A Middle High German Primer | Page 6

{sun} (OHG. {sun}, {sunu}), son, {won(e)}, I dwell; {man(e)t}, he admonishes, {won(e)t}, he dwells, {scham(e)t}, he shames, {nim(e)t}, he takes, {n[e:]m(e)t}, ye take; pret. {won(e)te}, {scham(e)te}. In these and similar forms the {e} was often restored through the influence of forms which regularly preserved the {e}.
NOTE.--The {e}, when not preceded by a nasal, was sometimes dropped in verbal forms ending in {t}. This was especially the case in {wirst}, {wirt} older {wirdes(t)}, {wirdet}; {siht}, he sees, {s[e:]ht}, ye see, older {sihet}, {s[e:]het}; and often in forms like {gilt}, {vint}, {spricht}, {sticht} beside {giltet}, {vindet}, {sprichet}, {stichet}.
5. The superlative of adjectives often has double forms, the one with the loss of the medial {e}, and the other with the loss of the final {e}, as {beste}, best, {[e]rste}, first, {gr[oe]ste}, greatest, {leste}, last, {min(ne)ste}, least, {wir(se)ste}, worst, beside {be[zz]est(e)}, {[e]rest(e)}, {gr[oe][z]est(e)}, {le[zz]est(e)}, {minnest(e)}, {wirsest(e)}, OHG. {be[zz]isto}, {[e]risto}, {gr[o][z]isto}, {le[zz]isto}, {minnisto}, {wirsisto}.
6. In the unstressed forms of dissyllables, as adv. {ane}, {abe}, {mite}, {obe} beside the prepositions {an}, on, {ab}, of, {mit}, with, {ob}, over; dat. sing. {d[e:]me}, {w[e:]me}, {ime}, beside {d[e:]m}, {w[e:]m}, {im}; {unde}, and, {wande}, for, because, beside {und} ({unt}), {wan(d)}; {h[e:]rre}, {vrouwe}, beside {h[e:]r}, {vrou} before proper names and titles.
7. The {e} in the unaccented verbal prefixes {be-}, {ge-} often disappeared before {l, n, r}, as {bl[i]ben}, to remain, {gl[i]ch}, like, {glit}, member, {glouben}, to believe, {gn[a]de}, favour, {gnanne}, namesake, {gnuoge}, many, {grade}, quick, {gr[e:]ch}, straight, beside {bel[i]ben}, {gel[i]ch}, {gelit}, {gelouben}, {gen[a]de}, {genanne}, {genuoge}, {gerade}, {ger[e:]ch}; it disappeared before vowels during the OHG. period, as {bange}, anxious: {ange}, anxiously, {g[e:][zz]an} p.p. of {[e:][zz]an}, to eat, {gunnan}, MHG. {gunnen}, {g[u:]nnen}, to grant.
3. UMLAUT.
Sec. 10.
By umlaut is meant the modification (palatalization) of an accented vowel through the influence of an {[)i]} or {j} which originally stood in the following syllable. The only vowel which underwent this change in OHG. was {a}, which became close {e} (Sec. 2, note).
The change is first met with in OHG. monuments about the middle of the eighth century. In the ninth century the process was practically complete except when the {a} was followed by certain consonant combinations which prevented umlaut from taking place. These consonant combinations were:--
1. {ht}, {hs}, or consonant + {w}, as {maht}, power, pl. {mahti; wahsit}, he grows, inf. {wahsan}; {bi-scatwen} from {*-scatwjan}, to shade.
2. In Upper German before {l} + consonant, before {hh}, {ch} (= Germanic {k}), and often before {r} + consonant, and before {h} (= Germanic {h}), as Upper German {haltit} beside Upper Franconian {heltit}, he holds, inf. {haltan}; UG. {altiro} beside UF. {eltiro}, older; UG. {sachit} beside UF. {sehhit}, he quarrels, inf. {sachan}, Goth. {sakan}; UG. {warmen} beside {wermen}, Goth. {warmjan}, to warm; UG. {slahit} beside {slehit}, he strikes, inf. OHG. {slahan}, Goth. {slahan}.
3. In words ending in {-nissi}, {-nissa}, or {-l[i]h}, as {firstantnissi}, understanding; {infancnissa}, assumption; {kraftl[i]h}, strong; {tagal[i]h}, daily.
Umlaut must have taken place earlier in the spoken language than it is expressed in late OHG. and early MHG. manuscripts, because the {[)i]} which caused the umlaut was weakened to {e} in MHG. (Sec. 7) and {j} had disappeared except between vowels. The vowels and diphthongs which underwent umlaut in MHG. are a, o, u, [a], [o], [u], ou, uo. The umlaut of all these sounds was completed by about the year 1200.
a > e: {gast}, guest, pl. {geste} (OHG. {gesti}); {lamp}, lamb, pl. {lember} (OHG. {lembir}); inf. {graben}, to dig, pres. second and third pers. sing. {grebes(t)}, {grebet} (OHG. {grebis}, {grebit}); {lanc}, long, beside {lenge} (OHG. {leng[i]}), length; {brennen}, Goth. {brannjan}, to burn; {bette} (OHG. {betti}), bed.
a > [a:]: From the twelfth century onwards the umlaut of {a} also occurs--often beside forms without umlaut--in words containing the consonant combinations which prevented umlaut from taking place in OHG., as pl. {m[a:]hte} (OHG. {mahti}), powers; {gesl[a:]hte} (OHG. {gislahti}), race, generation; {w[a:]hset} (OHG. {wahsit}), he grows; {w[a:]rmen} (OHG. {warmen}, older {*warmjan}), to warm; Upper German {[a:]lter} (OHG. {altiro}), older; {k[a:]lte} (OHG. {kalt[i]}), coldness; {h[a:]ltet} (OHG. {haltit}), he holds; {[a:]her} (OHG. {ahir}), ear of corn; {sl[a:]het} (OHG. {slahit}), he strikes. It also occurs in derivatives ending in {-l[i]ch}, {-l[i]n}, as {m[a:]nl[i]ch}, manly, {sch[a:]mel[i]ch}, shameful, {t[a:]gel[i]ch}, daily, {v[a:]terl[i]ch}, fatherly, {v[a:]terl[i]n}, dim. of {vater}, father. It is likewise met with in MHG. words which originally had an {i} in the third syllable, the vowel of the second syllable having become {i} by assimilation, as {fr[a:]vele} (OHG. {frafali}), bold, pl. {m[a:]gede} (OHG. {magadi}), maids, pl. {z[a:]her(e)} (OHG. {zahari}), tears. See Sec. 2, Note.
o > [o:]: Although {[o:]}, the umlaut of {o}, is common in MHG. and still commoner in NHG., yet all words containing this umlaut are really new formations due to levelling or analogy, because primitive Germanic {u} (Sec. 15) did not become {o} in OHG. when followed by an {[)i]} or {j} in the next syllable. Examples are: {boc}, he-goat, beside dim.