Suffixal j in Germanic

Abstract

It is well known that Germanic nouns and verbs with a j-formative have two types of syllable structure. The suffix is said to represent /ij/ following a heavy or unstressed syllable, and /j/ elsewhere. Sievers (1878:129-30) noticed the allomorphic distribution of suffixal j for monosyllables, but was unable to give any rules for polysyllabic stems. He based his formulation on Germanic evidence, primarily on Old English, showing that it was necessary to postulate syllabic and consonantal variants in order to avoid contradictions with existing syncope rules for unstressed vowels (132-6). Research following Sievers' classic article has concentrated almost exclusively on the comparative aspect by linking the Germanic phenomena with allophonic variations in the Rigveda (Edgerton 1943).2 Regardless of the situation in Indo-European, it is necessary for Germanic to distinguish between a syllabic and consonantal variant of suffixal j. Conclusive evidence is found in Old English, e.g. in the nom.acc. pi. of heavy ja-neuters as compared with their light counterparts:3 *kun-j-u 'races', *rzk-j-u 'kingdoms'. In the attested nom.acc. pi. cyn, ricu one observes loss of final u after a light stem syllable, but not after a heavy one. This contradicts the apocope rules for Old English: (1) in monosyllabic stems, high vowels drop after a light syllable; (2) in polysyllabic stems, final u drops in forms of the structure