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Grimm's law, also known as theFirst Germanic Consonant Shift[1] orFirst Germanic Sound Shift, is a set ofsound laws describing theProto-Indo-European (PIE) stop consonants as they developed inProto-Germanic in the first millennium BC, first discovered byRasmus Rask but systematically put forward byJacob Grimm.[2] It establishes a set of regular correspondences between early Germanic stops andfricatives andstop consonants of certain otherIndo-European languages.
Grimm's law was the first discovered systematic sound change, creating historical phonology as ahistorical linguistics discipline.Friedrich von Schlegel first noted the correspondence between Latinp and Germanicf in 1806. In 1818, Rasmus Rask extended the correspondences to other Indo-European languages, such asSanskrit and Greek, and to the full range of consonants involved. In 1822, Jacob Grimm put forth the rule in his bookDeutsche Grammatik and extended it to include standard German. He noticed that many words had consonants different from what his law predicted. These exceptions defied linguists for several decades, until Danish linguistKarl Verner explained them inVerner's law.
Grimm's law consists of three parts, forming consecutive phases in the sense of achain shift.[3] The phases are usually constructed as follows:
This chain shift (in the order 3, 2, 1) can be abstractly represented as:
Here each sound moves one position to the right to take on its new sound value. Within Proto-Germanic, the sounds denoted by⟨b⟩,⟨d⟩,⟨g⟩ and⟨gw⟩ were stops in some environments and fricatives in others, so*bʰ →*b indicates*bʰ →*b/β, and likewise for the others. The voiceless fricatives are customarily spelled⟨f⟩,⟨þ⟩,⟨h⟩ and⟨hw⟩ in the context of Germanic.
The exact details of the shift are unknown, and it may have progressed in a variety of ways before arriving at the final situation. The three stages listed above show the progression of a "pull chain", in which each change leaves a "gap" in the phonological system that "pulls" other phonemes into it to fill the gap. Alternatively, the shift may have occurred as a “push chain”, where the sounds changed in reverse order, with each change "pushing" the next forward to avoid merging the phonemes.
The steps could also have occurred somewhat differently. Another possible sequence of events could have been:
This sequence would lead to the same result. This variety of Grimm's law is often suggested in the context of Proto-Indo-Europeanglottalic theory, which is followed by a minority of linguists. This theoretical framework assumes that PIE "voiced stops" were actually voiceless to begin with, so that the second phase did not actually exist as such, or was not actually devoicing but was losing some other articulatory feature likeglottalization orejectiveness. This alternative sequence also accounts forVerner's law phonetics (see below), which are easier to explain within the glottalic theory framework when Grimm's law is formulated in this manner.[4]
Additionally, aspirated stops are known to have changed to fricatives when transiting between Proto-Indo-European andProto-Italic, so representing a plausible potential change from Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic.
Once the sounds described by Grimm's law had changed, only one type of voiced consonant was left, with no distinction between voiced stops and voiced fricatives. They eventually became stops at the start of a word (for the most part), as well as after a nasal consonant, but fricatives elsewhere. Whether they were plosives or fricatives at first is therefore not clear. The voiced aspirated stops may have first become voiced fricatives, before becoming stops under certain conditions. But they may also have become stops at first, then become fricatives in most positions later.
Around the same time as the Grimm's law sounds shifted, another change occurred known asVerner's law. Verner's law caused the voiceless fricatives that resulted from the Grimm's law changes to become voiced under certain conditions, creating apparent exceptions to the rule. For example:
The early Germanic*gw that had arisen from Proto-Indo-European*gʷʰ (and from*kʷ through Verner's law) further changed with various sorts:
Perhaps the usual reflex was*b (as suggested by the connection ofbid <*bidjaną and Old Irishguidid), but*w appears in certain cases (possibly through dissimilation when another labial consonant followed?) likewarm andwife (provided that the proposed explanations are correct). Proto-Germanic*hw voiced by Verner's law fell together with this sound and developed identically, compare the words for 'she-wolf': from Middle High Germanwülbe[citation needed] and Old Norseylgr, one can reconstruct Proto-Germanic nominative singular*wulbī, genitive singular*wulgijōz, from earlier*wulgwī,*wulgwijōz.[5][failed verification]
Further changes following Grimm's law, as well as sound changes in other Indo-European languages, can occasionally obscure the law's effects. The most illustrative examples are used here.
| Proto-Indo-European | Meaning | Non-Germanic (unshifted) cognates | Change | Proto-Germanic | Germanic (shifted) examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *pṓds | "foot" | Ancient Greek:πούς,ποδός (poús,podós), Latin:pēs,pedis, Sanskrit:pāda, Russian:под (pod) "under", Lithuanian:pėda, Latvian:pēda, Persian:پا (pa), Serbo-Croatian:pod ("under; floor") andpeta as in "heel" | *p > f[ɸ] | *fōts | English:foot, West Frisian:foet, German:Fuß, Gothic:fōtus, Icelandic, Faroese:fótur, Danish:fod, Norwegian, Swedish:fot |
| *tréyes | "three" | Ancient Greek:τρεῖς (treîs), Latin:trēs, Welsh:tri, Sanskrit:tri, Russian:три (tri), Serbo-Croatian:три̑ (trȋ), Lithuanian:trỹs, Polish:trzy, Albanian:tre | *t > þ[θ] | *þrīz | English:three, Old Frisian:thrē, Old Saxon:thrīe, Gothic:þreis, Icelandic:þrír |
| *ḱwón- ~ *ḱun- | "dog" | Ancient Greek:κύων (kýōn), Latin:canis, Sanskrit:śván, Welsh:ci (pl.cŵn), Serbo-Croatian:kuče, Persian:سگ (sag), Russian:собака (sobaka) | *k > h[x] | *hundaz | English:hound, Dutch:hond, German:Hund, Gothic:hunds, Icelandic, Faroese:hundur, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish:hund |
| *kʷód | "what" | Latin:quod, Irish:cad, Sanskrit:kád, Russian:что (čto), Lithuanian:kas, Serbo-Croatian (Torlakian dialect):кvo (kvo), Serbo-Croatian (Kajkavian dialect):кај (kaj) | *kʷ > hw[xʷ] | *hwat | English:what, Gothic:ƕa (hwa), Icelandic:hvað, Faroese:hvat, Danish:hvad, Norwegian:hva |
| *h₂ébōl | "apple" | Russian:яблоко (jabloko), Lithuanian:obuolỹs, Gaulishabalom, Serbo-Croatian:ја̏бука (jȁbuka) | *b > p[p] | *aplaz | English:apple, West Frisian:apel, Dutch:appel, Icelandic:epli, Swedish:äpple, Crimean Gothic:apel |
| *déḱm̥t | "ten" | Latin:decem, Greek:δέκα (déka), Irish:deich, Sanskrit:daśan, Russian:десять (desjat'), Welsh:deg, Lithuanian:dešimt, Polish:dziesięć | *d > t[t] | *tehun | English:ten, Dutch:tien, Gothic:taíhun, Icelandic:tíu, Faroese:tíggju, Danish, Norwegian:ti, Swedish:tio |
| *gel- | "cold" | Latin:gelū, Greek:γελανδρός (gelandrós), Lithuanian:gelmenis,gelumà | *g > k[k] | *kaldaz | English:cold, West Frisian:kâld, Dutch:koud, German:kalt, Icelandic, Faroese:kaldur, Danish:kold, Norwegian:kald, Swedish:kall |
| *gʷih₃wós | "alive" | Lithuanian:gyvas, Russian:живой (živoj), Sanskrit:jīvá-, Serbo-Croatian:жив (živ), Polish:żywy | *gʷ > kw[kʷ] | *kwi(k)waz | English:quick, West Frisian:kwik,kwyk, Dutch:kwiek, German:keck, Gothic:qius, Icelandic, Faroese:kvikur, Danish:kvik, Swedish:kvick, Norwegiankvikk |
| *bʰréh₂tēr | "brother" | Sanskrit:bhrātṛ, Ancient Greek:φρατήρ (phrātēr) ("member of a brotherhood"), Latin:frāter, Russian, Serbo-Croatian:брат (brat), Lithuanian:brolis, Polish:brat, Old Church Slavonic:братръ (bratr'), Old Welsh:braut, Latvian:brālis, Persian:برادر (barádar) | *bʰ > b[b~β] | *brōþēr | English:brother, West Frisian, Dutch:broeder, German:Bruder, Gothic:broþar, Icelandic, Faroese:bróðir, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish:broder |
| *médʰu | "honey" | Sanskrit:mádhu, Homeric Greek:μέθυ (methu), Lithuanian:medus, Russian:мёд (mjod), Serbo-Croatian:мед (med), Polish:miód | *dʰ > d[d~ð] | *meduz | English:mead, East Frisian:meede, Dutch:mede, German:Met, Danish, Norwegian:mjød, Icelandic:mjöður, Swedish:mjöd |
| *steygʰ- | "walk, step" | Sanskrit:stighnoti, Ancient Greek:στείχειν (steíkhein), Russian:ступать/ступить (stupat'/stupit') "walk/step" | *gʰ > g[ɡ~ɣ] | *stīganą | Old English:stīgan, Dutch:stijgen, German:steigen, Icelandic, Faroese:stíga, Danish, Norwegian:stige, Gothicsteigan (all meaning "ascend, climb") |
| *ǵʰans- | "goose" | Latin:anser <*hanser, Ancient Greek:χήν (chēn), Sanskrit:hamsa ("swan"), Lithuanian:žąsis (olderžansis), Russian:гусь (gus'), Persian:غاز (ğaz), Serbo-Croatian:гуска (guska), Polish:gęś | *gʰ > g[ɡ~ɣ] | *gans- | English:goose, West Frisian:goes,guos, Dutch:gans, German:Gans, Icelandic:gæs, Faroese:gás, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish:gås |
| *sengʷʰ- | "sing" | Homeric Greek:ὀμφή (omphē) "voice" | *gʷʰ > gw[ɡʷ] (Aftern) | *singwaną | English:sing, West Frisian:sjonge, Dutch:zingen, German:singen, Gothic:siggwan, Old Icelandic:syngva,syngja, Icelandic, Faroese:syngja, Swedish:sjunga, Danish:synge,sjunge |
This process appears strikingly regular. Each phase involves one single change which applies equally to the labials (p, b, bʰ, f) and their equivalent dentals (t, d, dʰ, þ), velars (k, g, gʰ, h) and rounded velars (kʷ, gʷ, gʷʰ, hʷ). The first phase left the phoneme repertoire of the language without voiceless stops, the second phase filled this gap, but created a new one, and so on until the chain had run its course.
When two obstruents occurred in a pair, the first was changed according to Grimm's law, if possible, while the second was not. If either of the two was voiceless, the whole cluster was devoiced, and the first obstruent also lost its labialisation, if it was present.
Most examples of this occurred with obstruents preceded by *s (resulting in *sp, *st, *sk, *skʷ), or obstruents followed by *t (giving *ft, *ss, *ht, *ht) or *s (giving *fs, *ss, *hs, *hs). The latter change was frequent in suffixes, and became a phonotactic restriction known as theGermanic spirant law. This rule remained productive throughout the Proto-Germanic period. The cluster *tt became *ss (as in many Indo-European daughter languages), but this was often restored analogically to *st later on.
Examples with preceding *s:
| Non-Germanic examples | Change | Germanic examples |
|---|---|---|
| Latin:spuere, Lithuanian:spjáuti | *sp | English:spew, West Frisian:spije, Dutch:spuwen, German:speien, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish:spy, Icelandic:spýja, Faroese:spýggja, Gothic:speiwan |
| Latin:stāre, Irish:stad, Sanskrit:sta, Russian: стать (stat'), Lithuanian:stoti, Persian:ايستادن (istâdan) | *st | English:stand, Icelandic, Faroese, Norwegian:standa, Gothic:standan; West Frisian:stean, Dutch:staan, German:stehen, Danish, Swedish:stå |
| Lithuanian:skurdus | *sk | English:short, Old High German:scurz, Icelandic:skorta |
| Irish:scéal | *skʷ | English:scold, Icelandic:skáld, Norwegian:skald; West Frisian:skelle, Dutch:schelden, German:schelten |
Examples with following *t:
| Non-Germanic examples | Change | Germanic examples |
|---|---|---|
| Ancient Greek: κλέπτης (kleptēs), Old Prussian:au-klipts "hidden" | *pt→ft | Gothic:hliftus "thief" |
| Latin:atta, Greek: ἄττα (átta) | *tt→tt | Old High German:atto, Gothic:atta "father" |
| Ancient Greek: ὀκτώ (oktō), Irish:ocht, Latin:octō | *kt→ht | English:eight, West Frisian, Dutch, German:acht, Gothic:ahtáu, Icelandic:átta |
| Irish:anocht, Latin:nox, noct-, Greek: νύξ, νυκτ- (núks, nukt-), Sanskrit: नक्तम् (naktam), Lithuanian:naktis, Hittite (genitive):nekuz (pronounced/nekʷts/) | *kʷt→ht | English:night, West Frisian, Dutch, German:Nacht, Gothic:nahts, Icelandic:nótt |
The Germanic "sound laws", combined with regular changes reconstructed for other Indo-European languages, allow one to define the expected sound correspondences between different branches of the family. For example, Germanic (word-initial) *b- corresponds regularly to Latin*f-, Greekpʰ-,Sanskritbʰ-,Slavic,Baltic orCelticb-, etc., while Germanic*f- corresponds to Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, Slavic and Balticp- and to zero (no initial consonant) in Celtic. The former set goes back to PIE*bʰ- (faithfully reflected in Sanskrit and modified in various ways elsewhere), and the latter set to PIE*p- (shifted in Germanic, lost in Celtic, but preserved in the other groups mentioned here).
One of the more conspicuous present surface correspondences is the Englishdigraphwh and the corresponding Latin and Romance digraphqu, notably found ininterrogative words (wh-words) such as thefive Ws. These both come from*kʷ. The present pronunciations have further changed, like many English varietiesreducing thewh-cluster, though the spellings reflect the history more; seeEnglish interrogative words: Etymology for details.
