Abstract
An analysis of dialect words from throughout the Rhineland presented here supports the view that the OHG shift began after short vowels and spread to consonants after long vowels only secondarily. Furthermore, pre-OHG *-p, *-t, *-k shifted less consistently after long vowels in Rhenish Frankish varieties than they did in other dialects of Old High German. To explain this difference we posit (following Schmidt, Die sprachhistorische Genese der mittelfränkischen Tonakzente: 201–233, 2002 and Schmidt/Künzel, Das Rätsel löst sich: 135–163, 2006) that tone accents in the pre-OHG Rhenish Frankish varieties were originally derivative of the intrinsic (phonetic) variation in length found among long vowels. Intrinsically longer [–high] long vowels had a long, falling tone accent that emphasized their length, and that delayed or blocked the shift of postvocalic *p, *t, *k (> f/ff, s/ss, x/xx) in that environment.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
