H. Munro Chadwick - Studies in Old English

192 Pages·12.728 MB·English

by  H. Munro Chadwick

^^ ^^
PE

STUDIES IN OLD ENGLISH
BY
H. M. CHADWICK.
Q A
PREFATORY NOTE.
THE following essays make no claim to supply the
long-felt want of a grammar of Sweet's Oldest English
Texts. They are concerned with the investigation of cer-
tain problems in Old English phonology, with a view
to ascertaining the distinctive characteristics of the Old
English dialects and the chronological sequence of the
sound-changes which marked the early history of the
language.
It ought to be explained that these essays were com-
pleted in April of last year, several months before I was
able to see the third edition of Sievers' Angelsdchsische
Grammatik. Consequently the references are to the second
edition (Cook's Translation) throughout. I have called at-
tention, however, in the footnotes to many of the changes
introduced in the third edition, and I hope that I have
not passed over anything of importance bearing on the
problems here discussed. It will be found that several of
the theories, against which I have contended in the earlier
chapters of this paper, have been in part modified or with-
drawn in the third edition; in one or two cases, indeed, the
new explanation is practically identical with that which I
have proposed. After some hesitation I decided to let my
work remain in its original form, because Sievers' book,
while stating conclusions, does not profess to give a detailed
account of the processes by which these conclusions have
been attained.
72
88 PREFATORY NOTE.
[iv
A word of apology is needed in regard to the nomen-
clature employed in the designation of the hypothetical
texts discussed on p. 96 ff. This might certainly have
been improved, but unfortunately it was brought to my
notice too late to admit of any alteration being made.
I cannot let this opportunity pass by without testifying
to the value of the services rendered to the cause of English
Philology by the publication of The Oldest English Texts.
Without that work any such investigation as the present
would of course have been impossible the labours of the
;
investigator also have been materiallylightened bythe accu-
racy and the very convenient arrangement of the glossary.
In conclusion my thanks are due to the Cambridge
Philological Society for allowing this paper to be pub-
lished in their Transactions, and especially to the Presi-
dent, Prof. Ridgeway, for the kindly interest he has
throughout taken in the work. Above all I have to thank
Prof. Skeat, who has gone through both the manuscript
and the proofs, and to whom I am indebted for many
valuable
suggestions.
H. M. CHADWICK.
CLARE COLLEGE,
May, 1899.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
1. Introduction 93
2. The History of the Older Diphthong.s: .. .. .. .. 95
i. The {-umlaut of diphthongs..... 95
ii. Palatal umlaut 99
iii. The loss of intervocalic -h- 105
Note 1. The chronology of the changes i iii . 115
Note 2. ThehistoryoftheGermanicdiphthongan 118
3. The Diphthongs arising from Germ, a, e, i before r, I fol-
lowed by a consonant . .... .. .. .. .. 121
4. The Treatment of Germanic -w- 129
5. The Loss of Intervocalic -j- 146
6. The History of the diphthong in freo etc. . . . 148
7. The Verb W.Sax. Vreag(e)an, Ps. iSregan . . . 150
8. The Treatment of Germ, -a- before Nasals . . . 151
9. The Change of a > sel .... 153
10. The Syncope of -u after a long syllable 156
11. The Gemination of consonants before -j- . . . 159
12. The Phonetic Value of -g- 170
13. Dialectic peculiarities: 175
i. Northumbrian 176
n. The dialect of the Psalter 180
in. Kentish 182
14. The Epinal, Erfurt and Corpus Glossaries : . . . 188
i. &l 190
ii. e2 196
iii. a before +consonant . . . . . . 199
iv. 2 199
v. Q 200
vi. a;5 204
vii. ' 206
90 CONTENTS.
[vi
PAGE
viii. He2 210
ix. The m-diphthongs 212
x. #3 213
xi. 3 214
xii. The diphthongs eo and lu (/.) .. .. .. .. 216
xiii. Palatal umlaut 218
.....
xiv. Labial and back umlaut 226
xv. Palatal diphthongisation 228
xvi. The loss of interior -h- 229
xvii. The representation of medial and final Germ. /. 232
xviii. The representation of medial and final Germ. # 233
......
Note. Forms in which the etymological value of
/, b is uncertain 238
xix. The orthography of the.Glos.sari.es .. .... 241
xx. The comparative faithfulness of the three texts . 245
xxi. The age of the texts 246
xxii. The dialects 249
15. Chronology of the Earlier Dialectical Variations . . 253
16. Chronology of the Earliest English Sound-changes. . 256
17. The position of English among the Germanic Languages 259
NOTE. The references in Bede are to Plummer's Baedae Opera
Historica. It is to be observed that B = Cotton Tiberius A xiv,
C=Cotton Tiberius C n. "The Alphabet" refers to the names ofthe
Runic letters given in Cod. Sal. 140 (quoted from Wimmer, die Runen-
sckrift2, p. 85). The NorthumbrianRunic inscriptions are quoted from
Victor, die northumbrischen Runemteine. In every other case the
reference is to Sweet's Oldest English Texts.
West Saxon forms are usuallyquotedfrom Cosijn's Altwestsdchsische
Grammatik. It should be observed that C=the Cottonian MS.,
H=the Hatton MS. ofthe Cura Pastoralis (C.P.).
The grammars containedinBraune'sSammlungkurzerGrammatiken
gennanischer DialeJcte are quoted under the names of their respective
authors. The same plan has been occasionally adopted in the case of
gZreaumnmeart=icZaelunetrre'astiSspersawchhiecdhesdekaelntwiistchhenspPescailatlerdsi,alLeicntdseloorf=texLtisnd:eltohfu'ss
Sprache des Ritualsvon Durham.
Amongst other abbreviations the following may be noted :
=
O.E. 01d English.
=
O.H.G. 01d High German.
M.L.G.=Middle Low German.