A Gothic Grammar

Note 4. The au for u in the endings of the u-declension may be aú, but also áu which would be due to confusion caused by analogy. Beitr., 18, 280. – Cp. also uftô for auftô, § 24 (#para_24), n. 1.

Note 5. As a rule, the Greek ο is represented by aú; e. g., apaustaulus, ἀπόστολος; alabalstraun, ἀλάβαστρον; Barþaulaumaius, Βαρθολομαῖος; Pauntius, Πόντιος; aú = υ in Saúr, Σύρος; paúrpaúra, πορφύρα. – Goth. aú = o in the East Gothic name Thorisa. (Wrede, 'Ostg.', 76. 165).

§ 25. II. The old difthong au [= ou in E. house]. Every au not broken from u (before h, r; s. § 24 (#para_24) and note 3) is a difthong; it corresponds to OHG. au, ou, or ô (ahd. gr., §§ 45 (#para_45). 46 (#para_46)), OS. ô, ON. au. Whenever it is likely to be confused with aú, we put (according to Grimm), an accute accent over the a (áu). E. g.

The prts. sg. of the II. ablaut-series (§ 31 (#para_31)): gaut, I pour (inf. giutan); laug, I lied, etc.; laugnjan, to deny; daupjan, to baptize; galaubjan, to believ; galaubeins, belief; rauþs, red; dauþus, deth; —aukan, to increase; hlaupan, to run; stautan, to push, strike; —haubiþ, hed; augô, ey.

au in inflections and final occurs in the u-declension: sunaus, sunau; 1st pers. sg. opt.: nimau, nêmjau; 3d pers. sg. imper.: lausjadau; opt. midl: haitaidau.

Note 1. au often interchanges with aw (cp. § 42 (#para_42)); e. g., taujan, prt. tawida, to do; mawi, gen. maujôs, girl; sniwan, prt. snau, to hasten.

Note 2. Latin writers express Goth. au by au; as, Ausila, Austrovaldus, Audericus. Cp. Wrede, 'Wand.', 96 et seq. Concerning East Gothic monofthongizations, s. Wrede, 'Ostg.', 165 et seq. (Zs. fda., 36, 2732).

Note 3. In the u-declension u is often found for áu; cp. § 24 (#para_24), n. 4; § 105 (#para_105), n. 2.

§ 26. Another au, historically, and probably also fonetically, different from the preceding ones occurs before vowels.

(a) For original ô: stauida, prt. of stôjan, to judge; staua, f., judgment; staua, m., judge; taui, n., gen. tôjis, deed (cp. also ubiltôjis, evil-doer; taujan, to do, prt. tawida); afmauidai and afdauidai, pps. of *afmôjan, and *afdôjan, to tire out, weary; sauil, n., sun.

(b) For û in the other Germanic languages: trauan (OHG. trûên), to trust; bauan (OHG. bûan), to dwel; bnauan, to rub (to pieces or powder. ON. (g)núa, OHG. nûan). Cp. also § 179 (#litres_trial_promo), n. 2.

Sinse this au does not change into aw before vowels, it must denote a monofthong which is likely to be the long of aú, hense a long open o (= a in E. fall), while long close o (shading very much to û, like ô in E. home) is denoted by ô. Accordingly, Goth. antevocalic ô, û past into au. Cp. Brgm., I, 156. For the extensiv literature on this question, s. Noreen's 'Urgerm. Lautlehre', p. 34; also Beitr., 17, 563-567.

Note 1. Also Gr. ω before a vowel, which is represented as a rule by ô, is renderd by au: Trauada, Τρῳάς; Nauêl, Νωέ; Lauidja, Λωίς.

Note 2. ô before u occurs, however, in the preterit forms waiwôun (inf. waian, § 182 (#litres_trial_promo)), lailôun (inf. *lauan, § 179 (#litres_trial_promo), 4). Cp. Beitr., 11, 742.

APPENDIX

§ 27. Beside the vowel-signs discust in the foregoing paragrafs, a few consonant-signs may likewise discharge the function of vowels, for the Gothic liquids l, r and the nasals m, n ar very often vocalic (i. e. syllabic) at the end of a word after a consonant. Here an original suffixal vowel was lost in most cases, and in its place the following liquid or nasal became the bearer of the accent. Thus the Gothic has dissyllabic words with vocalic liquids or vocalic nasals (sonant liquids or sonant nasals); as, akrs, field; fugls, bird; taikns, token; maiþms, present.

Note In the West Germanic languages a new vowel (OHG. a) has developt from these vocalic liquids and nasals; e. g., OHG. akkar, fogal, zeihhan, OS. mêþom. Cp. ahd. gr., § 65 (#para_65), and Brgm., I, 190. 237.

CHAP. III. TABLE OF THE GOTHIC VOWELS

A. FONETIC SYSTEM

§ 28. In the preceding paragrafs the Gothic vowels hav been givn according to the letters by which they ar represented. Now they wil be arranged according to the nature of their sounds, the following scale of seven vowels from i to u being taken as a basis:

i e æ a ǫ o u.

e and o denote here the close e and o (which shade very much to i and u, respectivly); æ = open e (= a in fat, fare); ǫ = open o.

In the following survey we shal state after each of these vowel grades whether it occurs in Gothic, and by what letter it is exprest.

B. HISTORICAL SYSTEM (Ablaut-Series)

§ 29. The Gothic vowels, as regarded from a historico-etymological point of view, may be groupt into a number of series of related vowels. The vowels belonging to such a series may interchange in formations with the same root; in the formation of tenses and in the verbal and nominal derivation all vowels of the same series may occur, but not such as hav nothing in common with that series. This change of vowels within a series is calld ablaut (or gradation), the series themselvs ablaut-series. The ablaut-series ar most perceptibl in the verb. The relation between the vowels of the same series is not a fonetic but a historical one; to establish it, we must pass beyond the limits of the Germanic languages and take recourse to the comparativ grammar of the Indo-Germanic languages. The Gothic ablaut-series as appearing in verbal inflection ar these (cp. § 172 (#para_172) et seq.):

§ 30. I. Series: eiaii (aí).

Exampls: reisan (urreisan), rais, risum, risans, to rize; urraisjan, to raiz; urrists, f., resurrection; —þeihan, þaíh, þaíhum, þaíhans, to thrive; —wait, I know; pl. witum; weitan, to see; weitwôds, witness; miþ-wissei, conscience; witubni, n., knowledge; —lais, I know; lubja-leisei, f., wichcraft; lists, f. (?), stratagem; laisjan, to teach.

Note. The i of this series is the proethnic Germanic i mentiond in § 10 (#para_10), b.

§ 31. II. Series: iuauu (aú).

Exampls: giuta, gaut, gutum, gutans, to pour; gutnan, to pour (intr.); —liugan, laug, lugum, lugans, to lie; liugnja, m., liar; liugn, n., lie; analaugns, hidn; laugnjan, to deny; —galaubjan, to believ; galaubeins, belief; liufs, dear; lubô, f., luv; lubains, f., hope; —siuks, sick; saúhts, f., sickness; —driusan, to fall; drausjan, to drop (tr.); drus, m., fall; driusô, f., slope.

Note. The vowel û is rare in this series; cp. lûkan, to lock (§ 173 (#para_173), n. 2); anabûsns (? § 15 (#para_15), n. 1), command, < biudan.

§ 32. III. Series: i (aí)au (aú).

The themes of this series always hav two consonants after the vowel, mostly a liquid or a nasal in gemination, or a liquid or a nasal + another consonant. E. g.

bindan, band, bundum, bundans, to bind; bandi, f., band; bandja, m., prisoner; gabinda, f., band, bond; and-bundnan, to becum loose; gabundi, f., bond; —rinnan, to run; rannjan, to cause to run; runs, m., a run, course; rinnô, f., brook; —waírpan, warp, waúrpum, waúrpans, to throw; uswaúrpa, f., a casting out or away, an outcast; —þaírsan, to be dry; þaúrsnan, to wither; þaúrsus, dry, witherd; þaúrstei, thirst; —drigkan, to drink; dragkjan, to giv to drink; dragk, n., a drink, potion; -drukja, m., a drinker; drugkanei, f., drunkenness; —þriskan, to thresh; gaþrask, n., threshing-floor.

Note. The i of this and the following two series is that givn in § 10 (#para_10), a (= proethnic Germanic e).

§ 33. IV. Series: i (aí)aêu (aú).

The stems of this series hav a simpl liquid or nasal after the vowel. E. g.

niman, nam, nêmum, numans, to take; -numja, m., taker; anda-numts, f., a receiving; andanêms, agreeabl; andanêm, n., a receiving; —baíran, bar, bêrum, baúrans, to bear; baúr, m., 'natus'; barn, n., child; bêrusjôs, parents; —ga-timan, to becum, suit; ga-tamjan, to tame; gatêmiba, fitly.

Note. To this series belongs also brikan, brak, brêkum, brukans, to break: gabruka, f., a broken bit; us-bruknan, to break off (intr.); brakja, f., strugl. – Also trudan, to tred; § 175 (#litres_trial_promo), n. 2.

§ 34. V. Series: i (aí)aê.

The vowel of the stems of this series is followd by a singl consonant other than a liquid or a nasal. E. g.

giban, gaf, gêbum, gibans, to giv; giba, f., gift; gabei, f., richness; —sitan, to sit; satjan, to set; anda-sêts, abominabl; —mitan, to mezure; mitôn, to consider; mitaþs, f., mezure; usmêt, n., manner of life; —ga-nisan, to be saved, recuver; nasjan, to save; ganists, salvation.

Note. Also saíƕan, saƕ, sêƕum, saíƕans, belongs to this class, because ƕ represents a singl sound; § 63 (#para_63), n. 1.

§ 35. VI. Series: aô.

Most of the stems of this series end in a singl consonant. E. g.

wakan, wôk, wôkum, wakans, to wake; waknan, to awake; wahtwô, f., wach; wôkains, f., a waching; —graban, to dig; grôba, f., pit, hole; graba, f., dich; —fraþjan, frôþ, to understand; fraþi, n., understanding; frôþs, wise; frôdei, f., understanding, wisdom; —hafjan, hôf, to heav (tr.); -hafnan, to heav (intr.); haban, to hav, hold; ungahôbains, f., incontinency; —ôg, I fear; unagands, fearless; ôgjan, to frighten; usagjan, to terrify; agis, n., fear; —sakan, to contend; sakjô, f., strife; sôkjan, to seek; sôkns, f., serch, inquiry; unand-sôks, irrefutabl.

§ 36. Series: êô (VII. Ablaut-Series).

A connection between ê and ô occurs in the so-calld reduplicating ablaut-verbs lêtan, laílôt, etc.; saian (= *sêan, § 22 (#para_22)), saísô, etc.; cp. § 180 (#litres_trial_promo) et seq.

Note. This series is no longer found in the verbal inflection of the remaining Germanic languages, but its existence is proved by its occurring in word-formation; as, OHG. (â: ô) tât, f., tôn, tuon, to do; – knâan, to know: knôt, chnuat, f., kin. – For more on this point, s. Beitr. 11, 262 et seq.

CHAP. IV. THE CONSONANTS