Slavic first palatalization
Encyclopedia
Slavic first palatalization is a Proto-Slavic sound change, that manifested as regressive palatalization
of inherited Balto-Slavic velars and velar fricative.
(velum), in the back part of the roof of the mouth, and front vowels, of course, in the front part of the mouth. This articulatory opposition is then resolved by adapting (assimilating
) the articulation of the velar consonant to the front vowel, relocating it to the region of the front soft palate (palatum), i.e. it becomes palatalized.
This is a very common phenomenon in the phonetic history of languages. Velar palatalization before front vowels has also marked for example the evolution of almost all modern Romance languages.
*k, }) and *g (< PIE *g, }, }, }) change before Proto-Slavic front vowels *e/ē, *i/ī (PIE *e/ē, *i, *ey/ēy, *ew/ēw > OCS
e/ě, ь, i, u), and also before the palatal semivowel *j:
Proto-Slavic velar fricative *x, which was absent in PIE and arose primarily from PIE *s by means of RUKI law
, from word-initial PIE #sk-, as well as from Germanic and Iranian borrowings
, changed in the same environment as:
Compare:
The effect of the first palatalization is also evident on Germanic loanwords. Compare:
There is also some disagreement on whether Proto-Slavic velars became affricates before front vowels and before */j/; at first sight, it seems likely that palatalization of velars was an older process than palatalization before */j/.
Lots of linguists think that the transition *kj > *č, *gj > *ž, *xj > *š occurred simultaneously with the changes *sj > *š, *zj > *ž, i.e. together with changes otherwise known as the Common Slavic iotation
(or yodization). However, that change is in fact Common Slavic (post-Proto-Slavic), which is obvious e.g. from the adaption of Romance toponyms in the Adriatic, to which Slavs subsequently spread well after the 5th century, when first regressive palatalization is usually dated. Compare:
Latin Sanctus Cassiānus > SCr. Sùkošan
On the other hand, from a purely phonetic viewpoint, it's very hard to believe that velars might have been unpalatalized before *j by the time they palatalized before *e and *i.
That being said, the first palatalization must have proceeded gradually:
The most economic interpretation is that there was no difference in Proto-Slavic of *k and *g before *j, and before *e, *i, i.e. that the pronunciation was *kj, *gj. *j was then lost after palatalized velars (or affricates) in Common Slavic period of iotation of other consonants.
With that in mind, consonants */č/ and */ž/, which are usually reconstructed in the phonemic inventory of Proto-Slavic in the literature, were likely to be just phonologically predictable allophones of */k/, and */g/, and have remained such until conditions were met after the 600 CE for their appearance behind back vowels as well. Similarly, *š which resulted by the application of RUKI law was an allophone of */s/ after *r, *u, *k, *i, but when *š emerged from Proto-Slavic *sj, the opposition between *š and *s became phonological, i.e. */š/ became phonemicized.
Further evidence on that date are the toponymy and the hydronymy of the upper Dnieper river
which Slavs colonized probably in the latter half of the 5th century. Before their arrival, that region was populated by the Baltic speakers, and the Baltic river names such as Vilkesà, Akesa, Laukesà and Merkys yielded Russian equivalents Volčesa, Očesa, Lučesa, and Mereč. This shows that the palatalization was operable in the latter half of the 5th century.
By the time Slavs reached the south of Greece and the Adriatic coastline, in the 6th and the 7th century, palatalization was no longer operable. That can be seen from the fact that Slavic words were borrowed into Middle Greek in palatalized form, and also from the fact that Romance toponyms on the Adriatic undergo the second, not the first palatalization.
On the basis of this data, and on the basis of the fact that for the sound change to be complete at least three generations are needed, i.e. ca 75 years, Arnošt Lemprecht concluded that that palatalization operated approximately 400-475 CE, ±25 years.
Palatalization
In linguistics, palatalization , also palatization, may refer to two different processes by which a sound, usually a consonant, comes to be produced with the tongue in a position in the mouth near the palate....
of inherited Balto-Slavic velars and velar fricative.
Motivation
An important tendency in Proto-Slavic that also operated throughout the Common Slavic period, and was the direct cause of the first palatalization, was so-called intrasyllabic synharmony. Such intrasyllabic synharmony was violated if a velar consonant found itself before a front (palatal) vowel, because a velar is articulated in the region of soft palateSoft palate
The soft palate is the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is distinguished from the hard palate at the front of the mouth in that it does not contain bone....
(velum), in the back part of the roof of the mouth, and front vowels, of course, in the front part of the mouth. This articulatory opposition is then resolved by adapting (assimilating
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...
) the articulation of the velar consonant to the front vowel, relocating it to the region of the front soft palate (palatum), i.e. it becomes palatalized.
This is a very common phenomenon in the phonetic history of languages. Velar palatalization before front vowels has also marked for example the evolution of almost all modern Romance languages.
Formulation
Inherited velars *k (< PIEProto-Indo-European language
The Proto-Indo-European language is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans...
*k, }) and *g (< PIE *g, }, }, }) change before Proto-Slavic front vowels *e/ē, *i/ī (PIE *e/ē, *i, *ey/ēy, *ew/ēw > OCS
Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Church Slavic was the first literary Slavic language, first developed by the 9th century Byzantine Greek missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius who were credited with standardizing the language and using it for translating the Bible and other Ancient Greek...
e/ě, ь, i, u), and also before the palatal semivowel *j:
- *k > *kʲ > *č
- *g > *gʲ > *dž > *ž
Proto-Slavic velar fricative *x, which was absent in PIE and arose primarily from PIE *s by means of RUKI law
Ruki sound law
Ruki refers to a sound change in Balto-Slavic, Albanian, Armenian, and Indo-Iranian, wherein an original phoneme changed into after the consonants , , and the semi-vowels , , or:...
, from word-initial PIE #sk-, as well as from Germanic and Iranian borrowings
Proto-Slavic borrowings
Numerous lexemes that are reconstructible for the Proto-Slavic language have been identified as borrowings from the languages of various tribes that Proto-Slavic speakers came into contact with, either in prehistorical times or during their expansion when they first appeared in history in the 6th...
, changed in the same environment as:
- *x > *xʲ > *š
Compare:
- PIE 'wolf!' (vocative singular of ) > PSl. *wilke > OCS vlьče, Pol. wilcze, SCr. vȗče
- PIE 'woman' > PSl. *ženā > OCS žena, Russ. žená, Pol. żona
- PIE *muHs 'mouse' > PSl. *mūsi > *mūxi > mūši > OCS myšь, Russ. myš', Pol. mysz
The effect of the first palatalization is also evident on Germanic loanwords. Compare:
- Germanic *helmaz 'helmet' > PSl. *xelmu > *šelmu > OCS šlěmъ, Russ. šelóm, SCr. šljȅm
- Germanic *kinda 'child, infant' > PSl. *kinda > *činda > OCS čędo, Russ čado, Old Pol. czędo
Interpretation
Even though it is commonly stated in the literature that the result of first palatalization were consonants */č/, */ž/, */š/, there is no certain evidence that that process was indeed finished by the 600 CE.There is also some disagreement on whether Proto-Slavic velars became affricates before front vowels and before */j/; at first sight, it seems likely that palatalization of velars was an older process than palatalization before */j/.
Lots of linguists think that the transition *kj > *č, *gj > *ž, *xj > *š occurred simultaneously with the changes *sj > *š, *zj > *ž, i.e. together with changes otherwise known as the Common Slavic iotation
Iotation
Iotation is a linguistic phenomenon very characteristic of the Slavic languages. It should not be confused with palatalization, which is an entirely different process....
(or yodization). However, that change is in fact Common Slavic (post-Proto-Slavic), which is obvious e.g. from the adaption of Romance toponyms in the Adriatic, to which Slavs subsequently spread well after the 5th century, when first regressive palatalization is usually dated. Compare:
- Latin
Raša
Raša is a town and municipality in the inner part of the Raška Inlet in the south-eastern part of Istria, Croatia. Raša lies southwest of Labin at an elevation of ....
Sukošan
Sukošan is a village in Dalmatia, Croatia, with 4,402 inhabitants, the majority which are Croats. It is located along the Adriatic tourism road between Zadar and Biograd na Moru....
On the other hand, from a purely phonetic viewpoint, it's very hard to believe that velars might have been unpalatalized before *j by the time they palatalized before *e and *i.
That being said, the first palatalization must have proceeded gradually:
- *k > *kj > *č' > *č
- *g > *gj > *dž' > *ž' > *ž
The most economic interpretation is that there was no difference in Proto-Slavic of *k and *g before *j, and before *e, *i, i.e. that the pronunciation was *kj, *gj. *j was then lost after palatalized velars (or affricates) in Common Slavic period of iotation of other consonants.
With that in mind, consonants */č/ and */ž/, which are usually reconstructed in the phonemic inventory of Proto-Slavic in the literature, were likely to be just phonologically predictable allophones of */k/, and */g/, and have remained such until conditions were met after the 600 CE for their appearance behind back vowels as well. Similarly, *š which resulted by the application of RUKI law was an allophone of */s/ after *r, *u, *k, *i, but when *š emerged from Proto-Slavic *sj, the opposition between *š and *s became phonological, i.e. */š/ became phonemicized.
Dating
The results of the first palatalization were the same in all Slavic languages, which shows that it was probably conducted before the migration of Slavs in their historical settlements, and that means probably before 500 CE. As it was mentioned, it also operated on Gothic borrowings which were probably borrowed before or not long after the fall of Gothic Empire by the Huns in 375 CE. This all shows that it operated throughout the 5th century.Further evidence on that date are the toponymy and the hydronymy of the upper Dnieper river
Dnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
which Slavs colonized probably in the latter half of the 5th century. Before their arrival, that region was populated by the Baltic speakers, and the Baltic river names such as Vilkesà, Akesa, Laukesà and Merkys yielded Russian equivalents Volčesa, Očesa, Lučesa, and Mereč. This shows that the palatalization was operable in the latter half of the 5th century.
By the time Slavs reached the south of Greece and the Adriatic coastline, in the 6th and the 7th century, palatalization was no longer operable. That can be seen from the fact that Slavic words were borrowed into Middle Greek in palatalized form, and also from the fact that Romance toponyms on the Adriatic undergo the second, not the first palatalization.
On the basis of this data, and on the basis of the fact that for the sound change to be complete at least three generations are needed, i.e. ca 75 years, Arnošt Lemprecht concluded that that palatalization operated approximately 400-475 CE, ±25 years.
See also
- Proto-Slavic languageProto-Slavic languageProto-Slavic is the proto-language from which Slavic languages later emerged. It was spoken before the seventh century AD. As with most other proto-languages, no attested writings have been found; the language has been reconstructed by applying the comparative method to all the attested Slavic...
- Slavic second palatalizationSlavic second palatalizationSlavic second palatalization is a Proto-Slavic sound change, that manifested as a regressive palatalization of inherited Balto-Slavic velars and velar fricative, chronologically occurring after the first and the third palatalization.-Motivation:...
- Slavic third palatalization