Level change
The level change ( Finnish astevaihtelu , Estonian astmevaheldus , English gradation ) is the regular change in consonantism on the border between the penultimate and last syllable of a word according to quantity and quality. In this context, quantity means that the length of the consonant changes, while quality means that the type of consonant changes. If a verb is conjugated in the languages listed below , the consonants "k", "p" and "t" cause sound changes in the word stem .
In Estonian , vowels can also be subject to the level change. The level change occurs in the Baltic Finnish languages (except in Wepsi and Livic ), in Sami and in Nganasan ( Finno-Ugric languages and Ural languages ), both in the declension of nouns and adjectives and in the conjugation of verbs .
In Finnish and Estonian there are two levels of level change, namely the strong and the weak level, while Sami has three levels.
The trigger is originally the change in the last syllable of the word from open (usually the strong level) to closed (weak level). Participation in this process depends on the age of the grammatical feature. More recent phenomena such as B. solve clitics therefore i. d. Usually no change of level.
Finnish
In Finnish , the level change is limited to the plosives “ p ”, “ t ” and “ k ”. There is both the quantitative and the qualitative level change:
Quantitative level change
With this type of level change, the length of the consonant changes, with a larger quantity being called a strong level. This change often occurs when changing from the nominative to the genitive (which has the ending -n in Finnish ), as well as when changing from the infinitive to the 1st person singular present indicative (which also has the ending -n in Finnish ):
| strong weak | strong | weak |
| pp: p | kauppa ("the business") | kaupan ("of the business") |
| tt: t | tyttö ("the girl") | tytön ("the girl") |
| kk: k | kukka ("the flower") | kukan ("the flower") |
Qualitative level change
With this type of level change, the type of consonant changes or it disappears completely, e.g. B .:
| strong weak | strong | weak |
| p: v | lupa ("the permission") | luvan ("the permission") |
| t: d | pöytä ("the table") | pöydän ("of the table") |
| t: d | veteen ("into the water") | veden ("of the water") |
| k: Ø | ruoka ("meal, dish") | ruoan ("of the meal, judgment") |
In some consonant combinations there are deviations, which are mostly based on assimilation , and a " k " between two " u " or " y " can become a " v ":
| strong weak | strong | weak |
| mp: mm | hampaan ("of the tooth") | hammas ("the tooth") |
| nt: nn | ranta ("the beach") | rannan ("of the beach") |
| lt: ll | kulta ("the gold") | kullan ("of gold") |
| rt: rr | virta ("the stream") | virran ("of the stream") |
| ht: hd | lahti ("the bay") | lahden ("the bay") |
| nk: ng | kenkä ("the shoe") | kengän ("of the shoe") |
| lke: lje | sylkeä ("spit") | syljen ("I spit") |
| rke: rje | kärki ("the top") | kärjen ("the top") |
| hke: hje | rohkenen ("I dare") | rohjeta ("dare") |
| uku: uvu | luku ("the number") | luvun ("the number") |
| yky: yvy | kyky ("the ability") | kyvyn ("the ability") |
There is no change of level for the following consonant combinations: “ pt ”, “ kt ”, “ tk ”, “ sp ”, “ st ”, “ sk ” and (mostly) “ hk ”, the use of proper names can also vary.
Estonian
The Estonian stage change is based historically as viewed on the same principle as the Finnish, but he has the more advanced sound development of the Estonian today a completely different shape. As in Finnish, a distinction is made between qualitative and quantitative changes, with the latter also making a distinction between the visible and the invisible. Another difference to Finnish is that the Estonian level change is not limited to the explosive sounds, but can cover practically all sounds. There are three quantities in Estonian, but a maximum of two can appear in a word. The level change can therefore be between short and long or between long and extra long, so there are always only two levels per word. The difference between long and excessively long is usually not shown orthographically (hence 'visible' and 'invisible'), but it is of course audible. Only for the explosive sounds p, t and k do all three levels have their own notation: pp for an excessively long p, p for a normal p and b for a weak p that is still voiceless, i.e. no b. Phonetically it is represented as [B]. In the following tables, the extra long syllable is marked with an accent (`), as is done in some textbooks.
Quantitative level change (visible)
Case abbreviations: G = genitive , N = nominative , P = partitive
| strong weak | strong (III. level) | weak (II. level) |
| pp: p | se`ppa (blacksmith, P) | sepa (blacksmith, G) |
| p: b | kau`pa (goods, purchase, P) | kauba (goods, purchase, G) |
| tt: t | mõ`tte (thought, G) | mõte (thought, N) |
| t: d | tea`te (message, G) | teade (communication, N) |
| kk: k | ku`kkuma (to fall) | kukun (I'm falling) |
| k: g | au`ku (hole, P) | augu (hole, G) |
| ss: s | poi`ssi (boy, P) | poisi (boy, G) |
| ff: f | še`ffi (boss, P) | šefi (chief, G) |
| šš: š | tu`šši (Indian ink, P) | tuši (Indian ink, G) |
| tr: dr | pu`tru (porridge, P) | pudru (porridge, G) |
| rk: rg | tar`ka (smart, P) | targa (smart, G) |
As well as some other consonant connections.
Quantitative level change (invisible)
Case abbreviations: G = genitive, N = nominative, P = partitive
| strong weak | strong (III. level) | weak (II. level) |
| hh: hh | tse`hhi (department, P) | tsehhi (department, G) |
| ll: ll | ke`lla (clock, P) | kella (clock, G) |
| mm: mm | nõ`mme (heather, P) | nõmme (heather, G) |
| nn: nn | li`nna (city, P) | linna (city, G) |
| rr: rr | na`rri (fool, P) | narri (fool, G) |
| ss: ss | ka`ssi (cat, P) | kassi (cat, G) |
| ts: ts | me`tsa (forest, P) | metsa (forest, G) |
| lm: lm | si`lma (eye, P) | silma (eye, G) |
| aa: aa | s`aar (island, N) | saare (island, G) |
| ow: ow | l`aulu (song, P) | laulu (song, G) |
As well as with some other consonant connections and all vowels and diphthongs.
Qualitative level change
Case abbreviations: G = genitive, N = nominative, P = partitive
| strong weak | strong | weak |
| b: ø | tuba (room, N) | toa (room, G) |
| b: v | l`eiba (bread, P) | leiva (bread, G) |
| mb: mm | ha`mbas (in the tooth) | hammas (tooth, N) |
| do | kadu (loss, N) | k`ao (loss, G) |
| d: j | sadama (rain) | sajab (it's raining) |
| ld: ll | mu`lda (earth, P) | mulla (earth, G) |
| ht: h | le`hte (sheet, P) | lehe (sheet, G) |
| g: ø | sugu (gender, N) | soo (gender, G) |
| hk: h | õ`hku (air, P) | õhu (air, G) |
| sk: s | u`skuma (believe) | usun (i believe) |
As well as some other consonant connections.
Sami
In Sami , the level change is so complex that just a few examples from North Sami should suffice:
- bb > pp : oabbá ("sister")> oappá (genitive accusative)
- dd > tt : loddi ("bird")> lotti (genitive accusative)
- hk > g : johka ("river")> joga (genitive accusative)
- hc > z : čeahci ("uncle")> čeazi (genitive accusative)
- pm > m : sápmi ("Samiland")> sámi (genitive accusative)
- tn > n : latnja ("room")> lanja (genitive accusative)
With some sound sequences the weak level is not shorter but longer:
- ld > ldd : šaldi ("bridge")> šalddi (genitive-accusative)
- rf > rff : márfi ("sausage")> márffi (genitive accusative)
The level change sometimes occurs together with a change in vowelism ( monophthongization ):
- oa > o und ht > đ : goahti ("Sami tent")> gođiin ("in the Sami tent")
Nganasan
Nganasan has a level change in connection with the phonemes "h", "t", "k", "s" and ś "u" and the nasal connections "nh [ŋh]", "nt", "nk [ŋk]", "Ns" and "ńś". It is primarily based on the number of syllables (even / odd) (rhythmic level change) and secondarily on the quality of the syllable (open / closed) (syllabic level change). Both level changes take place successively, but never twice in the same syllable . Straight or open syllables lead to the strong level.
This system is modified by some rules. So vowel sequences always lead to a weak level of the following syllable. However, they only count twice in the stem syllable (CVV-) (phonological), in other positions they are only "monovalent", which in turn affects the rhythmic level change. A consonant, on the other hand, can only be followed by a strong level, whereby hypothetical (zero consonants) C or N are also assumed here in order to justify irregular level changes - of which there are quite a few.
There is a connection to a phenomenon known as nunation , in which the strong nasal is restored in the case of weak-level forms, provided the preceding syllable consists of a (single) nasal plus vowel (sequence).
The distinction of three ng is based on the level change. Stem variants ((S1) nominative singular, (S2) genitive / accusative singular (~ nominative plural), (S3) genitive plural). However, apart from the inflectional ending, S2 and S3 can only be differentiated due to a change in the stem-end vowel that does not always occur. S2 changes / supplements its stem-end vowel only conditionally, e.g. B. with consonant stems.
Examples:
| Change | example | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| S1> S2 (S2)> S3 | ||
| h> b | bahi> babi (babi- ")> babi-" | 'wild reindeer' |
| t> δ | ŋuta> ŋuδa (ŋuδa- ")> ŋuδa-" | 'Berry' |
| k> g | məku> məgu (məgu- ")> məga-" | 'Move' |
| s> dj | basa> badja (badja- ")> badja-" | 'Iron' |
| ŋh> mb | koŋhu> kombu (kombu- ")> komba-" | 'Wave' |
| nt> nd | djintə> djində (djində- ")> djindjü-" | 'Arc' |
| ŋk> ŋg | bəŋkə> bəŋgə (bəŋgə- ")> bəŋgü-" | 'Earth hut' |
| ns> njdj | bənsə> bənjdjə (bənjdjə- ")> bənjdji-" | 'all' |
swell
- About Estonian
- Cornelius Hasselblatt : Grammatical Dictionary of Estonian. 3rd, revised edition. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2008. (Publications of the Societas Uralo-Altaica 77)
- Kauderwelsch Volume 55, Estonian word for word, 2002, ISBN 3-89416-245-7 , pages 52–54
- About Finnish
- Fred Karlsson: Finnish grammar. 4th edition. Hamburg: Buske 2004.
- Kauderwelsch Volume 15, Finnish word for word, 2002, ISBN 3-89416-014-4 , pages 20-22
- Dr. Richard Semrau: Langenscheidts practical textbook Finnish, 1995, ISBN 3-468-26140-3 , pages 58-59
- About Sami
- Hans-Hermann Bartens: Textbook of the Saami (Lappish) language, Helmut Buske Verlag Hamburg, 1989, ISBN 3-87118-885-9 , pages 22-27, 30-39
- Kauderwelsch Volume 192, Sami for Lapland word for word, ISBN 3-89416-360-7 , pages 21–24
- About Nganasan
- Michael Katzschmann: Chrestomathia Nganasanica: texts, translation, glossary, grammar; ..., BoD Norderstedt, 2008, ISBN 978-3-8370-1121-0 , p. 346 ff. (Level change), 351 ff. (Nunation), 336 ff. (Master classes)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The nominative of this word is vesi , which arose from the earlier * veti , hence a change of stage.
- ↑ Sometimes the change can also be “the other way around”, i.e. H. the nominative is in the weak level and the genitive in the strong level.
- ↑ From earlier * kärke .
- ↑ Cornelius Hasselblatt : Grammatical Dictionary of Estonian. 3rd, revised edition. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2008, pp. 158–161. (Publications of the Societas Uralo-Altaica 77)