A Middle High German Primer | Page 7

{b[o:]ckl[i]n} (OHG. {pochil[i]}); {dorf}, village, beside pl. {d[o:]rfer}; {got}, God, beside {g[o:]tinne}, goddess; {hof}, court, beside {h[o:]vesch}, courtly; {loch} (OHG. {loh}), hole, beside pl. {l[o:]cher} (OHG. {lohhir}); {tohter}, daughter, beside dim. {t[o:]hterl[i]n}; pret. subj. {m[o:]hte} (OHG. {mohti}), I might; {t[o:]rste} (OHG. {torsti}), I might dare.
u > [u:]: {d[u:]nne} (OHG. {dunni}), thin; {k[u:]nne} (OHG. {kunni}), race, generation; pl. {s[u:]ne} (OHG. {suni}), sons; {t[u:]r} (OHG. {turi}), door; pret. subj. {z[u:]ge} (OHG. {zugi}), inf. {ziehen}, to draw.
NOTE.--In Upper German certain consonant combinations often prevented umlaut from taking place where it might be expected. Of these the principal are:--
1. Before a liquid + consonant, as {hulde} (OHG. {huld[i]}), favour; {schuldec} (OHG. {sculd[i]g}), guilty; {gedultec} (OHG. {gidult[i]g}), indulgent; {burge} (OHG. {burgi}), dat. of {burc}, city; {sturbe} (OHG. {sturbi}), pret. subj. of {st[e:]rben}, to die; {wurfe} (OHG. {wurfi}), pret. subj. of {w[e:]rfen}, to throw, cp. 2 above.
2. {u} fluctuates with {[u:]} when followed by a nasal + consonant, as {dunken}, to seem, {umbe}, about, {wunne}, joy, beside {d[u:]nken}, {[u:]mbe} (OHG. {umbi}), {w[u:]nne}. This fluctuation is especially common in the pret. subjunctive, as {bunde}, {sunge}, beside {b[u:]nde}, {s[u:]nge}, inf. {binden}, to bind, {singen}, to sing.
3. {u} fluctuates with {[u:]} when followed by {gg}, {ck}, {pf}, {tz}, {[zz]}, {st}, {ch}, and {g}, as {brugge}, {br[u:]gge}, {brucke}, {br[u:]cke}, bridge; {mugge}, {m[u:]gge}, {mucke}, {m[u:]cke}, midge; {drucken}, {dr[u:]cken}, to press; {hupfen}, {h[u:]pfen}, to hop; {schupfen}, {sch[u:]pfen}, to push; {nutzen}, {n[u:]tzen}, to use; pret. subj. {flu[zz]e}, {fl[u:][zz]e}; {schu[zz]e}, {sch[u:][zz]e}, inf. {flie[z]en}, to flow, {schie[z]en}, to shoot; pl. {bruste}, {br[u:]ste}, breasts; {kuchen}, {k[u:]chen}, kitchen; pret. subj. {fluge}, {fl[u:]ge}, inf. {fliegen}, to fly.
[a] > [ae]: {l[ae]re} (OHG. {l[a]ri}), empty; {m[ae]re} (OHG. {m[a]ri}), renowned; {s[ae]jen} (OHG. {s[a]jan}), to sow; pret. subj. {n[ae]me} (OHG. {n[a]mi}), pl. {n[ae]men} (OHG. {n[a]m[i]m}), inf. {n[e:]men}, to take.
[o] > [oe]: {h[oe]her} (OHG. {h[o]hiro}), higher; {h[oe]hest} (OHG. {h[o]histo}), highest; {h[oe]ren} (OHG. {h[o]ren}, from older {*h[o]rjan}), to hear; {sch[oe]ne} (OHG. {sc[o]ni}), beautiful.
[u] > iu: pl. {briute} (OHG. {br[u]ti}), brides; {hiuser} (OHG. {h[u]sir}), houses.
Traces of the umlaut of {[u]}, written {iu} (= {[=u:]}), occur in late OHG. monuments of the tenth century. It is common in the writings of Notker (d. 1022), as {hiute} older {h[u]ti}, skins; {chriuter} older {chr[u]tir}, herbs. In other writings of the tenth to the twelfth century the umlaut of {[u]} is seldom found. Umlaut did not take place in Upper German before a following {m}, as {r[u]men} from {*r[u]mjan}, to make room; {s[u]men} from {*s[u]mjan}, to tarry.
ou > [o:]u, often written {eu}, rarely {oi}, {[o:]i}: {l[o:]ufel} (OHG. {loufil}), runner; {l[o:]uber} (OHG. {loubir}), leaves.
Umlaut of {ou} did not take place in the combination {ouw} = OHG. {ouw}, {auw}, West Germanic {aww}, primitive Germanic {awj}, as {frouwe} (OHG. {frouwa}, prim. Germanic {*frawj[o]-}), woman; {ouwe} (OHG. {ouwa}, {auwia}, prim. Germanic {*a([zh])wj[o]-}), meadow; {frouwen} (OHG. {frouwen}, prim. Germanic {*frawjan}), to rejoice, and similarly {douwen}, to digest, {drouwen}, to threaten, {strouwen}, to strew. Forms like {fr[o:]uwen}, {d[o:]uwen}, {dr[o:]uwen}, {str[o:]uwen} were analogical formations due to the influence of the pres. second and third pers. singular and the preterite which regularly had umlaut; see the Author's Historical German Grammar, Sec. 232.
Umlaut of {ou} did not take place in Upper German before labials and {g}, as {erlouben}, to allow, {gelouben}, to believe, {houbet}, head, {koufen}, to buy, {troumen}, to dream, {toufen}, to baptize, {bougen}, to bend, {ougen}, to show, beside Middle German {erl[o:]uben}, {gel[o:]uben}, {h[o:]ubet}, {k[o:]ufen}, {tr[o:]umen}, {t[o:]ufen}, {b[o:]ugen}, {[o:]ugen}.
uo > [u:]e: {gr[u:]ene} (OHG. {gruoni}), green; {g[u:]ete} (OHG. {guot[i]}), goodness; {v[u:]e[z]e} (OHG. {fuo[z]i}), feet; pret. pl. subj. {v[u:]eren} (OHG. {fuor[i]m}), we might go, inf. {varn}, to fare, go; {buoch}, book, dim. {b[u:]echl[i]n}; {muoter}, mother, dim. {m[u:]eterl[i]n}.
THE MHG. EQUIVALENTS OF THE OHG. VOWELS.
Sec. 11.
OHG. had the following short vowels, long vowels, and diphthongs:--
Short Vowels a, e, [e:], i, o, u. Long " [a], [e], [i], [o], [u]. Diphthongs ei, ie (ia, ea), ou (au), uo. io (eo), iu.
The following are the MHG. equivalents of the above simple vowels and diphthongs in accented syllables:--
1. The short vowels: Apart from the changes caused by umlaut, viz. {a} to {[a:], o} to {[o:], u} to {[u:]} (Sec. 10), and of {[e:]} to {e} before certain consonants, the OHG. short vowels remained in MHG., as
a = (1) MHG. a, as OHG. {fater}, father, {tag}, day, {faran}, to go = MHG. {vater}, {tac}, {varn}.
= (2) MHG. [a:], in words containing the consonant combinations which prevented umlaut from taking place in OHG., as OHG. {mahti}, powers, {kalt[i]}, coldness, {ahir}, ear of corn, {warmen}, to warm = MHG. {m[a:]hte}, {k[a:]lte}, {[a:]her}, {w[a:]rmen}, see Sec. 10.
e = MHG. e, as OHG. {gesti}, guests, {lembir}, lambs, {brennen}, to burn = MHG. {geste}, {lember}, {brennen}.
[e:] = (1) MHG. [e:], as OHG. {w[e:]g}, way, {h[e:]lfan}, to help, {st[e:]lan}, to steal = MHG. {w[e:]c}, {h[e:]lfen}, {st[e:]ln}.
= (2) MHG. e, before {st}, {sch}, and palatal {g}, as OHG. {n[e:]st}, nest, {sw[e:]ster}, sister = MHG. {nest}, {swester}; and similarly, {gestern}, yesterday, {deste},