century CE.[35] Additionally, Latin loanwords adopted into the language prior to the 6th century display the shift, whereas those adopted from the 8th century onward do not.[34] The relative chronology of the different changes remains poorly understood.[36] It is usually argued to have begun with/t/, then moved to/p/, then to/k/.[35]
Although the boundaries of the dialects have shifted since the Old High German period, the degree to which dialects underwent the High German consonant shift continues to form the basis for differentiating the different modernGerman dialects, and, in particular, for the division betweenCentral German dialects, which have fewer shifted consonants, andUpper German dialects, which have more.[37] The gradually increasing application of the shift from north to south is most extensive in the west. Here, the isoglosses defined by the occurrence of individual shifts are spread out in a fan-like manner, forming theRheinischer Fächer ('Rhenish fan').[38][39]
The northern border for the occurrence of the shift of/t/ to/(t)s/ in all positions (except in absolute final position in pronouns likedat,wat and the neuter ending-t) and the shift of/p/ and/k/ to/f/ and/x/ in intervocalic and root-final position is theBenrath line that separates the High German dialects to the south from the Low Saxon and Low Franconian dialects to the north.[39] Further north, the consonant shift is only found with the adverbauch 'also' and a handful of pronouns that have final/k/ shifted to/x/ (ich 'I',dich 'thee',mich 'me') in theSouth Low Franconian dialect area, whose northern border is theUerdingen line.[40][p]
The shift of/p/ to/f/ after consonants (e.g.helpan >helfen 'help') sets offMoselle Franconian dialects fromRipuarian dialects, which retain unshifted/p/. The shift of/t/ to/s/ inwat,dat >was,das etc. characterizes Rhine Franconian.[39] The shift of root-initial and historically geminated/p/ to/pf/ (Pund >Pfund 'pound',Appel >Apfel 'apple') marks the transition from the West Central German to the Upper German dialects. East Central German is separated from West Central German through having shifted initial p (the "Pund-Fund" line); only far southern East Central German dialects retain initial/pf-/, whereas other East Central German dialects have simplified it to initial/f-/.[42][43][44] The shift of root-initial and historically geminated/k/ to/kx/ (and further to/x/, as inKind >Chind) occurs in the southern part of the Upper German dialect area.[42]
Scope of the High German consonant shift in the major continental West Germanic dialect groups (Schrijver 2014, pp. 97–104)
^The shift of voiceless to voiced stops is reversed in many Upper and Central German dialects by a process oflenition, beginning around 1300 in parts of Bavarian.[7]
^ Prior to this shift, the West Germanic fricatives/ðβɣ/ had shifted to/dbg/ in all positions except in the Central German Middle Franconian dialect, where/β/ and/ɣ/ remained.[25] In many other German dialects,/ɡ/ and/b/spirantize word internally; however, this appears to be later development, as shown by their partaking infinal devoicing as stop consonants rather than fricatives.[26]
^In Middle High German, the sequence/nt/ mostly changes to/nd/, as found in modern standard German:Middle High German:binden vs.Old High German:bintan.[29]
^ The lack of a return of shifted/t/ (=earlier/d/) to/d/ in those dialects that underwent the shift is likely related to the subsequent shift of /þ/ (=/θ) to/d/ throughout the West Germanic area.[31]
^In modern dialects, the shift is further disguised in northern Bavarian and Alemannic dialects by inner-German lenition, a shift of/tpk/ to/dbɡ/ that takes place after 1350.[33]
^A special case is observed in the dialect ofWermelskirchen, where the Benrath and Uerdingen lines meet. Here, in addition to the South Low Franconian shift of absolute final/k/ to/x/ inich etc., intervocalic and root-final/p/,/t/ and/k/ undergo a shift only when preceded by a historically short high or mid vowel (e.g.etan >esən 'eat'), and remain unshifted after long vowels, diphthongs and the low vowels/a/ and/aː/, and also in all other positions (e.g.laːtan >lɔːtən 'let').[40] This phonologically conditioned distribution of shifted and unshifted voiceless stops is highly regular and not the result oflexical diffusion; it even occurs in the conjugation paradigms ofstrong verbs, e.g.riːtən 'tear' vs.jəresən 'torn';jriːpən 'seize' vs.jəjrefən 'seized'.[41]
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