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Sound Change and Syllable Structure in Germanic Phonology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2026

Robert W. Murray and
Theo Vennemann
Robert W. Murray
Affiliation:
University of Munich
Theo Vennemann
Affiliation:
University of Munich
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Abstract

Two competing theories exist about the Proto-Germanic syllabication of and similar sequences: one proposes that the division was , the other, . Furthermore, three major phonological developments in Germanic groups have never received a satisfactory explanation: consonant gemination in West Germanic, vowel lengthening (with differential constraints) in North Germanic, and glide strengthening in Gothic. This paper proposes a uniform solution for all these problems, based on independently established principles of syllabic phonology: a preference (at least in the Germanic languages) for stressed syllables that have two morae (Prokosch 1939), and a universal preference for syllable onsets that are at least as strong as the preceding syllable offset (Hooper 1976). We provide various kinds of evidence for a Proto-Germanic syllabication which is in accordance with Prokosch's principle, but not with Hooper's; and we then explain subsequent developments as different ways of rebalancing the syllable structure to accord with both Prokosch's and Hooper's principles: in West Germanic; in North Germanic; and in Gothic.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 59 , Issue 3 , September 1983, pp. 514 - 528
Copyright
Copyright © 1983 by Linguistic Society of America

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