Lachmann's law
Encyclopedia
Lachmann's law is a somewhat disputed phonological sound law for Latin named after German Indo-Europeanist Karl Lachmann
who first formulated it sometime in the middle of the 19th century. According to it, vowel
s in Latin lengthen before Proto-Indo-European
voiced
stops
which are followed by another (unvoiced) stop.
Compare:
Lachmann's law is an example of sound law that affects deep phonological structure, not the surface result of phonological rules. In Proto-Indo-European, a voiced stop was already pronounced as voiceless before voiceless stops, as the assimilation by voicedness
must have been operational in PIE ( → 'forced, made'). Lachmann's law, however, did not act upon the result of the assimilation, but on the deep structure > *agtos > āctus. The assumption that sound law can affect deep phonological structure that is not reflected in the surface structure is, however, controversial.
The law also does not operate before PIE voiced aspirate stops. Based on this, the glottalic theory
reinterprets the law not to reflect lengthening before voiced stops, but before glottalized stops. In that case the assumption that we are dealing with an example of sound law that affects deep phonological structure is not required.
Karl Lachmann
Karl Konrad Friedrich Wilhelm Lachmann was a German philologist and critic.-Biography:He was born in Brunswick, in what is now Lower Saxony....
who first formulated it sometime in the middle of the 19th century. According to it, vowel
Vowel
In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
s in Latin lengthen before Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European phonology
The phonology of the Proto-Indo-European language has been reconstructed by linguists, based on the similarities and differences among current and extinct Indo-European languages...
voiced
Voice (phonetics)
Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either voiceless or voiced. The term, however, is used to refer to two separate concepts. Voicing can refer to the articulatory process in which the vocal cords vibrate...
stops
Stop consonant
In phonetics, a plosive, also known as an occlusive or an oral stop, is a stop consonant in which the vocal tract is blocked so that all airflow ceases. The occlusion may be done with the tongue , lips , and &...
which are followed by another (unvoiced) stop.
Compare:
- PIEProto-Indo-European languageThe Proto-Indo-European language is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans...
} 'lead' > āctus (cf. short vowel in Ancient Greek ágō) - PIE } 'fortified' > pāctus (cf. short vowel in Sanskrit pajrás)
- PIE *tegtos 'covered' > tēctus (cf. short vowel in Ancient Greek stégō)
Lachmann's law is an example of sound law that affects deep phonological structure, not the surface result of phonological rules. In Proto-Indo-European, a voiced stop was already pronounced as voiceless before voiceless stops, as the assimilation by voicedness
Assimilation (linguistics)
Assimilation is a common phonological process by which the sound of the ending of one word blends into the sound of the beginning of the following word. This occurs when the parts of the mouth and vocal cords start to form the beginning sounds of the next word before the last sound has been...
must have been operational in PIE ( → 'forced, made'). Lachmann's law, however, did not act upon the result of the assimilation, but on the deep structure > *agtos > āctus. The assumption that sound law can affect deep phonological structure that is not reflected in the surface structure is, however, controversial.
The law also does not operate before PIE voiced aspirate stops. Based on this, the glottalic theory
Glottalic theory
The glottalic theory holds that Proto-Indo-European had ejective stops, , but not the murmured ones, , of traditional Proto-Indo-European phonological reconstructions....
reinterprets the law not to reflect lengthening before voiced stops, but before glottalized stops. In that case the assumption that we are dealing with an example of sound law that affects deep phonological structure is not required.